Medical Work Experience Projects

Our medical work experience placements in Ghana are based in hospitals and clinics in Cape Coast and Takoradi. We deliberately choose regional hospitals in towns rather than small rural clinics so that you can gain experience in a broad range of departments during your time with us.

When you arrive, you will meet your project supervisor who will chat to you about previous experience and any interests or medical fields that you would like to gain more experience in.

Your supervisor will then organise a programme for you to spend time in various departments. You will then spend time shadowing doctors and medical professionals in these departments, following them on ward visits and learning all you can. If your time with us permits it may be possible for you to arrange to spend time in a department that you are particularly interested in. Theatre, A & E and Paediatrics always the most popular departments.

You will be working in a hospital with similar departments to the hospitals you might have visited at home however, the biggest difference will be the medical conditions and treatments you will see.

Malaria will be by far the most common illness you will see, along with other tropical illness such as Typhoid and Hepatitis. As Ghana does not have the same levels of sanitation as we are fortunate to have you will also become experienced in the treatment of intestinal parasites and dysentery.

Medical care in Ghana is not free. Sadly you will also become accustomed to doctors making diagnoses without tools we take for granted such as x-rays because the patient simply can't afford them. You will also see doctors powerless to treat some patients because they can't afford to buy the medicines.

Many of the hospitals have links with small rural clinics so if your time with us permits, we'll arrange for you to spend time on a rural outreach clinic, usually a rural inoculation programme.

A medical programme in Ghana really is a great opportunity to gain experience you couldn't have hoped for at home. You will see medical conditions and their treatment that you probably would only have read about during your studies and are rarely likely to see in your career.

This project is not just for budding medical students, this programme may also be suitable for those about to study:

• Nursing
• Physiotherapy
• Dentistry

• Accommodation
• UK support (including predeparture information on your placement and accommodation)
• Airport pick-up
• Local induction
• Culture and language course (where applicable)
• Local overseas support
• Food (in project accommodation)

During your time with us in Ghana, you will be staying with other volunteers in our house in Cape Coast. It is possible to stay with local families if you prefer but please let us know when you apply.

The standard of the accommodation will basic (please see the pictures on this page) and not be what you are used to at home so please don’t expect all mod cons, but it will be clean and tidy.

The house has running water and electricity, but please be aware that the water is delivered and stored in a tank above the house so there may be times when it runs out, and the electricity supply is unreliable and may often fail. Ghana's electricity mostly comes from a massive hydro-electric plant at Lake Volta. It is not unheard of for the electricity company to simply cut supply when water levels in the lake are too low!

Even though there is running water, there will be no hot running water. Most houses in Ghana don't have hot running water - although some may have small boilers for washing dishes. When temperatures rarely drop below 25 degrees, even at night, you will find that a cold shower in the morning is just what you need!

There will be someone there to look after the house and they will cook your meals which means that if you can't quite get used to Ghanaian food then they can cook something similar to what you are used to at home.

The cost of the programme in Ghana includes drumming lessons. Music is an integral part of Ghanaian culture so learning a bit about music in Ghana will give you more of an insight into the Ghanaian way of life.

Weekends are free and, depending on how many volunteers are overseas with you, you are based in the same accommodation which means that you can easily go travelling at weekends. Our location in Ghana means that you are close to some of the Ghana's most popular attractions.

Kakum national park, home to our conservation projects in Ghana is a short drive away. The forest reserve at Kakum is famous for it's canopy walkway. Those with a good head for heights can literally walk through the canopy of the rainforest thanks to a walkway that spans the tops of the trees. Those without a head for heights can wander the numerous trails that run through the forest, some that have been renovated by Global Volunteer Projects conservation volunteers.

Also within easy reach is the coast. Great if you just want to chill out and relax by the beach and watch the fishermen land their days trawl. The coast is also home to the colonial forts. many of the forts were used during the sinister trade of slaves from Ghana and it's well worth taking the tour around these forts to learn a bit more about Ghana's colonial past.

Further afield, you can visit the vibrant capital city Accra or fishing villages along the coast. Time it right and you might be lucky enough to visit one of the villages during their annual festivals.

Further north, you can journey to the capital of the Ashanti empire at Kumasi, visiting the huge market for souvenirs to take home. It's this market where you're likely to find the best deals on Ghana's famous Kente cloth as well as numerous hand carved crafts.