Description:

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.

Many of our patients cannot afford care. In 2015, the hospital provided $175,021.72 in free and discounted medical care in the hospital and in community outreach clinics.

The hospital provides a full-range of preventive and clinical health services with an emphasis on women and children and has the only 24/7 emergency and surgical obstetrical care within a two-hour radius.

Hospitalito Atitlán considers medical volunteers as integral members of the healthcare team and rely on them for their energy, enthusiasm and skills. Our physicians, nurses, administrators and technicians - as well as our volunteers - greatly benefit from the professional and cultural interaction between Guatemalan and medical colleagues from around the world.

We also welcome the families of our medical volunteers and embrace them as members of the Santiago Atitlán community.

Volunteers at Hospitalito Atitlán practice medicine in a setting that challenges and enriches their professional lives. They work independently, without supervision, and are part of the on-call schedule serving, at times, as primary physician in charge. If you are a recent graduate with limited experience, check out Medical Students/Recent Graduates volunteer opportunities.

Whether treating diabetes, stitching a machete injury, or bringing a new baby into the world, medical volunteers feel strong links both to the past and to the future, and, a deep sense of personal and professional satisfaction. The Hospitalito changes lives - not only of its patients, but also of its volunteers.