If you’re interested and passionate about a future in medicine, you may be curious about internships abroad in your chosen elective. Medical internships offer a variety of benefits, from providing a unique insight into global issues and practices to expanding your network in a chosen specialty.
But why choose an internship abroad rather than at home? To maximize your experience and gain the most knowledge from your time abroad, you’ll need to choose the best program for you. Today, we’ll explore why you should consider volunteering abroad for your internship and all the benefits that come with this opportunity.
Can I Do My Medical Internship Abroad?
Yes, absolutely! If you’re excited to make a meaningful difference through medicine and curious about traveling the world to do so, you’re an ideal candidate for a medical internship abroad. Not only does searching farther afield open you up to even more possibilities, but it also expands your worldview, prepares you for working cross-culturally, and gives you the chance to develop unique skills necessary for a future career in medicine.
With Med Trips, you can travel far and wide to seek knowledge from the best in the world. Our internship programs will have you shadowing doctors, learning and teaching about public health, volunteering at community centres, immersing yourself in new cultures, and much more.
Reasons Why You Should Consider a Medical Trip Abroad
A medical internship is vital in your journey towards your dream career path, providing you with the skills and knowledge to become a better healthcare professional. Here are some of our favourite reasons to choose an internship abroad, furthering your drive to provide the best care possible for your patients:
Gain Unique Experience
With a medical internship abroad, you’ll get the opportunity to provide essential, hands-on experience where it matters. Whether your elective is in medicine, dentistry, midwifery or something else, you’ll deliver needed services to the local community while getting a valuable insight into what to expect from your future in medicine.
A medical internship is a wonderful way to experience specialties up close while you’re still figuring out what your career looks like.
Learn New Skills
While all medical internships should provide you with experiences to learn new skills, volunteering abroad opens you up to several more beneficial skills to carry with you throughout your future career. These include:
- Cross-cultural communication
- Resilience and adaptability
- Better awareness of global issues
- Curiosity of the world around you
- Independence
- Problem-solving and self-assurance
These, along with the technical skills you’ll learn from doctors and healthcare professionals, help you see problems from a different perspective–a skill that is essential in today’s globally connected world.
Help Your Resume Stand Out
The medical profession is incredibly competitive, and you need something on your resume to stand out. The experience and skills you gain while abroad are sure to impress those who read your resume and set you apart in the hiring process.
Both technical and non-technical skills are important additions to your job application, so don’t understate your entire experience. Include where you volunteered, activities you participated in, and how you contributed to the community both professionally and personally. Trust us, this looks great to hiring managers!
Network With People All Over the World
Broaden your horizons through internships abroad and meeting new people from all walks of life. Not only will you get the opportunity to stand toe-to-toe with experienced doctors and surgeons, but also budding medical professionals who’ll be working all over the world.
These newfound connections can last a lifetime, and as you all grow and flourish in your chosen professions, you may be able to open doors for each other. You can also act as a support system, navigating the challenges of medical exams and practicalities together.
See the World From a New Perspective
It’s incredibly difficult to understand the ways of the world without experiencing them firsthand. Choosing a medical internship abroad allows you to see the world from another perspective, especially through living and working somewhere for an extended period of time.
After you’ve chosen where to volunteer, you’ll get to know the life and culture of a new country. This will broaden your worldview and help remove biases you may have already had, allowing you to learn compassion, empathy and respect for local communities and cultures.
Push Your Boundaries and Try New Things
Other than improving your medical knowledge and getting first-hand experience to set you up for a positive future, choosing to intern abroad is a great excuse to push yourself into trying new things. Exploring your chosen destination solo or with your fellow interns lets you fully immerse yourself in local cultures and traditions, as well as see natural attractions and tourist hotspots.
Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is an amazing opportunity to boost your confidence and help you achieve your true potential. To thrive in the medical profession, you need to be self-assured and confident enough to back yourself, and proving to yourself that you can do hard things helps show what you’re capable of.
Experience New Cultures
Medical interns need to be sensitive and aware of other cultures, as this makes sure you’re giving your patients the same level of compassionate care without biases. What better way to do this than to see the world from a new perspective and immerse yourself in new cultures?
Try new foods, get involved with new traditions, and live with a host family who can teach you everything you need to know. You’ll gain plenty of knowledge on your chosen country and be able to bring it back to teach friends and family, too.
Make a Meaningful Difference
Through most medical internships abroad, you’ll be able to aid the local community and make a lasting impact. The host organizations we work with always need additional help for their healthcare providers and medical institutions, which valuable interns can provide.
When working with Med Trips, you’ll be helping the local community and travelling in a responsible way. See the world while making a real difference in the lives of locals and communities, which will live on for much longer than your stay.
Create Lifelong Memories
One of the biggest reasons why people choose to take the leap and volunteer for a medical internship abroad is the promise of lifelong memories. Many people put off the idea of travelling until they have more time, money or fewer responsibilities at home–but before they know it, life gets even busier and they might not end up travelling at all.
Take the opportunity to intern in another country and create lifelong memories while still furthering your career and learning on the job. If you’ve been considering an internship abroad, take the leap now rather than regretting not in the future.
Ready To Start Planning Your Medical Internship Abroad?
Choosing a medical internship at home may seem like the easier and more accessible option, but making the bold move of interning abroad comes with so many amazing benefits that you don’t want to miss. Not only will you make great connections and memories, but you’ll also be able to further your career, help your resume stand out, and learn from some of the best medical professionals around the world.
Take a look at our medical internships abroad and get the ball rolling on your new adventure today.
