Name: Tamara Rilya Nationality: Israel
Occupation: Student Volunteering Period: September 2012 – November 2012
-What made you want to apply to volunteer and in particular for the project in the health centre?
I’m going to start studying medicine, so that’s why I chose a medic specific project and I always wanted to volunteer in a different country to understand a different culture.
-How would you describe the project and your job and tasks?
Our tasks vary from day to day as they would do in a normal hospital at home. We shadow the doctors and surgeons and go to different types of health clinics in the local area. We travel around 1 hour to 1hr 30 mins everyday dependent on the type of clinic we go to. Every day we discuss as a group of student doctors what we think the patients diagnoses are and after the doctor has spoken to the patients he explains to us whether we are right or wrong.
-What are some of the best moments around the project and what have you learnt?
I have loved being able to visit the surgery’s as this is an area of medicine that I am most interested in. Also, by meeting other doctors and nurses I have developed my understanding of medicine in different cultures, and can see how it varies to my country.
-Do you have any suggestions or recommendations to look forward to for any volunteers that will be taking part in the same project?
Bring your own scrubs and medical accessories such as gloves and stethoscopes, you should look forward to experiencing medicine in a completely different way and meeting a lot of very helpful and welcoming doctors and nurses. http://www.voluntarioglobal.org/