Electives in Mexico

Merida is a city rich in culture and you’ll have the chance to see everything from Mayan temples to mariachi bands. And when you want a break from the bustle, head to the paradise beaches stretching along the east coast. If you’re after an authentic Latin American experience, you won’t find anywhere more memorable than Mexico.

Mexico Highlights

Head to Cancun and nearby Progreso for beaches and nightlife
Visit Chichen Itza’s awe inspiring Mayan temple ruins
Dive or snorkel in beautiful underwater ‘cenote’ caves
Join in some of the many festivals taking place across the city
Visit Celestun — a stunning nature reserve populated by flamingos

The Work The World House

The Work the World house in Merida plays a big role in your overseas experience. It’s your home away from home. You’ll live with other healthcare students and graduates, which gives the house a welcoming social atmosphere.

The house is located in one of the city’s most popular suburban districts. The house has an open design, boasting beautiful modern architecture and an outdoor pool.

Living here, you’ll be in close proximity to Merida’s famous city centre with all the usual fare — mariachi bands playing in the public plazas, museums, and bars and restaurants in the evenings.

A short taxi ride gets you to a tropical beach upon which you can sip cocktails and look out into the Gulf of Mexico.

In-Country Team

Management team: Based in the house, they oversee your entire Work the World experience — 24/7 — from the moment you land to the moment you leaveCatering team: Cook a variety of both local cuisine and familiar home comforts, accommodating all dietary requirementsHousekeeper: Keeps the house clean and tidy from top to bottom, making sure you're comfortableLanguage teacher: Visits the house twice per-week. During their lessons, you’ll learn everyday phrases and clinical terminology to help you get more from your placementSecurity team: Monitor the house 24/7 for your peace of mind

Support in the Hospital

Before your placement starts, you’ll head out (with our in-country team) on an informal visit to your placement hospital. Introducing you to key department staff and your supervisors, the team will help you get your bearings and settle in. Our team in Merida have a presence in the hospital too. They’ll visit you during your placement to make sure everything is running smoothly.

We assign your in-hospital supervisors well before your placement commences. Show enthusiasm and they’ll give you insight into conditions and practices that only a local practitioner can.

In short, we fully support throughout your clinical placement if and when you need it.

FLEXIBLE BOOKING & Covid safety

Our programmes are open! You can book your Work the World overseas placement with total confidence. Once you’ve secured your space, you can make unlimited changes to your travel dates, absolutely free.

You’ll find peace of mind in the knowledge that our well-established safety measures help mitigate the risks associated with Covid, whichever destination you travel to. This is because our safety blueprint gives us control over each and every aspect of your experience from your in-country team's safety training to sanitisation of your private accommodation.

Need a last-minute placement? We have developed a fast-track that lets us plan and build you a world-class trip, faster than ever.

Electives in Merida

Nursing Electives

The two government hospitals we’re partnered with in Merida offer you a contrast of experiences. One hospital is well-funded, and you’ll see patients seeking more specialised treatments like neurosurgery and complex gastrointestinal procedures. You can also spend time in modern departments like oncology, haematology, high-specialty internal medicine, and critical care. Our other partner hospital has less funding and has to deal with limited resources and overcrowding. While you’re there, you can get experience with patients suffering from unfamiliar tropical diseases like chagas, chikungunya and dengue fever. The adult and paediatric A&E departments are highlights here.

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Medical Electives

In Merida, you can get experience in live surgeries running the gamut from cataract removal to open-heart surgery. You will even have access to a high-tech theatre simulation room. In the nephrology and urology department, you can learn how local staff treat conditions like nephritis. There are also opportunities in oncology, haematology, high-specialty internal medicine, paediatrics and critical care (to name but a few). If you are interested in understanding tropical diseases, there may be opportunities for you to see patients with chikungunya, chagas and West Nile virus.

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Midwifery Electives

On your midwifery elective in Merida, you can spend time in the OBG department’s birthing rooms, operating theatres, or in ICU. In the birthing rooms, you’ll see all the differences between how Mexican healthcare staff help deliver babies and what you’ve learned in the UK. You can observe c-sections in the operating theatres. In the ICU, you can see how local staff help mothers with complications like pre-eclampsia and broken membranes, and premature babies. Depending on what you’re interested in learning about, you can get some experience in the gynaecology section too.

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Physiotherapy Placements

In our partner hospital’s physiotherapy department, you’ll see cases ranging from everyday strains to severe burns. Help rehabilitate patients with neurological disorders, like strokes and Bell’s palsy. Work-related injuries are quite common too. In the OPD, you’ll help patients with chronic back pain, facial paralysis, strokes, and the very occasional snake bite. Depending on the patient load, you’ll probably get to help with pain management too. The hospital has ultrasound therapy and hydrotherapy facilities too. If you have an interest in speech therapy, we can arrange for you to get some experience while you’re here.

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Paramedic Science Electives

You will get experience in the A&E department in our partner hospital in Merida. The department is extremely busy, with patient wait times of 24 hours and above. You’ll even see treatments being carried out in both corridors and waiting chairs. You can expect to see cases of RTAs, heart attacks, strokes, and appendicitis among others. There is also a paediatric emergency department where cases vary from respiratory conditions to premature babies.

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Radiography Electives

Across our two partner hospitals in Merida, you’ll get experience with both internal and external referrals, and help diagnose cases of trauma, tumours, and cardiac and pulmonary cases. You can get experience with different technologies in different specialist areas like ultrasound, general radiology (X-ray), fluoroscopy, tomography (CT scanner), and mammography. On a radiography placement here, you also have access to an MRI, where you can see things like inner ear examinations, angiotomography with multi-organ contrast, venoresonance, and ventomography among others. If you’re interested in radiotherapy you can get some experience with technologies like cobalt therapy, brachytherapy and a linear accelerator.

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Dentistry Electives

On your placement in our partner hospital, you’ll start the day reviewing medical instruments and checking patients’ records. You’ll see patients based on priority, and help treat them case by case. You can get experience with things like fluoridation, prophylaxis, cleaning, endodontics, and healing treatments. Some clinics have X-ray machines and ultrasound cleaners too. You’ll get experience with a local dentist on one of the department’s two chairs for general consultations, and if you’re interested, you can sit in on maxillofacial surgeries when they take place.

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Prices

Destinations						1 Week			2 Weeks			3 Weeks			4 Weeks			5 Weeks			6 Weeks			Extra Week
Mexico Merida						£1390			£1540			£1690			£1840			£1990			£2140			£350

*Prices above are in addition to a £300 registration fee.

See full inclusions list

INTENSIVE SPANISH COURSE

This week-long Spanish course is designed to help you get the most out of your placement in Mexico. If you want a more immersive experience — both in and out of your placement hospital — this course is for you. You'll start the week before your placement, enjoying all the benefits of living in the Work the World house. The lessons themselves are catered to your clinical discipline, and guarantee to ensure you feel confident to interact with both supervisors and patients whilst on placement.

MORE ABOUT THE INTENSIVE SPANISH COURSE

"Travelling alone for the first time gave me so much more confidence and independence."

Niamh Corry, University of Liverpool 2019

"I got an in-depth look at how economic circumstances can affect the quality of surgery for patients."

Sophie Hodson, Hull York Medical School 2019

"We had so many opportunities to observe a variety of different procedures."

Claudia Leney, University of Surrey 2019

"Discussing auditory cues for a patient with mid-stage Parkinson’s disease was a highlight."

Rebecca Townsend, University of East London 2019

"In one simple sentence, this international placement was an experience of a lifetime."

Aaron Hobin, University of Central Lancashire 2019

What healthcare disciplines do Work the World cater for?

Work the World organise supervised healthcare electives for the following disciplines: - 1. Nursing (all branches) 2. Medical 3. Midwifery 4. Physiotherapy 5. Radiography 6. Pharmacy 7. Dentistry 8. Occupational Therapy 9. Paramedic Science

What other countries can I travel to on a Work the World elective?

Work the World provides a huge variety of flexible placement opportunities throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. These include 1. Tanzania 2. Zambia 3. Vietnam 4. Sri Lanka. 5. Ghana 6. The Philippines 7. Nepal

What is the Work the World house like in Mexico?

The house is located in one of the city’s most popular suburban districts. An open design, boasting beautiful modern architecture and an outdoor pool. You’ll be in close proximity to Merida’s famous city centre with all the usual fare - mariachi bands playing in the public plazas, museums, and bars and restaurants in the evenings. A short taxi ride gets you to a tropical beach upon which you can sip cocktails and look out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Merida