Internships for San Ramón, Costa Rica
Qualified semester and yearlong students of the San Ramón program may apply for internships that are designed to complement the academic program. Interns receive a maximum of three credits but no financial compensation. The schedule and number of work hours will be determined by the schedule of USAC courses. The student will be working in a non-English speaking environment and must be able to communicate at an advanced level (Track III). Students will learn the required Spanish technical terms on the job. Upon request USAC will identify options for English speaking internships.
San Ramón offers many possibilities for internships at the local hospital in medicine, hospital administration and maintenance, microbiology, and pharmacy. At the university there are many options like the day care center, Scientific High School, the University Museum and research assistance. Recent internships include the following:
- veterinary clinic*
- pharmacy
- wildlife ecology research institute
- university community service projects
- biological research in ornithology, botany, plant taxonomy, use of plants, and more*
- Casa Infantil ("children's house"; teaching English and helping with activities)
- the city of San Ramón Municipal Government (including projects with the carbon-neutral committee)
- elementary and secondary education
- Teaching English as a Second Language*
- Museo Regional de San Ramón
- senior citizen center
- non-governmental organizations/non-profits (including organizations focused on climate change, sustainable development, children in poverty)
- spider monkey rehabilitation and release center
- Health Management*: past interns have organized community events, assisted with the hospital strategic plan, worked in the hospital butterfly garden, provided English translation
- Hospital/Health Clinics* (departments have included anesthesiology, microbiology lab, outpatient care, butterfly garden, physical therapy, external medicine, pediatrics, diabetic department, psychology, optometry, pharmacy, strategic planning)
- Centro José Figueres Ferrer, a local museum and cultural center
- Hotel Villa Blanca
- Environmental Studies/Climate Change*: past interns have worked with a local NGO called ARCA (Asociación Ramonense para la Conservación del Ambiente) and the Universidad de Costa Rica to research and organize events to help take positive action against climate change.
- Florex*: environmentally-friendly cleaning products company
The Staff is willing to explore other options for internships if requested the semester before arriving in San Ramón. Placement is not guaranteed by USAC, but determined by application to USAC and an interview with the internship sponsor once in Costa Rica.
If interested, you will apply after you have been accepted into the program; consult the Internship Opportunities and Application document on Student Gateway for more information. Requirements are: enrollment in the USAC San Ramón program; minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; and junior standing at time of internship. A refundable fee of $100 is charged and returned upon successful completion of the internship.
Examples marked with an asterisk have summer internships available; you'll need to attend both Summer Sessions I & II to participate.