Careers at Thamel Clinic — Medicine for the World's Travelers
Our team treats trekkers from 50+ countries, manages rabies PEP and altitude cases daily, and works to an international evidence-based standard. If you want clinical variety you can't get in a standard OPD — with fluent English as the working language — this is it.
Open Roles
Registered Nurse (Travel Medicine)
Full-time · KathmanduIV cannulation, triage, vaccination administration, and patient education for international travelers. Fluent English required; travel-medicine experience a plus.
Medical Laboratory Technician
Full-time · KathmanduStool/urine microscopy, hematology panels, rapid infectious-disease testing, and QA logging for our 60-minute turnaround lab.
Patient Coordinator / Front Desk
Full-time · KathmanduEnglish-first reception for international patients: bookings, insurance paperwork support, and concierge-level communication. Hospitality background welcome.
Physician — Travel / Emergency / Internal Medicine
Locum & Full-time · KathmanduNMC-registered physicians with travel medicine, emergency, or high-altitude medicine interest. ISTM CTH or wilderness medicine credentials strongly valued.
How to Apply
Email your CV and a short cover note to info@thamelclinic.org with the role in the subject line. Physicians: include your NMC registration number. All clinical applicants complete a supervised practical assessment — we hire for patient-facing quality, not just paperwork.
Volunteers and students: we host structured observerships for medical/nursing students — same email, subject "Observership".
What Working Here Actually Looks Like
Thamel Clinic is a small, high-acuity outpatient clinic — not a hospital ward. A typical shift might include a trekker with early HACE who needs a dexamethasone decision now, a backpacker needing rabies post-exposure prophylaxis, three stool microscopy samples, and an insurance documentation request from a German insurer. The work rewards clinicians who like variety, autonomy, and clear communication over specialist depth.
Why clinicians stay
- Real clinical autonomy — you make disposition calls, not just follow orders
- Cases you rarely see elsewhere: HAPE/HACE, mad honey poisoning, trek-specific injuries
- A patient population that actually wants to be educated
- Direct line to Kathmandu's tertiary hospitals for referrals — you learn the system
The Honest Trade-offs
Seasonal surge means October and April are intense. Insurance paperwork is unavoidable — international patients need ICD-coded reports, itemized receipts, and insurer-direct documentation. Compensation is competitive for Kathmandu's private sector but will not match Western or Gulf-market salaries. If you want a research-heavy academic post, this isn't it — if you want sharp, practical medicine with immediate feedback, it is.
The Kind of Medicine We Practice
Travel medicine is a specialty — the physician who treats altitude illness, travel infections, and the specific conditions of visitors to Nepal develops expertise that general practice does not produce. Working here means clinical work that is internationally-facing, protocol-driven, and specifically designed for the patient population that presents.
What We Look For
Clinical competence, English communication skills, genuine interest in travel medicine, and the understanding that our patients are far from home and need care that bridges that gap. The hire who sees the work as interesting medicine rather than just a job is the fit we seek.
Working in Kathmandu
Clinic work in Kathmandu attracts international health professionals — the cross-cultural experience, the tropical and travel medicine exposure, and the lifestyle of working abroad. The positions we post vary; the qualifications needed depend on the role. For the international medical professional, the Kathmandu clinic work is the specific experience it is.
Practical Considerations
Work permits for foreigners are required and handled through the clinic for employed staff. Cost of living in Kathmandu is low compared to Western countries; the salary reflects the local market. The experience of working in a different healthcare system — with different resources and different patient presentations — is the professional development the position offers.
The Clinical Experience
Working at a Kathmandu travel-medicine clinic provides the exposure that Western rotations do not — the tropical diseases (the dengue, typhoid, the parasitoses), the altitude illness presentations, the travel-related injuries, and the culturally-diverse patient population. For the medical professional, the Kathmandu clinic is the specific clinical experience.
The Application Process
The positions are posted when available — the clinical roles (doctors, nurses) require the licensure and the qualifications; the administrative roles require the skills and the English capability. The application to the posted positions with the CV and the cover letter explaining the relevant experience. For the international applicant, the work permit requirement applies.
The Team We Need
The travel clinic requires: the physicians (the travel medicine trained), the nurses, the lab technicians, the administrative staff, and the support functions. For the medical professional seeking the travel medicine experience, the Kathmandu clinic provides the exposure.
The International Environment
Working at our clinic — the English-language environment, the international patient population (the travelers, the expatriates, the diplomatic community), and the Kathmandu location that is the adventure. For the medical professional considering the international work, the clinic offers the travel medicine immersion.
What We Look For
Qualifications for the positions: the medical credentials for the clinical roles (the MBBS, the nursing, the allied health), the English proficiency for the patient-facing roles, the experience in the travel medicine or the tropical medicine that is relevant, and the cultural competence for the international patient base.
The Work Culture
Our clinic culture: the small team that works closely, the international patient base that is diverse, the Kathmandu location that is central, and the professional development that the unusual patient population provides.
The Roles
Our clinic roles: the physician (the general practice and the travel health), the nurse, the laboratory technician, the administrative staff, and the support staff.
The Application
For the interested candidate — the application that is submitted, the credentials that are reviewed, and the interview that is scheduled.
The Requirements
Career requirements: the physician (the NMC registration, the relevant experience), the nurse (the license, the clinical experience), and the support staff (the customer service orientation).
The Benefits
Career benefits: the competitive salary, the professional development (the training, the conference), the travel health focus, and the international patient interaction.
The Requirements
Career requirements — the qualification (the medical, the nursing, the support that is required), the language (the English that is essential), and the experience that is valued.
The Benefit
Career benefit — the meaningful work (the international patient that is served), the growth that is supported, and the team that is collaborative.
The Compensation
Clinic compensation — the competitive (the role + the experience that determines). For the applicant, the range that is discussed.
The Benefit
Clinic benefit — the training + the international exposure (the value that extends beyond the salary). For the career, the growth that is offered.
The Compensation
Clinic career — the competitive-Nepal (the disclosed that is the range). For the applicant, the transparent that is the info.
The Benefit
Clinic benefit — the professional-development (the invested that is the package). For the joiner, the grown that is the offer.
Do you hire non-Nepali clinicians?
Clinical roles require Nepal Medical Council (NMC) or Nursing Council registration, which is a months-long process for foreign credentials. Non-clinical roles (patient coordination, medical writing, telehealth triage support) are more flexible. We do occasionally host visiting clinicians for supervised observerships.
What is the patient population like?
Almost entirely international — tourists, trekkers, expatriates, NGO staff, and diplomats. Common presentations: altitude illness, traveler's diarrhea, respiratory infections, injuries, STI screening, and travel vaccinations. Expect high English fluency requirements and insurance-heavy documentation.
What shifts and scheduling should I expect?
The clinic operates 8 AM–10 PM daily. Most roles run rotating shifts within that window; physician roles include on-call coverage for after-hours emergencies. Trekking-season peaks (Oct–Nov, Mar–Apr) are our busiest periods.
Is travel-medicine experience required?
Not for all roles, but strongly preferred for physicians. We train staff on our protocols: altitude illness assessment (Lake Louise scoring), traveler's diarrhea management, rabies PEP, and the specific documentation international insurers require.
How do I apply?
Email your CV to clinic@thamelclinic.org with the role title in the subject line. Include NMC/nursing registration status, languages spoken, and availability. Shortlisted candidates interview within two weeks; physician candidates complete a case-based clinical discussion.
