The serious political disturbances that have been taking place in parts of Southern Peru have not affected our programs. In Trujillo, there have been no violent protests since the upheaval began in mid-December. Our programs have continued to run as usual each day. – January 30, 2023
Work effectively with Spanish speaking patients
The leading provider of global health medical electives and medical Spanish immersion courses in South America.
Our immersion programs in Peru for healthcare professionals and students offer a unique opportunity to take an intensive medical Spanish course and/or take a clinical rotation in one of several partner hospitals.
Our medical Spanish immersion program is accredited by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Elements of the programs include up to 35 hours per week of medical Spanish learning, a choice of hospitals, lots of extra language support, comfortable family accommodation with meals, private transport to and from the hospital each day, travel insurance, gym membership, and additional activities.
Courses taught by our team of physicians and language teachers
A choice of hospitals and specialities for rotations
Comfortable homestay accommodation for full immersion. Private rooms
Up to 82 credits with the American Academy of Family Physicians
Providing free health care and using medical Spanish in the community
An intensive course to ensure maximum learning
The city of eternal spring on the coast of Peru
Gym membership, dance classes, cocktail making, and more included
Rotate at our family medicine health center
If you are a healthcare professional or student looking to develop your medical Spanish and experience healthcare in Peru, please do get in touch.
Had such a great experience! Definitely improved my spanish. Everyone involved in the program was super friendly and helpful. Cannot recommend enough!
I had a great experience with medical electives. Kevin was a big help when our flight was canceled in Lima and made sure we got to Trujillo safely. My host family was extremely kind and patient as I tried to communicate in Spanish with them. The food was super delicious as well. All the teachers were very good and tried to build their curriculum around my needs and it helped me feel more confident speaking in Spanish with patients. This program provided a lot of opportunities for me as a physical therapy student. I would recommend it to others PT students looking to learn or improve their medical Spanish.
Spending four weeks in Peru with Medical Electives truly was the highlight of my medical school career. They went above and beyond my expectations - between hospital immersion, public medical campaigns, and afternoon Spanish classes, I couldn’t have asked for a more well rounded experience. Not to mention they encouraged us to learn about and experience the rich Peruvian culture. I could not recommend the program more highly!
My elective in Peru with “Medical & Healthcare Electives” was one of the best experiences in my life! “Medical & Healthcare Electives” is a wonderful and truly unique program! Going to Peru to learn Spanish and to immerse into the Peruvian culture was always on my Bucket-List. After I had finished Medical School in Germany I took up this project as it was suggested to me by a friend, who had been there before. During my six weeks there I learned the basics both in everyday and medical Spanish in the language school, had the opportunity to gain experience in the hospital, went on campaigns to the prison and retirement homes, lived with a Peruvian guest family, took dancing lessons, learned how to prepare Peruvian dishes and Pisco Sour, went hiking in the beautiful mountains of Peru, learned how to surf, met medical students from all over the world, … ��During the whole program I never felt unsecure. Kevin, the teachers, the medical doctors and the families were taking great care of us! They provided transfer from and to the airport, as to and from the hospital every day (Thanks Martin!). Kevin was always helpful whether it was about the elective in the hospital, problems at the airport or the weekend trips. Thanks to everybody at “Medical & Healthcare Electives”!� 🙂
Amazing program with great teachers! Learned a lot of medical Spanish. The program director was also great and very helpful in changing classes around according to your level of Spanish.
I had a great time with Medical Electives Peru. Super friendly team. The staff are really focussed on improving your medical Spanish and are very helpful in sorting out travel, accommodation and all the other stresses that come with journeying abroad. You will be well looked after! Stays with the families are nice; you have your own space but are made to feel at home. Plus, delicious home-cooked breakfast and lunches. The hospital and Campaign experiences give you genuine insight into healthcare provision in Peru. Overall: highly recommended! 😀👍
I couldn't have asked for a better experience for improving my Spanish language skills! This is an incredibly well organized program that includes classroom time (vocab, grammar, conversation, and medically-focused language classes), time in the hospital, and time in the community with health fairs. My favorite part, though,was probably using the free weekends to travel with other students in the program to Huanchaco, Cascas, and Huaraz - Peru is an amazing place, and traveling is definitely an awesome way to put your language skills to the test! Muchas gracias to Kevin and the whole crew!!
I've been using Medical Electives to work on my Spanish and hopefully turn it into something useful professionally. They are super flexible with scheduling and will tailor classes to whatever you want to work on. Both instructors I've worked with have been very helpful, especially Lilian Arteaga!
Amazing program. Learned a lot of conversational and medical Spanish. Met a lot of great people. Great teachers. And the director (Kevin) was 100% there for you with anything you needed!
I absolutely loved my time with Medical Electives Peru! I attended the 4 week program as part of my elective rotation in PA school. I highly recommend this program to anyone who has an interest in improving their Spanish, both medical and conversational! The program is well-organized, and the teachers all truly care about meeting each participants’ needs in regards to lodging, food preferences, and Spanish level. Not only did I feel that my Spanish improved, but we were able to immerse ourselves in a great community, make friends with people from all around the world, and explore a rich culture/beautiful country (and eat delicious food!). No matter what your level of speaking/understanding is, the teachers work hard to meet you where you’re at; I truly believe that all levels of Spanish-speakers in the medical community can benefit from attending this program. I recommend this program 1000% and absolutely plan on returning myself!
Highly recommend my experience with medical electives Peru!! From top to bottom, the program was smoothly run by caring people at every level. Not only did I feel that my Spanish improved considerably in my 4 weeks there, but I was able to form bonds and friendships with so many folks, whom I was sad to say goodbye to at the end of my time there. I did a 4 week away rotation as a PGY2 family medicine resident. I did the combined clinical rotation in the morning and medical Spanish classes in the afternoon with a campaña médica once a week in the afternoon. During my time the total number of program participants ranged from 2 to 5 so my experience would be different than if the program was at full capacity. Coming here is a full immersion experience which was very helpful in practicing at all times of the day. Our wonderful Spanish teachers are excellent communicators and educators and also individualized lessons to each of us as learners- most days I had at least one 1-on-1 lesson. The clinical elective portion is also very helpful in getting to put those communication skills into practice with patients. I also found the experience of learning about a different country’s healthcare system very interesting. Overall I will treasure the time I had in Peru and I was sad to have my experience come to an end. Peru is a beautiful country with kind people and delicious food and I would love to return. Who knows, maybe I will be so fortunate as to be able to!
Medical Electives Peru is an incredible program that greatly increased my knowledge of medical Spanish. I was able to participate in a month long program during my 4th year of medical school and enjoyed every second of it! The classes are small and personal and the teachers are absolutely amazing, we still exchange Christmas cards and WhatsApp with Liliam regularly, even 4 years later! I really enjoyed that half of the instructors were classically trained Spanish instructors and the other half were Peruvian medical professionals so that there was excellent instruction and insight into what terms are actually used in hospitals and with patients on a daily basis. Despite having started medical school with almost no Spanish and being mostly self taught until my Medical Elective Peru course, after the course I was able to pass the exam to become a certified bilingual provider at the hospital I work at in the US. Outside of the classroom, our homestay was incredible with a great location, great food, and an extremely kind host mother. Trujillo is a great city with plenty to do and well positioned for weekend excursions as well! I would recommend this program to anyone interested in improving their Spanish and providing better care for their patients.
I would highly recommended Medical Electives to any healthcare student looking for a global placement or to learn/improve general and medical Spanish. It was genuinely the most well run and organised placement program I have experienced: Kevin and all the teachers are so friendly and willing to go out of their way to maximise your learning and ensure you enjoy your stay. The host family and their house exceeded my expectations enormously: the house was beautiful (a private room and private ensuite) and our host mum's traditional Peruvian cooking was incredible. I arrived in Peru from Australia knowing zero Spanish and the amount my classmates and I learnt in 4 weeks due to Medical Elective's immersive program is incredible. The weekly health campaigns were super interesting from a healthcare perspective, very rewarding and a great way to practice the Spanish we learnt. Thankyou so much Kevin, Anna and all my teachers for such an enjoyable and memorable placement!
My time spent in Peru with Medical Electives was incredible. I experienced a brand new culture; learned about a new health care system; provided care in the community hospital (EsSalud-Albrecht Hospital) and at multiple health campaigns; traveled to exotic wonders such as Chachapoya, Huaraz, and Puerto Malabrigo; and built relationships with the most awesome people. As my final rotation of medical school, this adventure gave me the opportunity to learn more about ways I can impact the world and learn more about myself in the process. If given a second chance, I would definitely come back.
I loved this program! everyone was extremely welcoming and kind. I learned so much and the structure of the program really helped to improve and strengthen my Spanish knowledge. Every instructor is amazing and so incredibly good at teaching. I also enjoyed our trip to the women's prison for a health clinic. I also had a fantastic host family and ate very well.