Health care volunteer in China

[wjin06]

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Hi,

I'm a pre-med who has been accepted to medical school but is hoping to defer a year to teach English in China. I'm also really hoping to get some insight into the medical system and health care issues while I'm there, but I've been having great difficulty finding hospitals/clinics/NGOs to volunteer with. Does anyone have any advice? My Mandarin is fluent, but rusty since I left when I was very young. The person I will be traveling with cannot speak Mandarin at all. So, I'm also wondering how much this lack of language ability will limit our opportunities.

Thanks in advance.

 

[liquid_krystale]

Many more volunteer opportunities are open to you if you have "guan xi" or connections (aka. knowing people). That's how I was able to shadow a surgeon in China. If any of your relatives (if you're originally from China) are on good terms with their GPs/surgeons/specialists, you should ask them to put in a good word for you.
Volunteering opportunities in Chinese hospitals are virtually non-existent. Doctors there seemed very surprised that I actively sought to volunteer, and I got the impression that volunteering is alot less common there than here in NA.

 

[jerryjr36]

The idea of volunteering is shocking in the Chinese system. I do have to agree with what liquid_krystale said about having connections. I've seen it first hand since I'm actually doing my med degree in China (Peking University). The system just isnt established enough.

The lack of language will definitely be a problem if you are to volunteer in a chinese/local hospital. But having said that, there are a few 'foreign' hopsitals (e.g. foreigner-oriented) in Beijing that you might be able to contact and see if they have spots for volunteers.

Well, drop me a msg if you do need further info.

Cheers

 

[Cuijie Wei]

hello,I am Chinese meidicine student.Actually,I agree with what liquid_krystale said.In China the volunteers are not as common as that in U.S.A. However, if you are determined to do it ,I think you can find a opportunity.
Now many Chinese universities are undergoing a plan called"student exchange". In my school,there are also some teachers from Yale University. But I know little about the details of the exchange.If you need more information,I can ask someone else about it.
Well,leave me a message if you need further infomation. my skype name is quietcat16