Nursing elective placements in Argentina, South America

For those that can afford private healthcare, a relatively high standard of care can be obtained. State workers and those without insurance face the other end of the scale, where a lack of facilities and busy wards are reminiscent of developing countries in Africa and Asia. It helps to have a basic level of Spanish to communicate with patients and medical staff, something we can help you with. For those wanting to improve their Spanish or learn the basics there is a great chance to see real diversity in patient care.

Government hospitals - Mendoza's Government hospital looks after a huge cross section of society, particularly those with no state or private insurance, and is consequently very busy. Students should have a good level of Spanish, something we can help with, and will need to be proactive to build relationships with supervisors. For those that do there is scope to work in Traumatology, Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery and Burns, Dermatology, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Oncology, Anaesthetics, General medicine, Critical Care and Emergency. There is also a specialist paediatric hospital with a busy Outpatients, Paediatric Surgery and Emergency.

State worker hospitals - Argentineans who work for the state have access to healthcare facilities administered by their trade union. These are generally better equipped and have more specialist staff than the government hospital. Staff teams are very friendly, and wards are not as busy, so there is more opportunity for teaching. There is also a centre in Mendoza that specialises in women's care, so nurses with good Spanish that are interested in neonatal intensive care and postnatal care, as well as deliveries, will find this a fascinating placement.

Private hospitals - Many Argentineans take out health insurance, which gives them access to hi-tech specialist care. Private clinics and hospitals are far more westernised in their approach and standard of treatment, specialising in areas such as cardiology.

Community healthcare centres - Mendoza is our only programme which offers a structured community placement. As part of their role, city doctors rotate in healthcare centres in the suburbs. These "family doctors" provide primary healthcare as well as specialist consultations and tend to be more involved in the socio-economic aspects of a patients life. Part of their role is also to provide lectures highlighting specific illnesses or disease. This is a great elective for anyone interested in working within a general practice.

Don't forget - if your preferred speciality is not listed, give us a call as we can usually accommodate most requests. You could also think about other opportunities to make more of your elective:

Split placements - If you have four weeks or more, it is worth thinking about splitting an elective in Argentina. The Government and state worker hospitals offer two very different placements and time in each will give you a much better picture of how Argentinean healthcare is delivered to the general population.

Intensive Spanish course - To make the most of your elective in Argentina we recommend that you have a basic level of Spanish and are keen to learn more! We offer an intensive week long course that you can take when you arrive in Mendoza, giving you the opportunity to learn the basics as well as specialise in medical Spanish. It is unique to Work the World and is the best way to prepare for your placement. Read more on our Intensive Spanish Course page.