Cancer had been a neglected area for several years in the past. For years Nepalese those who could manage, travelled to foreign countries for cancer treatment. There were limited hospitals and very few health manpower trained in cancer.  It is only 10 or 15 years when cancer as a specialized discipline of medical science began to develop in Nepal. This situation has improved now to some extent but, more has to be done with regard to training health manpower and develop more cancer treatment centers.  In order to fill the gap and increase knowledge, Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Center (NCHRC) organizes teaching and learning activities included in academic program as internship and observer ship programs for medical, nursing and other health workers.

A. Internship Program

Internship is a position of health students provided by NCHRC, where the students perform certain duty in certain departments or units under designated mentors. The main purpose of internship is to provide practical knowledge and skills to interns to satisfy for a specified work or qualification. Internship programs offer students a hands-on opportunity to learn in their desired area of cancer care. At Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Center internship programs are based on the need of hospital as well as the capacity and infrastructure available. The hospital organizes internship in following disciplines:

Clinical Pathology, Radio diagnosis including interventional radiology, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Gynecological Oncology, Preventive oncology, Research and Development, Hospital Management, Architectural and Biomedical Engineering, Finance, Service Quality Management and other relevant areas. The hospital offers full time intern-ship programs of duration 1 to 12 months.

Type of Internships:

  1. Internships for work experience: In this program, the interns use their knowledge that they have learned in college and universities and put them into practice. The knowledge and skills learned are helpful to carry out their duty in related fields and useful for future careers,
  2. Internships as requirement for graduation or dissertation: College and university students do internships in their final year of study. The students may also be posted to another institution or college for better learning and exposures. With this kind of internship a students can do studies and researches in the area of their interest on cancer. The results of the study is put in a report and presented,
  3. The other type of internship is the virtual internship, in which the above mentioned interns work remotely, without being physically present at the duty station. Such internships are conducted via virtual means, such as phone, email, and web communication. Virtual interns generally have the opportunity to work at their own pace.

 Who Can Apply?

  • Category A: Nepalese (college, university and higher studies),
  • Category B: Non-Resident Nepalese (NRN),
  • Category C: Citizens from SAARC Nations, (Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka),
  • Category D: Nationals other than categories A, B and C.

 How to Apply?

The candidate should write an application letter to the Executive Chairman of Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Center. Only qualified applications will be intertained for this program. The basic documents required are:

  1. An application letter mentioning duration, area of interest for internship at NCHRC
  2. A letter of intent on how this internship will help in his/her carrier development
  3. Educational certificates from schools/colleges/institutions/universities and experience letters
  4. Recommendation letter from candidate’s school/college/institution/university
  5. Health certificate. The candidate must not be in active stage of any disease
  6. For category B, C and D: Valid passport and visa covering the whole period of internship
  7. Other documents other as required

B. Observer ship Programs

Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Center (NCHRC) offers observer ship program to students from medical, nursing, medical technology, public health and Para medical colleges, universities, hospitals and health institutions. By definition, an observer observes the work and activity performed under certain department of interest, but not participating in the regular activity of the hospital. The main objective is to provide a conductive platform where the observers can learn more in areas of cancer care of their interest. Generally, this program can be of any duration; however, at NCHRC, the duration of observer-ship program ranges from1 to 24 days.

Who Can Apply?

Category A: Nepalese citizens,

Category B: Non-resident Nepalese (NRN),

Category C: Citizens from South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Nations, (Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan)

Category D: Foreign Nationals other than category A, B and C.

How to Apply?

Candidates willing for an observer-ship program should write an application addressing the Executive Chairman, Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Center. The duration of the program ranges from one day to four weeks. Observer-ship programs of longer duration than four weeks will be considered in exceptional cases. Foreign nationals can also apply for an observer-ship from their home country or when they are in Nepal. The hospital management selects a candidate in consultation with concerned department/unit.  Documents to be submitted with the application are:

  1. Letter of interest detailing why he/she wants to have an observer-ship at NCHRC, and how this observer-ship will help in his/her future carrier development,
  2. Period/duration of observer-ship,
  3. Educational certificates and testimonials,
  4. The candidate must not be in active stage of any disease (health certificate),
  5. Foreign citizens and NRN must submit a copy of their valid passport and visa valid for the whole period of observer ship,
  6. Recommendation letter from affiliated institution,
  7. Other relevant documents as required.