Spring, Summer, & Winter Break Trips

Structured public health mission trips during Spring, Summer and Winter Breaks for University undergraduate & graduate students. These programs are designed to get you a minimum of 4 hours of hands-on clinical experience each day. It’s a great for students who want to pursue their passion for global health and global health care.

Hands to Care is a 1 or 3 week curated program to give you ample experience in public health and exposure to the health system in Peru. It is designed specifically for university students who are interested in pursuing a career in medicine, global health, public health or another one related to the medicine field. Assisting in medical campaigns, shadowing doctors, medical classes, cultural activities, this program has it all! Trips are available during winter, spring, and summer breaks.

PROGRAM COST & DATES 2025:

Hands to Care: A comprehensive introduction to healthcare in Peru and opportunity for clinical hours & direct patient contact!

As a Hands to Care volunteer, you will get a once in a lifetime experience learning the ins and outs of health care in Trujillo, Peru from local health professionals. Your trip will be a combination of participating in/assisting with health campaigns & services in CESAPU (Centro de Salud Pública) as well as observation and shadowing experiences in local hospitals & health centers.  The 5-week Hands to Care program will give our interns over 100+ hours of direct patient contact and medical observation.

Also included in the Hands to Care program medical classes weekly, taught by HOP staff of health professionals. These medical classes will help prepare you for what you will see/do in CESAPU and in the hospitals. No previous medical experience is required, as you will receive adequate training in these classes.

Class topics may include: Vital Signs, Glucose & Anemia testing, Public health in Peru, Administering vaccinations, Labor & delivery, Chest & respiratory exams, Suturing,  and more.

We will provide a comprehensive list of Spanish medical vocabulary terms that you will be required to learn and practice in your down time. We highly recommend you prepare for this trip by learning as much of the Spanish language as you can, in order to better assist the patients and doctors. We can provide a medical interpreter for an extra fee of $150.

All volunteers are required to take the Global Ambassadors for Patient Safety (GAPS) workshop before their arrival to Peru.

https://www.healthcareers.umn.edu/courses-and-events/online-workshops/global-ambassadors-patient-safety

All volunteers are responsible for bringing the following: scrubs, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, lab coat. You will receive more details in your pre-trip preparation.

Shadowing

Hands to care volunteers may have the opportunity to shadow local doctors in one or more of the following rotations in a local Trujillo hospital or state health center: ultrasound, surgery, dentistry, physical therapy, pediatric, topical, X-rays, labor & delivery among others

Volunteers who are in undergraduate programs:

Triage: The volunteer will be expected to be able to take height, weight, blood pressure, respiration rates, pulse, and clinical history in CESAPU.

Additional: The volunteer will also be trained to do the following: glucose tests for diabetes, vaccinations, and other non-invasive basic medical procedures in CESAPU.

Interns who are in graduate health programs: Please see group mission trips if applicable.

Triage: The volunteer will be expected to be able to take height, weight, blood pressure, respiration rates, pulse, and clinical history in basic triage in CESAPU

Additional: The volunteer will also be trained to do the following: glucose tests for diabetes, auscultation exams, and potentially assist the nurses with administering vaccines. Students already in post-graduate programs will be encouraged to get more hands on experience with the patient under the supervision of a physician. They may be able to assist with pap smears and/or prostate exams. Physical therapy, chiropractic students and dental students will be able to get experience under their respected licensed doctors as well.

Research: If you are interested in completing a research projects, please contact Katie Baric directly.

Your program fee includes:

Included	Not Included
Airport pick up/drop off from Trujillo airport	Airfare to Peru (must fly into Trujillo)
Comfortable home-stay (WiFi, warm water, and other amenities)	Travel Insurance
3 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) included in your homestay	Hostel stay and meals in Lima and meals you choose to eat outside of your homestay
Transportation to the worksites and to the programmed activities.	Personal vaccinations and medications and coverage of medical expenses in case of an emergency
3 cultural activities	Extra Activities – Club HOP: These are optional activities that you may chose to partake in during your stay in Trujillo / Huanchaco
Hop volunteer t-shirt & other HOP merchandise	Personal Expenses
All tools and equipment necessary for the health and education campaigns.	Additional Trips (The Trip to Sacred Valley is only included for the Summer Travel sessions)
Medical training classes & supervision	Personal spending and meals of any weekend travels
24+ hour support from volunteer coordinators
Invaluable, unforgettable life experience!!!

Notes:

* Note: Dates can be flexible according to your university schedule & flight prices. 

* Note: The program fee does NOT include the foreign transaction fees from payments made outside of the USA or Peru. Foreign transaction fees can cost between $10-$50 for payments made from Europe, Central America, South America, Asia, and Africa. You are responsible for making this fee. (Payment fees from Europe to USA typically cost $10-$15, payment fees from Europe to Peru typically cost $50).

– Arrival and departure dates are flexible according to your university schedule.