About Helderberg Hospital Project

Project Details

Helderberg Hospital is situated in the town of Somerset West, and serves as a district hospital for the Helderberg basin.  Patients are also referred to the hospital from surrounding areas in the Overberg district.  There are 120 inpatient beds which cater for most specialties, including Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Opthalmology, and also a 3 bed High Care Unit.  The fulltime medical staff consists of 13 generalist doctors, assisted by part time specialists in all disciplines.  There is a busy Casualty and Outpatients Department and doctors from the hospital also perform community work at surrounding Primary Health Care Clinics.

Accommodation

Volunteers are accommodated in the WTSA volunteer house or any of our town apartments which are fully furnished with all modern conveniences.  The accommodation is located in good and safe areas with complete security and within walking distance to the Somerset West CBD, shops, pubs and restaurants.

What will you do?

Volunteers will fall into one of the following three categories:

General Volunteers:  These volunteers need have no formal qualification and are not required to have any medical or associated skills.  They must however have a sincere interest in medicine and a compassionate nature.  General Volunteers will be able to job shadow and learn extensively from doctors across all departments.  General Volunteers will however only be allowed limited hands on experience due to their lack of a formal medical qualification.

Medical Students:  These are students currently busy with or completing their undergraduate medical, nursing or ancillary professional qualification(s).  Medical Students will be doing a formal medical elective period where they will be able to job shadow and learn extensively from doctors across all departments.  Medical Students will be allowed hands on experience in certain procedures under senior supervision of a local doctor depending on their completed study year and individual skill.

Medical Interns (House Doctors):  Medical Interns are already qualified graduates in possession of a formal medical or ancillary professional qualification(s).  Medical Interns as newly qualified doctors and nurses will continue their extensive learning across all departments and will be allowed to utilize their skills and qualifications under the senior supervision of the resident doctors and qualified staff members.

Volunteers will work on a rotational basis within the following ten departments:  Casualty (Trauma), Medical, Surgical, Pediatrics (children), Neonatology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Operating Theater, Outpatient Department, and Radiography and Casualty (repeat).  Volunteers will be rotated between the different departments which makes this a very rewarding and diverse experience especially for volunteers making career or study decisions.

Pictures

Past Volunteer Comments