Moldova: Voluntary Medical/Healthcare Placements in Europe

Moldova: Volunteer Medical Placements and Work-Experience

Medicine & Healthcare projects in Moldova are based in the capital, Chisinau, where we work with eight different medical centres. These range from small clinics to large hospitals and it is possible to get a broad range of experience if you are spending a reasonable length of time on the project. Medicine & Healthcare projects in Moldova are open to anybody with an interest in the area, whether you are on your gap year and looking to gain some experience to help with your university application, a student currently training in Medicine or Physiotherapy, or an experienced professional on a career break.

Your medical supervisor will be Boris Topor MD Ph.D, who is Professor and Chief of the Department of Topographical Anatomy and Operative Surgery. Boris speaks perfect English and will organise your placement, as well as guiding you through the day-to-day realities of medicine and healthcare in a developing country. He will let you experience a range of opportunities of working with local doctors and you will be able to see a lot more than is normally possible in your home country. Many of the doctors speak English, but for those who do not, a local medical student will be provided by Projects Abroad to act as a translator.

There are a number of available placements, including Nicolae Testemiteanu - the State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, where Boris gives regular lectures. You are welcome to join him on these, and meet with current Moldovan medical students. You will probably also wish to pay a visit to the Chisinau Medical Museum.

Two other important placements are the Mother and Baby Unit and the Paediatric Hospital (E.Cotaga). There are also opportunities to work in a trauma department, A&E, Oncology and Surgery. If you are interested in homeopathic medicine you could choose to spend some time working in a new homeopathic medical centre.

Volunteer Physiotherapy in Moldova

If you are interested in physiotherapy we have opportunities available for you to gain experience working with disabled children at one of the disabled centres where we work in Chisinau. The local physiotherapists are keen to have - quite literally - an extra pair of hands to assist them!

Volunteer Occupational Therapy in Moldova

As a training or qualified Occupational Therapy volunteer in Moldova, you'll be placed in one of a number of institutions for people who are mentally and physically disabled. While residents largely have access to the necessary physiotherapy care, staff are limited in number and don't have enough time to spend one-to-one with these individuals. By coming into the home and using your skills to asses and treat the wide variety of physical and psychiatric conditions you come across, you can help these people to find purposeful activities they can participate in, and help to promote independent function in aspects of their life for what may be the first time since they moved in.

There is also the opportunity to be involved with a summer programme that takes people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility out of Chisinau. The sessions they take part in are designed to teach them new skills to increase their independence, self-esteem, and teach them practical ways of integrating their disability into a fuller lifestyle.

Whichever centre you are based in, you'll be given a worthwhile placement that really makes a difference.

Elective Placements in Moldova

You can do an Elective in Moldova in Medicine, Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy.

If you wish to do your Elective in Moldova, you will be working in a large university hospital or a disabled centre in Chisinau. You will shadow one of our supervisors who are experienced at working with western medical and physiotherapy students. They will be keen to test out your knowledge, as well as giving you the benefit of their training and experience.

Medicine students will be able to improve their skills by helping doctors in investigations (taking case-histories) and diagnosis-establishment, as well as practical activities like bandaging and injections. At coffee breaks it will be interesting for you to talk with other doctors, sharing your experiences and learning from their wealth of experience.

Outside of the hospital you will live with a local host family, who will provide you with all your meals outside of your normal working hours. When you aren't at work Chisinau is a very pleasant place to spend your time. There is plenty of history and culture to immerse yourself in, and a friendly group of Projects Abroad staff and volunteers with whom to socialise.