“Teaching has been my primary job for most of the past 25 years. I was concerned before going that it would be difficult to establish rapport with the students because of communication barriers. This did not prove to be true – the common language of physical therapy as well as having the welfare of our patients as a priority, erased any language difficulties.“
-HVO Rehabilitation Volunteer
READY TO VOLUNTEER?
There are multiple steps to the placement process and often more than one approval is required. The process varies slightly from country-to-country and project-to-project. We strive to make this process as quick as possible but potential volunteers should be aware that final approval can take several months.
- To begin the placement process, complete the volunteer application and submit your CV.
Note: For therapists specializing in wound care, we have additional opportunities.
ACTIVE PROJECTS
Kumasi, Ghana – Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)
Volunteers will work with physiotherapists, hand surgeons, residents and fellows to train on current standards of treatment in hand therapy intervention. Training will be a combination of didactic and clinical instruction methods in the clinic. Hand therapists are encouraged to go in pairs and welcome to collaborate with hand surgeons when possible. HVO will recruit two teams of two volunteers per year.
Assignment: 2-4 weeks
Teaching Topics: Hand therapy – all topics; trauma and complex multi-trauma, nerve injury, burns, and wound care, as well as splinting skills of particular interest
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Certified in hand therapy; current physical or occupational therapy license (active or retired); 3-5 years clinical experience; teaching experience preferred.
Activities: Clinical training, continuing education, didactic instruction, education material development, faculty/staff training, formal lecturing, mentoring, protocol development, research advising.
Housing: Housing is provided.
Companions: Suitable for companion/spouse; suitable for children.
Guatemala City, Guatemala – Innovaciones Medicas
Due to COVID-19, this project will initially be an e-volunteering project only. In partnership with Innovaciones Medicas, HVO volunteers will provide continuing education workshops on a variety of clinical and professional development topics. These workshops are for Guatemalan physical therapists, PT students, and PT educators. Volunteers are needed to give talks on the following topics: dysphagia, electrophysiology, hand therapy, pediatrics, sensory integration, splinting, lymphatic drainage, pelvic floor, MOVE method, WCPT advocacy, ACL rehabilitation protocol, and biomechanics.
Assignment: E-volunteering only.
Teaching Topics: Physical therapy – see topics listed above; continuing education in patient management in the clinical practice, clinical management, learning theory and practice, curriculum development, and evidence-based patient management.
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Current license to practice physical therapy with a minimum of 4 years of experience and expertise in the area of teaching. Academic experience as a clinical instructor and/or academic teaching is desired. Fluency in Spanish is strongly recommended, although translators may be available.
Activities: Continuing education, didactic training, faculty/staff training, mentoring, protocol development.
Housing: N/A.
Companions: N/A.
Vellore, India – Christian Medical College (CMC)
Volunteers provide continuing education for physiotherapy staff, students, and faculty through classroom instruction and clinical training. Volunteers work to improve the quality of physical therapy services to patients in the CMC system through updating and broadening therapists’ knowledge of physical therapy theory and procedure. Typical treatment in the PT department on average lasts 20 minutes, totaling 1000 treatments for 500 patients per day. Aside from the PT Outpatient Dept, the PTs also provide treatment in the orthopaedic, neuro, surgical ICU, medical ICU, cardio thoracic, and pediatric departments. This site is open to volunteer teams of two.
Assignment: 2-4 weeks.
Teaching Topics: Physical therapy – all topics; manual therapy, sports medicine, spinal musculoskeletal dysfunction, and cardioplulmonology of particular interest.
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Current license to practice (active or retired); minimum of 2 years clinical experience; prior teaching experience preferred.
Activities: Clinical training, continuing education, didactic instruction, faculty/staff training, formal lecturing, mentoring.
Housing: Housing is provided.
Companions: Suitable for companion/spouse; not suitable for children.
Blantyre, Malawi – Malawi College of Medicine Program in Physiotherapy
Volunteers help to broaden professional development opportunities for physical therapy faculty at the College of Medicine Programme in Physiotherapy (COMPT) to improve teaching, clinical reasoning and/or clinical practice. Clinical mentorship of COMPT faculty can be part of this role. Volunteers also augment the physical therapy education for undergraduate students enrolled in the BSc Hons Program in Physiotherapy.
Assignment: 4-6 weeks.
Teaching Topics: Physical therapy – all topics; intensive care (cardiovascular and respiratory), pediatrics, women’s health, and oncology of particular interest.
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Current license to practice (active or retired); minimum of 3-5 years professional experience; prior teaching experience preferred.
Activities: Clinical training, continuing education, didactic instruction, faculty/staff training, formal lecturing, mentoring, research advising.
Housing: Housing is provided.
Companions: Suitable for companion/spouse; not suitable for children.
Kigali, Rwanda – University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (UR-CMHS)
HVO is partnering with UR-CMHS to upgrade the clinical reasoning and clinical practice skills of Rwandan physiotherapists and physiotherapy educators. HVO will recruit two to three qualified physical therapists per year to deliver continuing professional development courses to practicing physical therapy clinicians in Rwanda. The courses will also aim to impart principles of teaching and training so that clinicians who complete the courses can share newly learned concepts with their colleagues in the field.
Assignment: 2-4 weeks.
Teaching Topics: Physical therapy – all topics; musculoskeletal, cardiovascular-pulmonary, neurology, and pediatric physical therapy of particular interest.
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Current license to practice (active or retired); minimum of 3-5 years professional experience; all areas of clinical expertise will be considered; teaching and curriculum development experience. Volunteers must submit a CV, a curricular outline/syllabus, and course objectives for the professional development course being proposed.
Activities: Continuing education, curriculum development, faculty/staff training, formal lecturing, mentoring.
Housing: Housing is provided.
Companions: Suitable for companion/spouse; suitable for children.
Da Nang, Vietnam – Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital
Volunteers provide clinical education to physical therapists and physical therapy students in various areas to increase the physical therapy staff’s ability to teach and problem solve. The hospital provides in-patient and out-patient care for children and adults.
Assignment: 2-4 weeks.
Teaching Topics: Physical therapy – all topics; orthopaedics, pediatrics, neurology, hand therapy, cardiopulmonology and respiratory therapy of particular interest.
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Current license to practice (active or retired); 3-5 years clinical and/or teaching experience; prior international experience preferred.
Activities: Clinical training, continuing education, didactic instruction, faculty/staff training, formal lecturing, mentoring.
Housing: Housing is provided for a reasonable fee.
Companions: Suitable for companion/spouse; not suitable for children.
Da Nang, Vietnam – Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy
HVO volunteers will work with local faculty and staff to enhance the DUMTP’s new bachelor’s degree program in physical therapy. Volunteers will work with students, staff and faculty to advance their knowledge and skills, including the development and implementation of care plans to meet individual patient needs through critical evaluation and analysis. Volunteers will also work with DUMTP faculty, staff and students to implement evidence-based research and strategies into their practice. Volunteer activities may include lectures, clinical training, didactic instruction, curriculum development, mentoring, workshops and research advising.
Assignment: 2-4 weeks.
Teaching Topics: Physical therapy – all topics; cardiovascular/respiratory, integumentary, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, or pediatric physical therapy of particular interest.
Opportunities for Those-in-Training: No.
Qualifications: Volunteers must be licensed physical therapists with at least 5 years experience. At least two years of teaching experience is mandatory. The volunteer should be comfortable speaking and lecturing to University students.
Activities: Clinical training, continuing education, curriculum development, didactic instruction, faculty/staff training, formal lecturing, mentoring, research advising.
Housing: Volunteer responsible for housing; information on nearby facilities provided.
Companions: Not suitable for companion/spouse; not suitable for children.