Healthcare internships abroad are designed for people interested in deepening their knowledge on the real life practices of the sector.
An internship abroad is also a great opportunity to broaden your horizons, as you have the opportunity to learn how the healthcare system works in another country.
If you are a medicine student looking to take part in an internship specifically in the medical field, take a look at our Medical Internships Abroad Guide to learn more about how to decide what’s best for you.
A healthcare internship done abroad is a hands-on experience that you will take part in, that takes place in the healthcare sector. This includes:
Medical internships: depending on whether you are a 2nd or 3rd year university student, or an undergraduate student in the medical field, these provide you with the opportunity to deepen your medical and communication skills, as well as obtain university credits.
Nursing internships: nursing internships depend on the country of your choice. In some cases, these allow you to observe and participate in basic care, wound care, blood pressure monitoring, and medical preparation. In other cases, these focus more on observation, recording data, and data analysis.
Physiotherapy and kinesiology: in this kind of internship, you will be accompanied by a primary physician, and the setting tends to be focused on physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and occupational therapy.
Disease prevention: disease prevention internships tend to focus more on the educational side of medicine. You will have the opportunity to meet people in rural areas and teach about the importance of first aid and basic hygiene.
In these internships, you will be observing as well as helping provide relief to healthcare professionals. You undertake several activities that will vary based on the specific field you chose, as well as the healthcare system in the country of your choice.
You could find yourself working in public health centres, hospitals, and in some cases you may have the opportunity to find yourself accompanying doctors and nurses providing care in more rural areas.
Whether it is regarding experience, part of your studies, or to gain cultural insight on medical practices in a different country, this kind of encounter has many advantages, and can help you in your journey to reach multiple different goals.
Medical internships abroad tend to be easier to find in developing countries, as they are often the ones in the most need of staff to help support them.
Working in a multicultural environment, as a part of a multidisciplinary team will allow you to develop communication and coordination, giving you the opportunity to resolve complex medical challenges.
Healthcare related internships by RealStep also allow you to obtain university credits, making accessibility more feasible for current students, whether they are in medical school, nursing school, or other studies within the field of health.
Not anyone can partake in healthcare internships, as they require a basis of knowledge in some sort of medical area. They have an objective to broaden your professional experience, but not only.
Usually, healthcare internships are set up for university level students in a medical field.
Regarding the internship opportunities we offer, the pre-requirements differ based on the place you choose.
RealStep offers internships for:
Pred-Med students: you will mainly be shadowing the medical staff and assist in their daily tasks (medical reports, meal administration, etc.)
Undergraduate nursing students: The internships available are split into clinical and non-clinical. Clinical internships tend to be in a healthcare clinic or hospital, with interaction happening in fields such as pediatric nursing, medical surgical nursing, obstetrics and gynecology, etc. Non-clinical internships focus more on applying skills outside of a direct-to-patient setting, sometimes giving students the opportunity to work in disadvantaged rural communities.
Medicine students in their 2nd or 3rd year of studies, which will have access to any of the healthcare internships available.
Beyond these more straightforward and general requirements, there are some other aspects to take into account.
Some internships in specific countries may include language prerequisites, for example an internship in Morocco requires a certain level of French.
You will also need to approach this with a mind open to change, as during the few weeks or months in which you participate, your lifestyle may vary significantly from the one you are currently experiencing.
In certain countries, there also exist extra processes that you may need to go through (e.g. vaccinations, visas).
With RealStep, our professionals will help keep you informed and up to date with any requirements.
As it is incorporated in the healthcare world, public health internships have a similar objective to regular internships. You will also gain hands-on experience, allowing you to apply your already existing knowledge to real world situations.
Public health focuses more on the health of society rather than the individual (which is the case in clinical health, which you may be more used to). This is done through organization and societal efforts.
By assessing the needs of the community, researching the causes behind diseases, and trying to implement initiatives like promoting healthy behaviour, public health attempts to reach the people as a whole, not individuals.
Similarly to healthcare internships abroad, a public health internship involves participating in hands-on activities that focus on improving health conditions in the area in which you are conducting your internship.
Students gain international experience, and have the opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge in real life scenarios.
Public health focuses more on the health of the general public of a society, rather than the individual, and that is what is going to be put into practice here. One of the main aspects of public health internships is disease prevention.
Rather than only joining medical professionals on the field to help them with their practices in curing patients, you would also be conducting activities such as prevention workshops, organising health campaigns, or actively teaching the importance of basic hygiene.
This does not mean you won’t be working in a hospital setting.
In some public health internships, this can and does happen, as you would be working in public hospitals, at times even helping with medical examinations, as long as you have a medical background.
Your level of intervention in the medical aspect of activities will be determined by medical professionals that are present, based on your skill and educational background.
If you don’t know how to find your public health internship, we can help guide you with some starting points:
University programs: if you are applying for an internship as a university student, it is possible that your establishment can help you. Many nursing and medical schools have partnerships with international hospitals abroad.
NGOs: Organizations like Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, and other humanitarian groups often offer the opportunity to intern or volunteer.
Hospitals: Some hospitals abroad could offer internships directly as well as volunteer programs, especially if they are affiliated with universities or international medical organizations.
Internship Platforms: Online platforms could be a suitable way to find your internship. At RealStep we also offer you the opportunity to participate in this kind of internship. As you are about to see, there exists the possibility to intern in different medical environments, depending on the country of your choice.
Open to nursing students as well as students in the field of health, this internship that is split into two programs gives students the opportunity to meet children in rural schools, or assist local caregivers in a local hospital.
Home visits are also part of the activities performed, regardless of which program you select.
You will gain a unique insight into the Indonesian healthcare system, and participate in a truly immersive experience.
More information about the program over here!
Accessible to all students in the medical sector, this internship is adaptable to physiotherapy students, as well as professionals such as doctors, nurses, pediatricians, dentists, etc.
Sri Lanka is known to have one of the most advanced healthcare systems in South Asia.
You will be interning in a public hospital with some of the most advanced medical technology in the region.
More information about the program over here!
This internship program offers a variety of specializations at local hospitals and medical centers, including general medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry, and psychology.
You will have the opportunity to work with patients with diverse or advanced diseases, as well as be able to educate patients/community members about preventative health practices.
This humanitarian internship allows undergraduate students to work with healthcare professionals to provide healthcare to impoverished communities.
More information about the program over here!
For a full list of the medical internships abroad that we offer, check out our Medical Internships Abroad page.
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