Opportunity provided by
Hospitalito Atitlán is a small private nonprofit hospital serving 75,000 Maya living on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Atitlán in the Guatemalan highlands. The Hospitalito provides inpatient and outpatient services at our modern facility with an emphasis on women and children. The Hospitalito offers the only 24/7 emergency and surgical obstetric care within a two-hour radius. Staff also provides services to residents of outlying areas at community outreach clinics and home visits. Most of our patients have limited income. Their care is subsidized by donor support.
From the very beginning, volunteers have worked alongside the medical staff and citizens of Santiago Atitlán. COVID-19 restrictions allow entry with two vaccinations or a negative Antigen test 72 hours before departure.
For more information on surgical jornadas, please visit our Surgical Team page.
Hospitalito has need for specialists to work within the hospital as well as in the community health clinics in rural areas. We have special need for Family Medicine, Ob/Gyn, Urology, ENT, Orthopedics, Internal Medicine and Nurse Midwives.
For all other medical volunteers, see below.
The process has two steps:
*These documents must be notarized. The packet must also include a document identifying the notary as a public officer constituted by law.
Clinicians cannot work in the hospital unless they have been formally accepted and had their work dates confirmed in writing.
We consider volunteers an essential pillar of the Hospitalito’s sustainability. We try to make their transition to Guatemala as seamless as possible by providing orientation and assistance with housing and transportation. We are unable to provide financial support to short-term volunteers, however a small stipend may be available for long-term volunteers (six months or more).
Please read the FAQ page before you apply, which should answer many of your questions. It has three sections: before you apply, after you’re accepted and what to expect, including information on stipends and financial assistance for long-term medical volunteers. Contact our medical volunteer coordinator, Lidia, for any additional answers.
Bring your family: Guatemala is a great place for children —they can immerse themselves in a different culture and learn to speak Spanish! The Hospitalito can provide contacts of baby-sitters and help coordinate enrichment programs for children of short-term volunteers. Long-term volunteers with children can take advantage of several bilingual English/Spanish primary school in Santiago Atitlán or a high school across the lake in Panajachel.
Guatemala is the home of Maya civilization: For six centuries, the Maya built vast cities, immense temples and looming pyramids, recording their history in hieroglyphs on stone monuments on pottery, and in bark books. The history of this great society lives in the Guatemalan rainforests, a UNESCO World Cultural Site. Its culture lives in its descendants, who make up a majority of Guatemala’s citizens.
Physical Beauty & Biodiversity: Guatemala hosts incredible physical beauty and one of the largest biological diversities in the world. It includes 18 ecosystems, over 300 microclimates, and more than 37 volcanoes, several of which are still active. Some 15 percent of the nation is part of the biosphere with large areas that are legally protected. Guatemala is a UNESCO World Natural Reserve.
Santiago Atitlán offers a microcosm of Guatemala’s natural and cultural legacy: The town is located on beautiful Lake Atitlán, nestled between three volcanoes. The scenery is breathtaking, and 98% indigenous cities Maya culture is evident in language, clothing, cuisine and customs.
Do You Treat Spanish-Speaking Patients? The Hospitalito’s 26-credit CME/CNE Spanish & Cultural Immersion Course will not only improve your medical Spanish, but also provide exposure to the culture and customs in a Central American community. Credits are provided by Penn Medicine. The course is perfect for doctors, nurses and physician assistants who have mastered basic Spanish communication and would like to immerse themselves in the language in a Maya culture setting.
Make a Donation: Whether you can take time to volunteer or not, please consider making a donation. In 2018, the Hospitalito spent over $205,000 on free and discounted care for our patients who otherwise could not afford services. When an emergency room visit costs $10 and the average cost of a C-Section is $500, this amounts to thousands of patients helped in a year. This is only possible with your support.
This opportunity is located in Canton Chut-Chaaj, Guatemala.
The Guatemalan government must approve all medical volunteers before they can work at the Hospitalito or they must obtain a Guatemalan medical license (good for two years). We will work with you to make sure you complete the process. View the requirements. All medical volunteers and trainers/mentors must speak at least intermediate level Spanish. Only exceptions: OB/GYNs surgeons, and a few specialists. Intermediate Spanish is defined as the ability to: 1) Speak, read and write in the present, past (preterit and imperfect), and future tenses (ir + a + infinitive construction sufficient). 2) Understand everything said by Spanish speakers, conversing at a rapid pace. 3) Interview, examine and treat Spanish-speaking patients without an interpreter.
Long-term medical volunteers (six months or more) may be eligible for a housing stipend. Once our volunteer coordinator has accepted you as a volunteer, you will receive a document listing the housing options in Santiago Atitlán, which includes descriptions and prices. We recommend homestays for those who plan on staying a month or more. There are several Internet cafes in town that charge $1/hour. Several coffee shops have Wi-Fi available with purchase of food or a beverage. Wireless Internet is available at the Hospitalito, free of charge.
Every volunteer must fill out an application for review by Hospitalito administration. Clinicians, with a minimum two-years experience in your field (except for residents), cannot work in the hospital unless they have been formally accepted and had their work dates confirmed in writing. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Guatemala now requires that all volunteers working in the country receive either a short-term work permit or a Guatemalan medical license (good for two years). Registered nurse volunteers, with a minimum two years-experience in your field, work regular shifts alongside Guatemalan nurses under the supervision of the hospital’s head nurse.