From vivid cultural history to tasty local cuisine, Kathmandu in Nepal checks all the boxes. From the city you can visit the holy primates of Monkey Temple, go trekking in the Himalayas, and take a break from the bustle of the city in the Garden of Dreams. When you’re rested, you can head out for drinks in Thamel to see how the locals have fun.

The Work the World House

Our house acts as the central point of your experiences in Kathmandu. Your housemates will be fellow healthcare students and graduates from all over the world. You can think of it as your home from home, and a hub of activity throughout your clinical placement in Kathmandu. 

The Kathmandu house is located a short distance from Thamel - a bustling maze of winding lanes with more bars, restaurants and shops than you’ll have time to visit.

Set in a relaxed residential area, the Work the World house itself is a calm space and an escape from the city’s bustle. From the rooftop terrace, you’ll enjoy breathtaking panoramas of Kathmandu Valley and the city itself.

What’s more, this area is an amazing jumping-off point for adventure opportunities like trekking and paragliding.

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View from house rooftop terrace

View from house rooftop terrace

In-Country Team

Management team: Based in the house, they oversee your entire clinical placement — 24/7 — from the moment you land to the moment you leaveCatering team: Cook a variety of both local cuisine and familiar home comforts, accommodating all dietary requirementsHousekeeper: Keeps the house clean and tidy from top to bottom, making sure you're comfortableLanguage teacher: Visits the house twice per-week. During their lessons, you’ll learn everyday phrases and clinical terminology to help you get more from your placementSecurity team: Monitor the house 24/7 for your peace of mind

Placements in Kathmandu

Medical Placement, Nepal (Kathmandu)

Medical Electives

On your medical elective in Nepal, you’ll come across patients with all manner of unfamiliar conditions — Japanese encephalitis, malnutrition, maybe even the odd monkey bite. The ED, surgery, and paediatrics are but a few of the departments you’re able to get experience in. Spend time in general medicine and you’ll see a breadth of infectious diseases — some estimates indicate that 70% of all conditions are attributable to infectious disease. For example intestinal parasitic infections are a cause of malnutrition. If you want to specialise, Kathmandu offers excellent opportunities — ophthalmology, dermatology, psychiatry, and cardiothoracics are just a few options. If you're interested in a medical elective in Asia, Kathmandu is a fantastic option.

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Midwifery Placement, Nepal (Kathmandu)

Midwifery Placements

To make sure you get the most out of your placement in Nepal, we’ve partnered with a dedicated team at a large teaching hospital in the country’s capital city — Kathmandu. The services offered by the hospital are comprehensive; labour wards, postnatal wards, post-op wards, infertility services, and more. As a midwifery student in Kathmandu, you’ll quickly develop an understanding of what it takes to deliver healthcare when faced with low-resources.

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Dentistry Placement, Nepal (Kathmandu)

Dentistry Electives

Dentistry in Kathmandu is not as accessible as it is in more developed nations. Nepalese people often have to travel significant distances to be seen by specialists with the right skills. Our partner hospital in Kathmandu is home to many such specialists, and people travel from far and wide for treatment. You’ll spend plenty of time in this department and see how local staff carry out procedures like routine check-ups, abscess surgeries, restorations, and pulpectomies to name but a few.

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Biomedical Science Elective

During your biomedical science placement in Nepal, you could gain focused experience in specialities like haematology, microbiology, virology and parasitology. All of which could present you with cases you’ve never seen before that are specific to the locale. You might encounter patients presenting unfamiliar conditions such as Japanese encephalitis, malnutrition, and the occasional monkey bite. Estimates suggest that around 70% of all conditions stem from infectious diseases — something you could see for yourself in general medicine. Malnutrition, for example, is often linked to intestinal parasitic infections.

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nursing elective in kathmandu nepal

Nursing Placements

On a nursing placement in Kathmandu, you’ll undertake your placement in one of the dedicated partner hospitals. Thanks to the strong relationships we have with these institutions, you can spend time in as many departments as you choose. You can even travel out into the city with local specialists to help conduct community outreach, to really get under the skin of nursing in Nepal. Some of the best specialists in the country live in Kathmandu, and many of them practice in our main partner hospital — you can tap into their expertise at your leisure.

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Paramedic Science PLACEMENTS

In Kathmandu, you will see that the differences between even the most fundamental aspects of care are significant. A lack of patient privacy is one example, a lack of cross-infection control is another. Even the way routine procedures are performed differs — manual intubation conducted without anaesthesia to give you one example. You’ll even see how patients’ (and families’) ability to pay for care has a considerable bearing on how conditions are diagnosed and treated.

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Physiotherapy Placement, Nepal (Kathmandu)

Physiotherapy Placements

Physiotherapy in Nepal has grown as a discipline in recent years, with 30 qualified physiotherapists recorded in 2007 versus 500 in 2012. As part of your placement in Nepal you will treat patients of all ages and from all walks of life. Many patients originate from Kathmandu city, but many travel in from the villages in the Himalayan foothills. Of course, you’ll see common complaints like back and shoulder pain, but the physiotherapy department also serves as a rehabilitation centre. You can help rehabilitate patients who’ve been in serious RTAs, falls, those who’ve suffered spinal injuries…. Most of the patients here will be referred from orthopaedics, neurology, and ENT.

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Radiography Placement, Nepal (Kathmandu)

Radiography Placements

The radiography department has a good range of facilities by local standards. Being  services are offered at a reasonable rate in comparison to other private hospitals in Nepal. Of course, the number of patients varies, but on a typical day there are around 50 patients for USG, 15 for CT scan, up to 150 patients for X-ray and around eight for MRI.

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Pharmacy Placement, Nepal (Kathmandu)

Pharmacy Placements

Pharmacy in the form we recognise it, to the Nepalese is a relatively new idea. Healing concoctions made from herbs and ancient Buddhist and Hindu healing prayers are still often used in the absence of modern medicine. But practicing pharmacy in our partner hospitals will provide you with an authentic experience of the provision of more modern healthcare in the developing world. Ward rounds, dispensing medicine and a stint in the pharmacovigilance unit will open your eyes.

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VILLAGE HEALTHCARE WEEK

Deepen your understanding of Nepal and its healthcare system by spending a week in a riverside village in the Himalayan foothills. You'll live with a welcoming village family who will share their rural way of life with you.

Each morning, you will head to the local health post. The healthcare team delivers minor emergency services, checkups, and vaccination programs. But resources here are even scarcer than in city hospitals, limiting care to the extreme.

In the afternoons, you'll cook local dishes, go on mountain hikes, and see how religion and rice farming are the heart of local culture.

VILLAGE EXPERIENCE

"Some of the most memorable cases I observed included open heart surgery for a valve replacement."

Catherine Noone, University of Manchester 2024

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"The experience will ultimately shape you into not only a better professional but also a better person!"

Jessica Rivers, Exeter University 2024

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"The constant practice in a resource-limited environment helped solidify these skills in a way that theoretical learning alone couldn’t achieve".

Jaabir Booly, University of Hertfordshire 2024

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"I have had an amazing placement in Nepal, which has given me a real insight into how healthcare is practised here. I will take many lessons away from this experience

Peter Newell, Queen's University Belfast 2024

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"It was often the case that there were six women in one room labouring at the same time..."

Robyn Grant-Marsh, University of Lincoln 2024

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WHAT HEALTHCARE DISCIPLINES DO WORK THE WORLD CATER FOR?

Work the World organise supervised medical electives and clinical placements for the following disciplines: 1. Medical  2. Nursing 3. Midwifery 4. Physiotherapy 5. Radiography 6. Pharmacy 7. Dentistry 8. Occupational Therapy 9. Paramedic Science 10. Biomedical Science

WHAT IS THE WORK THE WORLD HOUSE LIKE IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL?

Our house in Kathmandu will be the hub of your experience and your home away from home. You’ll be based only a short distance from Kathmandu’s famous Thamel district — a bustling maze of winding lanes with more bars, restaurants and shops than you’ll have time to visit.

WHAT TRAVELLING OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE FOR ME WHILST I’M IN NEPAL?

From vivid cultural history to tasty local cuisine, Kathmandu in Nepal checks all the boxes. From the city you can visit the holy primates of Monkey Temple, go trekking in the Himalayas, and take a break from the bustle of the city in the Garden of Dreams. When you’re rested, you can head out for drinks in Thamel to see how the locals have fun.