Comparative Health Immersion Rotation Program

*Currently paused due to COVID-19*

The Comparative Healthcare Immersion Rotation Program (CHIRP) is an elective clerkship that provides a global perspective to third and fourth year medical students and residents as well as physician assistant, pharmacy, and nursing students passionate about gaining exposure to health care across multiple settings. 

CHIRP takes a threefold approach to understanding health infrastructure in developing settings. Program participants will gain a multidimensional perspective into medicine across several institutional settings, such as government-run hospitals or clinics, local health posts, and FIMRC clinics. Community health outreach initiatives that participants help plan and implement provide a public health complement to the medical setting. Lastly, a structured curriculum of training modules specific to each site provides a scholastic foundation for the program as well as context to the issues that influence health in each community. At the completion of the program, participants will have increased their knowledge of global health, specifically in the resource-poor setting of a developing country and will achieve an understanding of the challenges involved in working in a resource–limited setting.  

CHIRP is a dynamic experience that can be tailored to a myriad of degree programs, with previous participants hailing from PA, MD and DO programs, as well as pharmacy and advanced nursing programs. Our team is happy to tailor CHIRP rotations to meet participants’ academic needs and personal goals as well as specific school requirements. Academic credit for a CHIRP rotation can also be arranged depending on your school’s requirements.

CHIRP is offered year-round at all of our project sites and requires a commitment of three weeks or more. The length of the rotation can be tailored to meet your school's requirement. Rotations incorporating time at two or three sites in Central America can also be arranged for those wishing to compare and contrast health systems across countries. The cost for a single rotation is dependent upon location, duration of rotation, and time of year. CHIRP rates are significantly discounted from our standard per-week rates in order to make our program more financially accessible. Please contact [email protected] for a quote for your rotation.