GUATEMALA ACUPUNCTURE AND MEDICAL AID PROJECT(GUAMAP)

GUATEMALA
ACUPUNCTURE AND
MEDICAL AID PROJECT (GUAMAP)
Phone: (520) 623-6620 Fax: (520) 624-0736
E-mail: guamap@guamap.org
[GUAMAP] [How to Volunteer]  [Patients]  [General Program]
 

Volunteering as an
acupuncturist / health professional


Volunteer Acupuncturist

Volunteering in Guatemala is a wonderful opportunity to share Chinese medicine with people who are very much in need. It is also a rich opportunity for an acupuncturist to see and treat conditions they normally do not see in their private practice. The health promoters that GUAMAP has trained are enthusiastic about their ability to now treat conditions that they were not able to successfully treat before with western medicine alone. Guatemalans tend to respond well to acupuncture treatment and are most appreciative. For acupuncturists, the experience shares similarities with a barefoot doctor approach to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) providing a challenging and rewarding application of skills.

Acupuncturists who are interested in volunteering need to meet specific criteria for service in Guatemala. Volunteers teach a basic course and treat community members for at least a one-month period.

Criteria

- NCCAOM Certification / or equivalent
- One year (minimum) practice after graduation.
- Experience teaching acupuncture.
- Experience with third world conditions.
- Ability to speak Spanish suffieient to teach acupuncture.
- Knowledge of Guatemala.
- Contribution toward round trip air fare to Guatemala City through joint fund raising

Not all criteria have to be met at the time of application. However, NCCAOM certification and one year of practice after graduation is a basic requirement for consideration. We consider each application on its own merits, and have previously paired acupuncturists with combined skills to successfully complete the work. We are flexible and assist applicants however we can.

Steps

  1. Request an application or download the form.
    (To download, highlight, copy, and paste as a Word or text document)
    Once completed, send it to GUAMAP. The application is reviewed
    by the Coordinating Committee, which determines if it is in both
    parties interest to proceed.
  2. Three letters of reference are requested from names provided by the applicatant.
  3. Successful review of references.
  4. Successful completion of an interview with a Coordinating
    Committee Representative.
  5. A board member acupuncturist or other appropriate medical
    practitioner interviews the applicant, preferably in person or by phone.
  6. If accepted, the volunteer will discuss placement dates and locations with the Coordinating Committee.

Timeframes

It is normal for the application process to take two months. Placement can take four months. One factor regarding placements is the needs of communities in Guatemala; given the scheduling demands of health promoters who work in clinics and other community obligations.


Volunteer Health Professional

Health professionals are needed for training health promoters and midwives. Experience in public clinics with low-income populations is essential. Working in an integrated medicine modality is necessary and required. Rural clinics use an integrated medicine approach, and local resident health promoters staff them. MD's, NMD's, Nurses with specialties, dentists, and public health professionals who can teach are needed and welcome. Volunteering as a medical professional will be under the auspices of the Development Association for Central America (ADEPAC), whose medical staff supervises such work in collaboration with GUAMAP. Professional medical volunteers are challenged by practicing medicine in clinics with little or no electricity and the lack of medical devices that require it.

Criteria


- Current professional medical accreditation
   for your profession
- Residency or one year experience in
   pubic or community health program.
- Experience teaching in your medical field.
- Experience with third world conditions.
- Ability to speak Spanish for teaching in
    your medical field.
- Knowledge of Guatemala.
- Contribution toward round trip air fare to
   Guatemala City through joint fund raising

Steps

Follow the steps outlined above in Steps.

Timeframes

See details as outlined above in Timeframes.

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