PROJECT NAME:

Community Public Health Assessment & Service in Nicaragua

PROGRAM DATES:

July 14-August 12, 2018

The PH internship consists of a month-long field experience including data collection and participation in one of OneWorld Health’s (OWH) quarterly medical outreach clinics, as well as data analysis following the in-country experience.


COURSE CREDIT:

HEAL 403: Health Internship (3 credits)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

-Under the direction of the Regional Director and Volunteer Coordinator, students will carry out community assessments in three of the communities that OWH works in during their first three weeks in country. Students will work in collaboration with interpreters to conduct a set number of household surveys in each community. These assessments will be utilized by OWH to increase understanding of community needs and improve service delivery.

-During the fourth week of field experience, students will participate as members of OWH’s quarterly medical outreach clinic. Medical and non-medical members will work together to provide healthcare services to roughly 200 patients per day in various communities surrounding one of OWH’s permanent facilities.

-Time permitting, students will also visit a public health facility to understand the scope of services, strengths and weaknesses of the government system and compare to the OWH model of healthcare delivery.

-Following field experience, students will work to provide analysis of the data collected. Within 3-6 months students are expected to provide raw data as well as a report outlining their findings.

COFC STUDENT ROLE:

A maximum of two Public Health students from the College of Charleston will spend up to 4 weeks in a field office of an international host organization in order to accomplish specific public health-related learning, research, and support objectives.

The College of Charleston’s Gangarosa Safe Water Internship program seeks to motivate and equip students to pursue careers in global public health.

FUNDING:

Funding for this program has been generously provided by the Gangarosa International Health Foundation and a CDC Foundation endowment established by the Gangarosa family for safe water and sanitation. The Gangarosa Safe Water Internship will cover all costs except tuition, including: airfare, entry visa, travel/medical evacuation insurance, vaccination/prophylaxis, lodging and meals.

For tuition & fees, the student(s) will not receive financial compensation and must cover the cost for 3 credit hours.

SPECIFIC SKILL REQUIREMENTS (INCLUDING LANGUAGE):

Completion of:
-HEAL 325: Health Promotion(required)
-HEAL 230: Global Health (required),
-PBHL 336: Health Communication (encouraged)
-HEAL 350: Epidemiology (encouraged)
-Current CofC Public Health Major (B.A. or B.S.) (required)
-Strong written and verbal communication skills (required)
-Spanish language proficiency (strongly encouraged);

ABOUT ONEWORLD HEALTH:

OneWorld Health is an international NGO providing quality, affordable healthcare to people, families and communities that are caught in the gap between an under-functioning public system and an unaffordable private system. OWH operates self-sustaining medical facilities that are funded by patient fees and staffed by local health care professionals. OWH facilities reach sustainability in an average of 18-24 months on the modest and fair costs that are charged for services. OWH also promotes preventative and primary care through outreach efforts to improve the overall health of the community and prevent worsening chronic disease.

TO APPLY:

The application link for the Gangarosa International Internship is below (click on "Apply to this program"). You will be required to provide the following documentation:

-Current copy of your DegreeWorks showing completion of HEAL 230 and HEAL 325, credit hours earned and your declared major as Public Health
-A one-page personal statement citing your reason for applying, your qualifications (international experience, what you hope to gain from the experience, your agreement to pay for summer tuition, etc.) and any other information that may help the panel in making a decision on acceptance.

After the selection panel reviews all qualified applications, a select few students will be contacted for an interview, after which the awardees will be notified.

Awarded students will be required to meet all OWH required application processes (www.oneworldhealth.com/owh-trip-application).

Application Deadline: March 1, 2018
Award Notification: March 15, 2018