Why join Health & Help?
As a medical student at Health & Help, you won’t just observe — you’ll take part in the daily work of a rural clinic. Depending on your level of training, language skills, and confidence, you may assist during patient consultations, help with procedures, take vitals, record medical histories, support intake and triage, or staff the pharmacy.
Our team of doctors and nurses will explain cases, answer questions, and give you context for the medical, cultural, and logistical realities we face every day.
To support your learning, our medical leads host weekly case discussions, where students can present interesting cases, ask questions, and deepen their clinical reasoning.
Final-year students may also be invited to take part in supervised “student provider teams,” where they follow a patient’s case from intake through diagnosis and treatment, then review with our licensed providers for implementation.
By the end of the program, you’ll have gained not only clinical skills, but also the ability to adapt, problem-solve, and deliver care in a setting where resources are limited and every decision matters. It’s a learning experience that goes far beyond textbooks — rooted in teamwork, connection with the community. and real-world medicine.
What you’ll do
- Assisting providers during consultations and procedures
- Taking vitals, basic medical history, and conducting health screenings
- Supporting pharmacy operations and medication distribution
- Participating in intake, triage, and follow-up care
- Helping lead health education activities in local schools
- Supporting public health promotion (hand washing, dental hygiene, sexual health, etc.)
What’s Included
- Pre-departure guidance and full on-site orientation
- Free accommodation in the clinic
- Healthy vegetarian meals every day
- Certificate of participation
- Continuous support as you adapt to rural life, a new setting, and an international team
Who can join
- Age 18+
- Medical, nursing, PA, paramedic, public health, or pre-med students
- Basic Spanish (A2) strongly recommended — we offer tutoring if needed
- Adaptable to rural clinic life—limited internet, basic facilities, international team
- Shares our values and supports Health & Help’s mission of equal access to healthcare
Сontribution
We are an independent, nonprofit organization. To keep our clinics open and to ensure volunteers have a safe, comfortable, and well-equipped place to live and work, we ask each international volunteer to contribute $150 per week during their stay.
This contribution covers the essential, ongoing costs of operating a clinic in a remote area, including:
- accommodation and daily meals
- water, electricity, internet, cooking gas
- local logistics and operational expenses
- medical supplies, medications, and other consumables
Because our clinics are located in remote areas, these costs are higher than usual, reflecting the challenges of logistics and daily operations.
Your contribution helps keep the clinic functioning not only during your stay, but for every patient who depends on it year-round.
By contributing, you support the project in two ways: through your medical work, and through helping sustain the infrastructure that makes that work possible.
Support for Local Volunteers
We are committed to long-term, community-based impact. For that reason, Health & Help fully covers the participation costs for volunteers from Guatemala and Nicaragua. Local medical professionals bring cultural knowledge, continuity of care, and long-term commitment to the communities we serve. By investing in their training and experience, we help strengthen healthcare from within — not only while international volunteers are present, but far into the future.