Medical Assistant

Become a Gap Year Medical Assistant

Gain an insight into the medical profession supporting staff with basic tasks and patient care in hospitals and community clinics. Work alongside health professionals in range of areas and fields while gaining first-hand experience in the medical profession. You may assist staff in hospitals, community centres or health clinics with basic tasks as well as patient care.

 

Ghana

Based in local health centres, volunteers help the local staff, who are usually overworked and responsible for almost everything medically-based in their community. Typical activities of a Volunteer Health Worker will include: assisting with some of the running of a health centre, looking after a basic pharmacy and providing general administration for patient care, helping to maintain patient records, assisting with activities with babies and under-fives and monthly baby monitoring (weighing) and feeding, assisting with outreach programmes and involvement with health education campaigns. You are also likely to have the chance to involve yourself in other community activities; this will often be encouraged and developing links with the community through your role as a Volunteer Health Worker will help you easily make contacts and friends and help you to experience, explore and understand the culture of a rural area.

Find out more about volunteering in Ghana >

Japan

Our Medical placements in Japan are a fantastic opportunity to experience working in a busy hospital while living in one of the world’s most culturally fascinating countries. Medical volunteers usually work in Red Cross hospitals around the country and have the opportunity to witness the daily inner-workings of a hospital – from nursing to brain surgery! Typically your duties as a volunteer will include transporting patients around the hospital, preparing bandages and dressings, collecting prescriptions from the pharmacy and generally working with the nursing and medical teams. Volunteers will usually help nursing staff with English and in return be offered the opportunity of Japanese tutorials. A basic knowledge of the Japanese language and a willingness to learn is required for these volunteering placements.
In the past volunteers that have proven their capabilities and knowledge of the language are relied upon with greater responsibilities. These placements are fantastic for volunteers looking for or interested in a career in the medical field.

Find out more about volunteering in Japan >