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Overseas Physiotherapy Volunteer Placements
Physiotherapy volunteers at all stages of their careers or study can find a constructive role on our programs. The settings have very different resources and, often, techniques while you will work with conditions rarely seen in the western world, alongside more familiar ones.
There are a wide variety of settings and roles, so we take care with each volunteer to find the right placement for their background, interests or the one which inspires them most. The patients at the centres we support often have a broad range of conditions so you will find yourself learning new techniques and needing to be pretty flexible.
Physiotherapy Internship Abroad
In each country we support several centres, from large hospitals to small rehabilitation centres, there is often community outreach work opportunities and in many cases, senior students or qualified professionals may find themselves giving presentations on techniques from home.
Projects Abroad have local staff in all destinations, many with healthcare backgrounds so volunteers always have someone who understands your role and can help you develop it.
Whatever stage of their career or studies, volunteer physiotherapists can play a constructive role in the treatment of the patients, for example in cerebral palsy centres in Nepal, with amputees in Cambodia, hospitals in Ghana or community centres and leprosy clinics in India.
Volunteering overseas as a physiotherapist gives great opportunities for personal and professional development, for meeting other volunteers from around the world, offering support where it is needed and getting to know the country through living and working there. It is a unique experience.
We recommend people volunteer for a minimum of one month, however, there are some programs which can run for two weeks.
The duration of the programs is flexible, as is the start date. We always need volunteers and we work in the country all year round which allows volunteers to start whenever they choose.
“The doctors and physiotherapists were excellent at teaching and testing our knowledge, and we were allowed to assist in examinations. I also really enjoyed going to the operating room.” Eleanor Pickford, Physiotherapy in Nepal
“From my experiences I learned how to treat patients with burns, make and fit splints, do exercises for burns, hydrotherapy, work with children, and the use and fitting of pressure suits. It was such a great experience and if this is your placement I have no doubt that you will love it too. I will truly miss working there, all the great people I met and of course all those children!” Siobhan Ni Cheidigh, Physiotherapy in Bolivia
“I feel I have been very lucky here, I am doing exactly what I wanted to do: treating patients, training staff and using my skills and experience. I've treated tiny babies with sore necks, elderly people with arthritis and one young boy who keeps getting me to make him balloon models (I made him a balloon sword to encourage him to use his arm after a fracture!) and all is going well.” Tom Goom, Physiotherapy in Sri Lanka
Physiotherapy Elective Students
Many of the placements meet criteria for assessed clinical rotations in some universities. Please contact us to discuss this further.