Jason Oliver

Jason is a pre-med student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He joined the VACorps program in May 2024 and participated in a medical and psychiatric internship at a public day clinic.

Spending the summer in Cape Town with VAC was the best decision I’ve ever made. I can say that without hesitation. I was able to shadow psychiatrists for over 300 hours—an opportunity that simply doesn’t exist where I’m from. Building relationships with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers taught me how to apply the concepts I’ve studied throughout my life. I learned that providing care is as much an art as it is a science, and I gained so much wisdom from the Sisters, physicians, and managers I worked with. A special thank you to Sister Hendricks, who deserves recognition for not only making me feel like family, but for doing the work of an entire mental health department. I heard countless stories and rediscovered my love for piecing them together—thank you, Sister.

I realized that the majority of patient treatment depends on the relationship you build with them—not just the medication. It may seem obvious, but if a patient doesn’t trust you or feel comfortable enough to open up, they won’t share the information that leads to healing. Without trust, even the most effective treatment on paper won’t work in practice.

I also came to appreciate how exceptional South Africa’s medical training is. Practitioners there encounter nearly every type of illness imaginable, offering a level of exposure rarely seen in the U.S. That experience, so early in my career, was incredibly valuable.

Beyond the hospital, I met people from all walks of life and learned about the social realities of Cape Town—gang violence, racism, and politics in the townships that often prevent access to care. I witnessed intense trauma cases, from stab and gunshot wounds to emergency births, and I even had the privilege of helping three beautiful children enter the world.

As if that weren’t enough of a life-changing experience, Cape Town itself is the most beautiful and diverse place I’ve ever been. The people, food, music, art, city life, hiking trails, countryside, and beaches—it’s everything I love in one place. My highlights outside of my internship include bungee jumping, Broke Klubhouse, hugging elephants on the Garden Route, meeting monkeys at World of Birds, Chapman’s Peak, getting a tattoo and piercing in Obs, trying every restaurant and vintage store I could find, braving the winds on Table Mountain, exploring farmer’s markets, and watching the sunset from a cruise. There’s so much to do—you’ll feel you’ve seen it all, but you’ve only just begun.

My advice? Be open, but stay cautious. Cape Town is breathtaking, but it also requires awareness. Stay for 1.5–2 months if you can—you’ll experience so much more. Don’t waste time at the mall; there’s too much to see. Write everything down—you’ll want to look back and relive it. Build meaningful connections at your internship site and cherish them; they’re what make the experience unforgettable.

Lastly, I’d be remiss not to mention the wonderful people and fellow interns I met. Everyone was so funny, open, and ready for adventure. I was lucky to live at 73 Arnold—thank you all for the memories and for making every moment outside the internship unforgettable. A special thank you to the VAC staff, especially Loyiso, Kholi, and Kus—you made Cape Town feel like home, even thousands of miles away. I miss all of you already.