Does a Medical Internship Abroad Look Good on a Resume?

The medical field is notoriously competitive, with thousands of students competing for their dream placements. If you’re wondering how to make your resume stand out from the crowd, a medical internship can be an excellent place to start. 

However, medical internships require a big commitment of both time and energy. Many students wonder whether an internship is really the best use of their time. Today, we’ll explore how medical internships look on your resume.

Benefits of a Medical Internship Abroad

There are countless benefits to completing a medical internship abroad, all of which any educator or professional viewing your resume will understand. These include: 

1. Earn Hands-On Experience You Simply Can’t Get at Home

Medical practices and standards vary greatly all over the world, so the common norms for your country may be completely different from those in the country you’re hoping to complete your internship in. For example, many students find that practices are more lenient in Europe and Latin America than in North America. 

Exposure to different cultures and healthcare systems is an incredible benefit for students. You’ll be exposed to so many different teachings and earn hands-on experience that you simply wouldn’t be able to achieve at home. 

Being able to put hands-on experience on your resume before you’ve even established yourself in the medical field is a unique benefit that’s sure to jump out at interviewers. 

2. Learn and Become More Fluent in Another Language

The need for medical practitioners who are fluent in more than one language is huge. Not only does this help doctor-patient relationships, but it also reduces wait times for interpreters and can make the system much more efficient. 

You’ll also be able to serve certain populations, so you don’t have to stick to your home’s healthcare system. For example, Spanish is the second-most-spoken native language in the world, making Spanish speakers particularly attractive to medical residency programs. 

Learning a new language and being able to use it in practice during a medical internship makes you that much more marketable when you’re interviewing for medical school and residency placements. 

3. Gain Meaningful Experience in an Area You’re Interested In

There are plenty of internship opportunities all over the world, in a wide variety of fields, for you to choose from. This means you can make the most of your experience, ensuring everything you learn can boost your future education and career. 

At Med Trips, we place our students in nursing, pre-medical, medical, dental, midwifery, physiotherapy, and radiography internships. You can choose the best route for your future or, if you’re not set on a specific career yet, opt to rotate between departments to earn a clearer understanding of all the options have to offer. 

An internship specific to your chosen elective is bound to appeal more to residency coordinators, and you’ll have plenty of anecdotes to wow them with in your interviews! 

4. See the World Before You Start Residency

Of course, we can’t forget one of the most impactful benefits of completing a medical internship abroad: seeing the world! Medical school programs are labour- and time-intensive, and you might not get the opportunity to see the world like this again for a while. So, why not get out there and make a meaningful impact at the same time? 

The best part is that you’ll still be working towards your future goals and remain career-oriented, which will impress interviewers. Your time spent exploring a new country can also serve as a good conversation starter if you’re nervous about meeting new supervisors. 

Can a Medical Internship Abroad Boost Your Resume? 

Medical internships can absolutely boost your resume and make you a more appealing candidate for medical schools and residency programs. If you’re still an undergrad looking to apply for med school, think about how impressed interviewers will be with a candidate who already has experience from an international medical internship under their belt! 

Your chosen elective will give you true work experience in hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, operating rooms, and more. By filling out your resume with such impressive experience, you’re guaranteed to shine against other applicants. This can help you secure your dream position, even amid countless other candidates.

Why Does an Internship Abroad Look Good on Your Resume?

Medical schools worldwide are increasingly interested in applicants who can demonstrate qualities developed through international internships. These include: 

• Cultural competence
• Global health awareness
• Initiative and adaptability
• Hands-on clinical exposure in diverse environments

Completing your internship abroad gives you the opportunity to earn all of these qualities. During your interviews, mention how your internship helped you develop such a strong skillset to ensure you make a lasting impact. 

What Med Schools Want to See on Your Resume 

Your resume is the first impression you make on med schools and residency programs, so it needs to be exceptional! We’ve detailed what med schools are looking for in each applicant’s resume, so you can craft one that perfectly pairs with your internship experience. 

Med schools are particularly interested in:

1. Cross-cultural Competence

Mention your experience working in diverse environments and how you successfully adapted to different healthcare settings and systems that you weren’t familiar with. Include how you communicated with healthcare professionals and patients, and how you tackled language or cultural barriers. 

2. Initiative and Independence

Completing an internship abroad can demonstrate how you take charge of your own learning journey, displaying attributes of a natural leader. Emphasise this and mention any instances where you led a team, offered recommendations that were accepted by senior doctors, and worked independently to improve a patient’s experience. 

3. Skills and Knowledge Gained

A medical internship offers plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and develop existing ones, especially in regard to clinical observation and doctor-patient interactions. Think about how you think your education and future career have benefited from your internship, and make this information known to interviewers. 

4. Relevance to Career Goals

Link your international experience with your interest in a specific career sector, such as primary care, maternal health, surgery or nursing. An internship is only as useful as it is for your relevant career goals. For example, if your main passion is maternity education, interviewers might be confused by a physiotherapy internship on your resume. 

Why Choose Med Trips for Your Medical Internship Abroad

Choosing the right internship abroad is a big decision, especially when you want to make the biggest impact on your resume. At Med Trips, we’re passionate about helping our students make the most of their time abroad, both professionally and personally. 

If you’re considering applying for a medical internship abroad, here’s how Med Trips can help: 

• Real clinical exposure: Gain hands-on experience in real healthcare settings, earning invaluable insight that can’t be earned from textbooks alone.
• Structured, professional placements: We work directly with hospitals to make sure your internship is organised and thoroughly developed to give you breadth and depth across areas that matter to your future career.
• Support every step of the way: From the moment you sign up, we’ll provide support to make your experience smooth and stress-free. This includes pre-departure guidance, in-country support and more. 
• Flexible duration and timings: Our placements can be as short or as long as you need, so you can tailor your internship to fit your academic schedule.
• A truly international experience: Interning abroad with us is more than just clinical hours, as it’s an opportunity to live and learn in a different culture. 

Ready to Plan Your International Medical Internship? 

A medical internship abroad can really make your resume stand out from the crowd, especially when you’re applying for med school placements. If you’re looking to gain real-world experience and cultural competence while still furthering your future medical career, an international medical internship is the place to start. 

Check out our medical elective abroad placements and click ‘Apply Now’ to get the ball rolling on your most meaningful adventure yet.