Organizations: for providing healthcare and working in medical care abroad

What is working in a medical internship abroad like?

• A medical internship or clinical placement abroad offers the opportunity to gain practical experience within a different healthcare system, a different culture, and sometimes under very different circumstances than is customary in your own country.
• During a medical internship, you work in a hospital, clinic, care facility, or research environment. Depending on your field of study, this may involve medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, midwifery, medical research, or other care-oriented studies.
• Clinical interns and medical trainees often shadow a ward doctor, specialist, or head nurse. As the internship progresses, you are usually given more responsibility and work increasingly independently, but almost always under supervision.
• In many institutions, you participate in daily care processes such as handovers, ward rounds, and multidisciplinary consultations. At the same time, you learn to perform medical and nursing procedures and gain insight into how care is organized in another country.
• The country where you intern also influences what you learn. In some regions, for example, the emphasis is more on tropical diseases, while in others it is on basic care, public health, or social care.

Common activities during a medical internship or clinical placement are

• Participating in morning and afternoon handovers.
• Shadowing doctors during ward rounds.
• Attending multidisciplinary team meetings (MDO).
• Taking a medical history and performing a physical examination.
• Assisting with medical or nursing procedures.
• Presenting patient cases.
• Contributing to patient records and reports.

Activities as a nursing intern are

• Personal care of patients.
• Wound care.
• Administering medication or injections.
• Observing patients and identifying changes.
• Performing technical nursing procedures such as inserting a catheter, IV, or feeding tube.
• Preparing medical equipment and rooms.
• Administrative and reporting tasks.

Broad care duties are often

• In some internships, particularly within elderly care, rehabilitation, or community health, the work may extend beyond just medical procedures. You may then also:
• support patients and their families during illness or recovery.
• providing explanations and advice regarding health and treatment.
• contributing to the social well-being of patients.
• assisting with practical or household tasks within healthcare institutions.

What are the reasons for doing a medical internship abroad?

• To grow professionally in an international context: working in a different healthcare system strengthens adaptability and clinical insight.
• To become aware of the environment: differences in resources, protocols, and culture increase understanding of global healthcare.
• To develop creativity: in some countries, resources are more limited and more improvisation is required.
• To strengthen analytical skills: comparing healthcare systems stimulates critical thinking.
• To be involved in global health issues: experience in diverse healthcare contexts broadens perspective.
• To collaborate in multidisciplinary teams: international cooperation forms an important part of the internship.

What skills and motivations do you need to work as medical intern abroad?

• Being professional: diligence and responsibility are essential in medical environments.
• Communication: depending on the country, knowledge of the local language is often important for communicating with patients and colleagues.
• Collaboration: healthcare is always teamwork between doctors, nurses, and other specialists.
• Awareness: insight into cultural differences and care structures helps to work effectively.
• Flexibility: adapting to different work structures, resources, and protocols is necessary.
• Working independently: taking initiative is important, especially when supervision is limited.

What are the best countries and locations to do a medical internship abroad?

• Interesting clinical rotations or internships can be completed anywhere, all offering something different. Below are a few examples.
• Clinical rotations: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Surinam, Colombia, Malaysia, South Africa.
• If you are looking for a nursing internship: Australia, Curaçao, Spain, Suriname, Nepal, on a cruise ship.
• Medical research internships: Curaçao, Spain, Malta, United States of America.
• Tropical medicine: Ghana, Costa Rica, India, Ecuador, Indonesia, Thailand.

What are the risks medical internships abroad, and are you insured against those risks? 

What are the risks of working in medical internships abroad, and what happens with some regularity:

• that protective equipment may not always be of sufficient quality or even available.
• that someone may be exposed to infectious diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, or tropical infections.
• that someone may contract a local disease and require medical care.
• that a less safe work environment may arise due to infrastructure, health risks, political instability, or local customs.
• that work pressure may be high due to long hours, emotionally challenging situations, and limited support.
• that the costs of medical care or evacuation to another country can be high.
• Medical liability may also play a role: errors or misunderstandings in healthcare can lead to substantial claims for damages or legal consequences in some countries.
• When you work in the medical sector, you may be exposed to greater financial or legal risks as soon as you start performing your work under your own responsibility. It is advisable, as far as possible, to also inquire to what extent your local employer is adequately insured for accidents, technical errors, or misjudgments. Of course, this is not always the case, nor can it be always ascertained in advance. Take this into account as much as possible when deciding whether to perform certain risky tasks.

Are you insured while doing medical internship abroad?

• There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when working abroad.
• Local employers generally offer limited or no supplementary insurance.
• During work, internships, or volunteering abroad where you receive compensation or a salary, your own health insurance coverage in your home country may lapse. See the pages on: insuring paid work, internships, or volunteering abroad.
• See also: insurance for working in the medical sector for paid work, for internships and for volunteer work abroad.

What is working in healthcare and the medical sector abroad like?

• Responsibilities: Working in the medical sector abroad can range from being a nurse in a local hospital in Africa to a policy officer at an international NGO in Asia, or a doctor in a mobile clinic in South America. It can be demanding and intensive, but also extremely educational. You'll encounter different healthcare systems, cultural differences, and sometimes diseases that have long since disappeared in your home country.
• Your workday might involve treating patients, developing health programs, providing information, or improving logistics and policy. In many countries, it's primarily about making do with what's available, which can sometimes be surprisingly limited.
• Duties depend greatly on your role, but may include:
  • treating patients in various facets of healthcare, or supporting local medical teams.
  • providing information on hygiene, nutrition, prevention, and health.
  • assisting with research or developing programs.
  • collaborating with local authorities, NGOs, and international colleagues.
  • producing videography and documentaries.
  • providing emergency relief during disasters.
• Working conditions: Volunteer work and internships are often unpaid, but you'll learn a lot. You'll often be paid through NGOs or international organizations, or at a local company. 
• In developing countries, it's more often about volunteer work or a small allowance (room and board are provided, but a salary isn't always).
• At (private) healthcare institutions, the pay is often much better, especially in places with many expats.
• At international NGOs or development organizations, you can sometimes work on a contract basis, often with international salary scales.
• Housing can vary from a basic volunteer house to an apartment in the city. Expect a mosquito net more than air conditioning.
• Care and safety: vaccinations, insurance, and an emergency plan are usually mandatory.

What are the reasons for working in healthcare and the medical sector abroad?

• To feel a sense of commitment: you directly contribute to better care for people who don't automatically have access to it. You make a genuine contribution to the world.
• To enhance your personal development: you learn to deal with limited resources, challenging circumstances, and sometimes even considerable bureaucracy.
• To build a network: you get to know doctors, healthcare workers, and NGO staff locally and from around the world. To put things into perspective: a crisis at home might suddenly stop being a real crisis when you see the circumstances of others.

What skills and motivations do you need to work in healthcare and the medical sector abroad?

• Analysis: quickly grasping situations, from a medical problem to a chaotic healthcare system. Communicating: It's important to be able to explain what's going on in simple terms.
• Empathizing: Understanding that patients can also be afraid or suspicious.
• Collaborating: With anyone present—from local nurses to international volunteers.
• Results-oriented: Ultimately, it's about better health for the community.
• Stress-resistant: Crisis situations are part of life. It's important to be confident in these situations.

What are the best countries and locations to work in healthcare and the medical sector abroad?

• Volunteering in hospitals and clinics: Africa (e.g., Tanzania, Malawi, Ghana).
• Health education or support in local hospitals: South America: (e.g., Peru, Ecuador).
• Working in health programs or research: Asia: (e.g., Nepal, Cambodia).
• International NGOs with medical programs or policy positions: Europe (e.g., Brussels, Geneva).
• From working in luxury clinics in Australia to working on remote islands with limited resources (The Pacific).
• Tropical medicine: Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Suriname, Indonesia.

What are the risks of working in healthcare and the medical sector abroad, and how are you insured against those risks?

• What are the risks of working in healthcare or the medical sector abroad?
  • Mental strain is common: working long hours in understaffed teams, dealing with death or cultural differences in healthcare can lead to burnout, insomnia or trauma.
  • High levels of stress are common: due to responsibility, a strong sense of helpfulness, miscommunication or cultural and linguistic problems.
  • High workloads are common: due to long days, emergencies, staff shortages, or intensive supervision.
  • Unsafe working environments are common: infrastructure, health risks, political instability, social norms.
  • Accidents often occur due to lifting patients, working in extreme heat or cold, which increase the risk of back problems, overexertion or exhaustion.
  • It is common for someone to contract a contagious or local disease such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, or tropical diseases, especially when protective equipment is limited. A lack of gloves, disinfection, sterile materials, or safe needles can increase risks, preventing you from working for a period of time or even requiring you to be flown home.
• Are you insured while working in healthcare organisations and the medical sector abroad?
  • Local employers usually offer no, or limited, supplementary insurance.
  • There is a risk of accidents because, for example, you are doing work with which you have little experience.
  • During work, an internship, or volunteer work abroad for which you receive compensation or a salary, the coverage of your own health insurance in your home country may lapse.
  • There may be several reasons why you need separate insurance when working abroad. See the pages on: insuring international Insurances for working abroad, for internships abroad, for volunteering abroad, or for expats and emigrants.