Medical Work Experience Abroad

Our medical placements abroad are open to anyone aged 16 and over. To join a medical project, you just need to check that you meet the requirements and fill in the application form.

You can always talk to one of our Project Experts if you need help finding the right healthcare internship for you.

If you’re wondering if a medical placement abroad is for you, ask yourself if you’re looking to:

• Gain real-world experience. Strengthen your CV and get great discussion points for interviews and university essays.
• Shadow professionals. See the day-to-day life of doctors and nurses.
• Understand global healthcare. Get a new perspective and learn essential medical skills.
• Experience a new culture. Live, work, and learn alongside local people, becoming a global citizen.
• Contribute to an ethical project. Participate in community-led initiatives that address local needs

This kind of international experience will not only strengthen your CV but also help you decide if a medical career is right for you.

Even if you already have medical work experience, you can join us to further your career

If you’re still not convinced, we have other options that might interest you:

• Medical Electives for students already studying medicine
• Undergrad Medical for 18 to 24 year olds in the early stages of medical school
• Veterinary Medicine for those interested in working with animals
• Social Work for anyone interested in working with people

Yes! Our medical internships abroad are set in real clinical environments including hospitals and health centres.

You will be able to shadow a variety of hospital departments during your medical internship, including paediatrics, surgery, gynaecology, and more! Your specific options will depend on the placement and country you choose.

To find the project that offers the departments you’re interested in, speak to our Project Experts.

We take the safety of our volunteers, interns, and the people they work with very seriously. That’s why we’ve put in place a comprehensive Medical Ethics Policy.

The amount of hands-on work can vary between destinations, and we ensure that you learn essential skills wherever you go. Due to ethical standards, we cannot allow our interns to be directly involved in surgery; however, certain destinations may have more opportunities to view surgery than others.

If you’re interested in performing certain tasks or observing specific procedures, please reach out to our Project Experts to discuss your options!

As a medical student volunteering abroad, you’ll likely want to travel during the summer holidays. We organise summer medical internships abroad for as little as one week throughout June, July, and August, though we are entirely flexible on start dates.

Whether you’re interested in a specific field, like nursing, an undergrad medical project, or you just want experience as a medical volunteer abroad, we have something for you. Our most popular projects include our Medical Internship in Nepal and Public Health Internship in Ghana.

If you are a high school student looking to study medicine in future, you might want to join a medical Teen Programme. These are fully supervised, two-week medical volunteering projects for teenagers, giving you the skills and experience to get ahead in your education!

Our medical volunteer opportunities give you skills that prepare you for your next stage of education and career. The experience not only enhances your knowledge of the field, but also builds your personal skills.

A recent survey of Projects Abroad participants found that:

• 96% of medical participants say their medical internship abroad improved their experience studying medicine
• 93% of medical volunteers claim their experience improved their medical school application
• 88% of medical interns say the experience they had could not be accessed at home

Other benefits that have been mentioned by our participants include:

• developing soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, resilience, organising, planning, and time management
• getting the opportunity to experience a real medical work without prior experience
• learning to work, communicate, and empathise with people of different cultures and backgrounds, helping to develop a global mindset
• gaining confidence in unfamiliar situations and pushing past your comfort zone

All of the above will enhance your CV, university applications, and your personal development.

Gaining medical work experience abroad will bring you closer to a future working in your chosen field. We’re proud to support future talent who’ll bring vital skills to communities in need.

At Projects Abroad, our priorities are your safety and collaboration with global communities. Our international medical internships are ethical, well supported, and aim to support a better future. Here are just a few elements of our work that set it apart from other internships:

Real work with trained professionals

On our medical placements, you’ll work alongside real healthcare professionals. You can observe them in their everyday work, ask questions, and hear more about their experiences. You’re likely to get more insights into the frontline of medical care than in your home country.

A tailored approach

We are often able to tailor your internship to your interests. You can work in more than one department or focus on one particular area, or experience outreach work in the local community.

Expanding access to healthcare

We are committed to tracking the positive impact our projects have around the world, including our volunteer medical programmes. We use data to shape our medical outreach efforts and health awareness programmes. This allows us to monitor individuals we see often, report our results, and collect data for research.

Comprehensive safety and support

We truly believe that we offer the best volunteer support available. We go to great lengths to ensure your safety, providing consistent, reliable, and 24/7 staff support at every stage of your journey.