Översikt
Join our Occupational Therapy internship in Vietnam and work with disabled patients at a rehabilitation centre. You can use this experience to help those in need, and add practical work experience to your CV at the same time.
In Vietnam, there is a significant demand for occupational therapists. Agent Orange, a chemical used during the Vietnam War, continues to affect children born decades later. The chemical damages DNA, which leads to children being born with mental and physical disabilities. We need your help to improve the level of care given to patients, and to support their education.
You’ll live and work in one of two locations, and stay in shared accommodation with other Projects Abroad interns and volunteers. Explore as much of this beautiful Southeast Asian country as you can, and feel free to eat as much of the delicious local food as you want!
Startdatum:
När som helst
Se datumMinimitid:
En vecka
Ålder:
18 eller över
You should have completed at least one year of occupational therapy related studies or training.
Is the Occupational Therapy internship in Vietnam right for me?
Are you interested in getting occupational therapy work experience at a rehabilitation centre? Do you want to help those who need support most? If you answered yes to these questions, our Occupational Therapy internship in Vietnam would be a good fit for you.
This project is perfect for any student looking to put occupational therapy into practice. To join, you must have have completed at least two years of pre-medical or other healthcare related studies. Please be aware that the work you do will depend on your level of experience and training.
This is a unique way to add work experience to your CV, and it will give you interesting points to talk about in applications and interviews.
You can join at any time of the year, and have to commit to a minimum of two weeks. We encourage you stay longer, to ensure you have a bigger impact on the people you work with. It’s also a great opportunity to gain even more occupational therapy work experience while in Vietnam.
What will I do at my Occupational Therapy placement in Vietnam?
During your internship, you’ll gain experience by taking part in various activities relating to occupational therapy. These can include:
- Assist staff at a rehabilitation centre by treating patients with physical and mental disabilities
- Promote educational development through fun activities like arts and crafts, dance, and maths games
- Facilitate vocational lessons for patients to learn skills like embroidery, paper flower making, and cooking
At your Occupational Therapy placement in Vietnam, your work will focus on these main areas:
Assist staff at a rehabilitation centre by treating patients with physical and mental disabilities
The centres we work with have patients with various disabilities. These include autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, this is a legacy of the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
The symptoms of some of the disabilities you help treat will vary. They could include:
- Decreased or lack of fine motor precision and integration
- Decreased balance and coordination
- Poor prehension
Your presence at your placement will be extremely beneficial to the patients and staff you work with. Some placements provide equipment like mattresses, balls, and a parallel bar. You can use these during your treatment sessions.
Promote educational development through fun activities
Many of the patients we work with are children who need educational support. You can help run lessons using fun activities like:
- Arts and crafts
- Dance
- Games
- Singing
If you have the relevant experience, you may be able to work independently with groups or individual patients.
We encourage interns with training to use their skills to train local staff. You can also bring any resources you might have, like puzzles, LEGO, games, and other useful tools you’ve acquired during your training.
Facilitate vocational lessons to improve patients’ skills
You can work in vocational training to help teenagers and adults learn skills that would benefit their future careers. You can teach skills such as:
- Embroidery
- Paper flower making
- Cooking
- Weaving
- Making incense and bags, and other crafts
By learning new skills, those with disabilities will develop a way to earn an income in the future.
Where in Vietnam will I work?
Hanoi
You can work at a care centre or hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital, or you can work at a rehabilitation centre in a more rural setting outside of Hanoi. The centres we work with are either understaffed, or the staff are undertrained. In most cases, it is a combination of the two.
Hanoi is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. Each day, you’ll navigate your way through thousands of motorcycles, Vietnam’s primary mode of transport for most people. You can follow the delicious smells coming from street food vendors at nearly every corner. You can choose to enjoy lunches like Vietnam’s famous pho, a noodle dish with rice, broth, herbs, and chicken or beef.
If you’re placed in a rural setting, you’ll witness a more traditional way of life. You’ll be surrounded by rice paddies where farmers and water buffalo are hard at work.
What will my typical day be like?
You’ll begin each day bright and early, leaving your accommodation at around 7am. You’ll travel by taxi or bus, or walk if it’s close enough to you. On your first day, our staff will accompany you to show you the way.
Your exact daily schedule will depend on where you are placed, as each facility runs according to its own schedule. Work at your placement will generally start at 8am, and your day will end at 4pm.
Your mornings and afternoons will be comprised of you treating patients. You could work in a therapy room helping patients who have decreased fine motor precision and coordination, using games and activities. You could make use of equipment like:
- Exercise mattresses
- Gym balls
- Toys
- Trampolines
In Vietnam, lunch breaks are long and run from about 11am to 1pm. During your lunch breaks, you can do things like play badminton with the children, or teach basic English. After returning to work in the afternoon, you’ll continue working with patients until 4pm.
During your free time, you can explore the city of Hanoi or surrounding rural areas. You can get a taste of Vietnam by trying street foods like spring rolls, sip on cups of sweet Vietnamese coffee, or learn about Vietnam’s history at museums. Over a weekend, you could visit the world-famous Ha Long Bay.
Aims and impact of the Occupational Therapy internship in Vietnam
The aim of this project is to give you the opportunity to learn and develop your skills in occupational therapy.
During the Vietnam War, chemical warfare was used to devastating effect. Agent Orange continues to affect children born decades after the war, because the chemical damaged DNA. This has led to children being born with mental and physical disabilities. There aren’t many qualified occupational therapists working in Vietnam, and there is a significant need at the rehabilitation centres we work with.
Your main focus will be on helping disabled people improve their skills and quality of life through focused therapy. Your efforts will be part of our ongoing work to improve healthcare in Vietnam.
We are working toward five long-term goals through Medicine and Healthcare Management Plan for Vietnam:
- Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promote an exchange of medical knowledge
- Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
- Improve the quality of specialised or alternative healthcare provided
- Improve hygiene standards
- Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups
Join us as we strive to reach these goals to help people in need, and advance your career in occupational therapy.
Volontärarbete för yrkesprofessionella
Det här projektet är även perfekt för kvalificerade yrkesprofessionella. Med dina kunskaper kan vi tillsammans göra ännu större skillnad. Vi kommer matcha dig med en projektplacering där dina kunskaper behövs som mest. Det innebär att du kan dela med dig av dina kunskaper med andra. Tillsammans kommer du arbeta med partnerorganisationer för att skapa hållbar positiv förändring för människor på plats.
Om du har relevanta kvalifikationer, kontakta oss så kan vi hjälpa dig!
Projekthandlingsplaner
Vi har utarbetat långsiktiga mål för våra projekt och dokumenterat målen i våra projekthandlingsplaner. Våra projekthandlingsplaner används också för att planera ditt arbete. Tack vare våra projekthandlingsplaner kan du vara säker på att du arbetar mot ett långsiktigt mål och vi kan kontinuerligt utvärdera och förbättra vårt arbete. Våra projekthandlingsplaner säkerställer att vi gör en verklig skillnad.
Läs mer om våra projekthandlingsplaner.
Vi mäter resultatet av vårt arbete varje år
Vi arbetar mot långsiktigt mål med årliga delmål. Varje volontär och praktikant som deltar på ett av våra projekt hjälper oss att nå dessa långsiktiga mål. På så sätt kan även de som volontärarbetar eller praktiserar en kortare tid göra verklig skillnad. Varje person bygger på arbetet som tidigare volontärer och praktikanter gjort. Varje år utvärderar vi resultatet av vårt arbete. Du kan hitta en sammanställning av vad vi uppnått under året i vår Global Impact Report.
För mer information om vilken insats våra volontärer, praktikanter och personal gjort under året, läs vår senaste rapport.
Mat och boende
Du kommer bo hos en värdfamilj i Hanoi. Din värdfamilj kommer välkomna dig som en familjemedlem till deras hem. De kommer lära dig mer om deras traditioner och om den lokala kulturen. Vi tror att det här är det bästa sättet att verkligen lära känna kulturen i ett nytt land. Du kommer få en unik upplevelse av Vietnam.
Vi försöker alltid placera dig så att du bor med en annan Projects Abroad volontär eller praktikant. Ditt rum kommer vara enkelt men bekvämt, rent och säkert.
Det finns även möjlighet att dela boende med andra Projects Abroad volontärer och praktikanter.
Din projektavgift inkluderar tre måltider om dagen.
Läs mer om våra boenden.
Fritidsaktiviteter när du är ledig
Vietnam erbjuder en mix av livliga städer och pittoresk landsbygd. Det finns något för alla så du kommer ha massor av saker att se och göra.
Vill du lära dig mer om Vietnams historia? Besök Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, National Museum of Vietnamese History eller Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
Kvällarna i Hanoi är fyllda med färgglada ljus, liv och rörelse. Om du är på jakt efter souvernier finns det mängder av lokala marknader att utforska. Du kan titta på gatukonstärer eller sätta dig på en de många restaurangerna för att smaka på lokala delikatesser.
Längtar du efter en paus från den livliga stadsmiljön? Då är landsbygden med sina smaragdgröna risfält som sträcker sig mot horisonten den perfekta platsen att vila upp sig på.
Vi driver många olika projekt i Vietnam, så du kommer garanterat lära känna nya vänner och reskompisar. Det gör att du kan välja mellan att utforska Vietnam självständigt, eller tillsammans med likasinnade nya vänner
Säkerhet och personalstöd
Din säkerhet är vår första prioritet. Vi har många processer och system på plats för att se till att du har all hjälp och support som du behöver. För oss är det viktigt att du ska känna dig trygg när du reser med oss. Vår egen Projects Abroad personal finns tillgänglig för hjälp och stöd 24h om dygnet. De kommer se till att du trivs i ditt boende och känner dig hemma på din projektplacering. Om du skulle stöta på något problem, finns vår personal alltid där för att hjälpa dig.
Läs mer om support och säkerhet.
Meet the team in Vietnam
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