2013 Public Health Internships at NMGH

Spring 2013 PUBLIC HEALTH INTERNSHIP, GUATEMALA

Rolling admissions

NMGH seeks public health graduate students to assist with various field surveillance duties on a global health mission in Guatemala. Public Health interns (PHI) will work closely with a community-based primary health clinic to assist in the record keeping and community health care workers program, gathering and analyzing population specific information to capture determinants of health including risk factors, population needs and lastly health delivery outcomes in an underserved indigenous Mayan population. The goal of this program is to introduce public health interns to global health issues and problems, and to provide them with real world experience working in a unique global health setting utilizing alternative medical approach to primary health care for a vulnerable population. Our public health internships expose students to a broad spectrum of health care including low technology approaches to infectious disease, HIV/AIDS, indigenous health, traditional medicine, tropical medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and family practice. In addition to improving field research and global health care management skills, the PHI will have an opportunity to learn about traditional Mayan medicine as well as naturopathic approaches to global public health. The internship comprises of field work at a mobile clinic in Panajachel, Guatemala. Internships are a minimum of 2 weeks in duration, but longer durations can be arranged.

BACKGROUND

Founded in 2008, Naturopathic Medicine For Global Health is a global initiative to provide sustainable healthcare and humanitarian assistance in developing countries. NMGH's goal is to promote naturopathic medicine as a feasible and cost effective means of healthcare in developing countries, and to increase coverage and equity of basic health services. Our public health model is rooted in naturopathic principles and philosophy. Women's and children's health and wellbeing are our top priorities. Our work focuses on three key areas:

• Access to Health Care

- We work to provide access to basic health care for those who have no or limited access. We bring the services directly to people in need.

• Sustainable Health Delivery Models

- We work with local communities to develop a sustainable health delivery model for integration of Naturopathic Medicine within the existing health care systems.

• Research

- We work to promote research to substantiate the efficacy of Naturopathic Medicine for inclusion in national health care reconstruction.

In addition to conducting regular medical missions to Panajachel, Guatemala, NMGH is currently working to implement a Community Health Workers Project (CHW) in Lake Atitlan region, which will help increase access to basic health services for indigenous Maya women and children. We will train a select number of Mayan women as CHWs to increase the coverage and equity of basic health services in their communities. The CHWs will be trained to recognize basic medical emergencies and appropriately respond to these emergencies and make referrals to medical facilities. The CHWs will serve as health advocates for their communities and will receive ongoing support and training from NMGH communities. Given the current state of Guatemala's health system, which is severely underfunded, understaffed and under resourced, the CHW project will serve an important benefit to the Mayan communities.

Job Title

Public Health Intern, Guatemala

Position Type :

Unpaid Internship (registration fee required)

Duration:

2 weeks minimum and longer

Timeframe:

We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2013 internship programs.

Location:

Panajachel, Guatemala

Reports To:

Regional Director

Job Description:

Under the supervision of the Regional Director or her designee, the Public Health Intern (PHI) will assist with the overall communications and information gathering and analysis with clinic operations as well as community health care worker program. The PHI will collaborate with a diverse and multidisciplinary team comprised of Community Health Workers, NMGH professional staff, volunteers and interns and the public. The PHI will carry out a range of activities including management and safeguarding of over 1000 patient files, extracting the data and growing epidemiological results, needs assessments, study design and funding applications. Specific responsibilities will depend on the PHI's level of training and experience and his or her specialty area. There may be opportunity for the development of PHI's Masters Thesis or independent research project when commitment levels are high.

Responsibilities may include:

• Support the Regional Director, the Chief Medical Officer and NMGH team in all activities related to public health action cycle including clinic operations and community-based field research, data capture and analysis, clinic input, outputs and outcomes
• Participate in staff meetings; report on needs assessments and community findings
• Co-facilitate portions of the CHW training with CMO or a local researchers and administrators
  • Conduct field visits to CHW's villages to map out the communities covered by CHW program and their specific health needs. Document all program activity using standardized forms and according to staff instructions.
  • Maintain a cooperative relationship with NMGH health care team by communicating information, responding to requests, and participating in team problem-solving methods.
  • Contribute to resources and sustainability of clinic operations via fundraising and gift giving activities

Skills/Qualifications:

• Open to ALL levels of Public Health Students in different disciplines related to epidemiology, health promotion, health and health systems management, community health, global health, and/or determinants of health
• Relevant academic background and/or work experience
• Enrollment in a U.S or Canada university with a min 2.75 GPA, and completion of 30 undergraduate credit hours
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Flexibility, openness to learn, and ability to work in resource poor settings
• Knowledge of Traditional Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine or Complementary and Alternative Medicine a plus
• Knowledge of Central America and/or indigenous health, and fluency in Spanish a strong plus