6 Week Speech and Language Therapy Placement in India

Hi, I am a second year student at Birmingham City University, studying Speech and Language Therapy BSc (Hons) and I am extremely fortunate to have been selected by the university to spend 6 weeks as a voluntary elective at the Christian Medical College Hospital (CMC) in Vellore, India. The CMC serves over 2000 inpatients and 5000 outpatients daily, with 67 wards, 92 clinics each day and 121 departments. As a teaching institution the CMC trains doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, but also gives health care students from all over the world experience about how certain clinical procedures are practiced in India. The CMC is unique in being not only one of the pioneering institutions in the country in the area of medical research and high-tech health care, but also as an institution which reaches out to the practical needs of the poor through low cost inpatient wards and outpatient clinics in the slum areas of Vellore town, with concessional or free care for the most needy.

As a speech and language therapy student I will be placed in various departments to experience a range of clinical procedures, for example:

• Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and audiovestibular department - observing treatment/surgery with adults and children with problems with hearing/deafness, voice problems and cancers of the ENT areas for example.
• Developmental Paediatrics Unit - working with children who may have Neurodegenerative illnesses or Neuro-developmental delays.
• Neurology department - Observing treatment with patients who may have acute stroke and Guillain Barre Syndrome for example.
• Physiotherapy unit - observing treatment with patients who may have musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory problems.
• Occupational Therapy unit - observing treatment with patients who want to develop, recover or maintain the daily living and work skills with a physical, mental or developmental condition.

I am very grateful that I have been given this opportunity of a lifetime. Not only will it further my learning as a student speech and language therapist, but it will be valuable for my professional development in the career once I graduate. Unfortunately this placement is not funded by my university and I am therefore hoping I can gain some sponsorships from people to help me fund this once in a lifetime opportunity. Any donation would be much appreciated.

Thank You.

Stephanie Billings