Adventure Alternative

Medical Electives

Medical Electives in Nepal

Please read below to look at our options for valuable and special medical electives in Nepal. We offer two types of trip:

1. 6 week elective in Kathmandu, living in our apartment on the outskirts of the city
2. Elective combining a 15 day trek to Everest Base Camp and 4 or 6 week medical placement in Kathmandu, staying in our apartment.
   

Nepal is a truly amazing country which time has forgotten. Kathmandu is a blend of new and old with fantastic restaurants and traditional Buddhist temples. If you are interested in going to Nepal for your elective you can also combine this with a fantastic expedition to the foot of Mount Everest!

6 week Medical Elective, Kathmandu, Nepal

In Kathmandu your base is the Adventure Alternative house or apartment, which is just on the outskirts of town. Here you live in comfort with a kitchen, lounge and bathroom. We also provide house staff for you and daily transport to the hospital.
You start in Kathmandu, the bustling capital of the Himalayan Kingdom. Here you will find busy streets full of character and colour. Initially this appears as a never ending maze of fascination with lingering aromas of incense and wonderful street sellers offering Asian artefacts and treasures such as Yak hair hats, cashmere scarves and Buddhist prayer flags.

At the hospital you will find various departments including anaesthesiology, anatomy, biochemistry, clinical pharmacology, clinical physiology, dental surgery, dermatology, ear, nose, throat (ENT), emergency medicine & general practice, forensic medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery, internal medicine, orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology, psychiatry & mental health, pathology, microbiology, radiology and community medicine. It is possible to specialise in one department or to pick a number of departments to work in. Helena Ventham will assist in the procedure for applying to the hospital in advance for your preferences.

During the elective period you can attend daily ward rounds conducted by the consultants of the respective clinical departments. You will also be posted to the outpatient departments and the casualty rooms where you can see a variety of clinical cases. You will also be involved with interviewing and examining the patients and observe various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures under the direct supervision of the consultants.

Similarly, you will be encouraged to participate in clinical bedside teachings regularly conducted for the undergraduate students of the Institute of Medicine in Kathmandu. In such sessions you can discuss the clinical findings, investigation plans and therapeutic management of the patients. These case presentations and topic discussions provide a learning environment for students. Such sessions are particularly useful to develop critical reasoning skills and problem solving skills based on case histories and the real patients.

Trek n’ Medical

If you have a bit of spare time and a burning ambition to trek in the Himalayas and gasp at their beauty and magnificence then this is definitely the Medical elective for you!

Due to our background as an expedition company and our connections through our charity, which has done a great deal of work in the Himalayan villages, we also offer you the chance to join one of our trek teams heading to the Base Camp of Mount Everest!

This is one of the world’s greatest hikes to one of the most incredible places on our planet. The round trip to base camp, tucked under the sheer slopes of Everest takes fifteen days. Eventually you will reach the tiny settlement of Gorak Shep perched on the edge of the massive Khumbu Glacier, where mountaineers begin their climb to the summit.

This trek is fully supported and you will have a porter to carry your bag. Accommodation on the way is in comfortable lodges or in two-man tents. The food is great, the scenery breathtaking and the people are some of the most wonderful that you’ll ever meet!

People often worry about their fitness level, however the trek is surprisingly slow-paced, generally with only four hours walking each day. If this is of interest you should look at the Everest Base Camp page on this website.

Travelling to Nepal

From Ireland and the UK there are regular flights to Kathmandu. On arrival in Kathmandu airport you will be met by Adventure Alternative’s Nepalese staff who will escort you to our Kathmandu accommodation close to the main town and help you settle in. They will be able to assist you initially with all your needs including shopping and phoning home. The staff will then take you to the hospital and introduce you to the local doctors and hospital staff.