Electives In Mexico

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.