“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 rehabilitation. Training will be a combination of didactic and clinical instruction methods in the clinic.
Project type: Hybrid (in-person and virtual)
Length of assignment: 2-4 weeks in-person; variable for virtual
Qualifications: Volunteers must hold a current license to practice physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology, and have a minimum of three to five years of experience. Volunteers for this project may be retired or in active practice with prior teaching/training experience preferred. No opportunities for those-in-training.
Housing: Volunteer responsible for housing; information on nearby facilities provided.
Companions: Adults only, no minors.
Guatemala City, Guatemala – Innovaciones Medicas
HVO is partnered with a Guatemalan company, Innovaciones Médicas,to provide continuing education to physical therapists, physical therapy students, and physical therapy educators. HVO volunteers travel as a group to provide workshops to be held in Guatemala City, Antigua, Santiago Atitlan, and/or Quetzaltenango. Assignments are 1-2 weeks.
Project type: In-person
Length of Assignment: 1-2 weeks
Qualifications: Volunteers should have at least 4 years of experience with a current license and experience in teaching (academic or clinical). When possible/ appropriate novice volunteers may be paired with more senior volunteers. Fluency in Spanish is strongly recommended, although translators may be available.
Housing: Volunteer responsible for housing; information on nearby facilities provided.
Companions: Adults only, no minors.
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.
Project type: Hybrid (in-person and virtual)
Length of assignment: 2-4 weeks in-person; variable for virtual
Qualifications: Volunteers for this project may be retired or in active practice. Most areas of expertise are accepted, but the volunteer must have at least two years of clinical experience. Prior teaching experience in continuing education, clinical, or academic environment required. Volunteers should hold a current license to practice physical therapy in the US or Canada. No opportunities for those-in-training.
Housing: Housing may be available for volunteers upon request.
Companions: Adults only, no minors.
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.
Project type: Hybrid (in-person and virtual)
Length of assignment: 4 weeks minimum; variable for virtual
Qualifications: Volunteers must hold a current license to practice physical therapy and have a minimum of three to five years of experience. Volunteers for this project may be retired or in active practice with prior teaching/training experience preferred. Qualifications: Current license to practice (active or retired); minimum of 2 years clinical experience; prior teaching experience preferred. No opportunities for those-in-training.
Housing: Housing is provided.
Companions: Adults only, no minors.
Kigali, Rwanda – University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences (UR-CMHS)
HVO is partnering with UR-CMHS to support physical therapy and occupational therapy education, practice and research through in-person and or e-learning methods. HVO will recruit two to three qualified 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.
Project type: Hybrid (in-person and virtual)
Length of assignment: 2-4 weeks minimum in-person; variable for virtual
Qualifications: Current license to practice (active or retired); minimum of 2 years clinical experience; prior teaching experience preferred. No opportunities for those-in-training.
Housing: Housing is provided.
Companions allowed: Adults and minors.
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.
Project type: In-person only
Length of assignment: 2-4 weeks
Qualifications: Volunteers must be fully licensed physical therapists certified to practice in the US or Canada, with a minimum of three to five years of experience. No opportunities for those-in-training.
Housing: Volunteer responsible for housing; information on nearby facilities provided.
Companions: Adults only, no minors.
Da Nang, Vietnam – Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy (DUMTP)
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.
Project type: In-person only
Length of assignment: 2-4 weeks
Qualifications: Volunteers must be licensed physical therapists with at least 5 years of experience. At least two years of teaching experience is mandatory. The volunteer should be comfortable speaking and lecturing to university students. No opportunities for those-in-training.
Housing: Volunteer responsible for housing; information on nearby facilities provided.
Companions not allowed.