Medical Internships Overseas | Projects Abroad AU

A medical internship program with Projects Abroad will help you get the real-world work experience you need to excel in a medical career.

This is what you can expect from our international healthcare internships abroad:

Work in professional clinical environments like hospitals and clinics
Shadow experienced medical professionals, like doctors and nurses
Get a deeper understanding of global healthcare issues
Learn essential medical skills, like measuring blood pressure and blood sugar
Help deliver basic healthcare services during community outreaches

You can choose from a range of fields related to Medicine & Healthcare:

Our international medical trips are flexible and safe. Projects can be adjusted to your level of experience, making them ideal for pre-meds, or students aiming to do a medical elective abroad. We also have projects for teenagers in Year 10 and 11 interested in medical work experience.

Can’t find what you’re looking for?

We’d be happy to talk about creating a custom project for you. Most of our staff have been volunteers themselves, so they’re well placed to answer your questions, big or small.

08 7130 3970

Request Info

to start planning your project

I was able to shadow doctors throughout many departments within the hospital. This is where I was able to watch my first surgery! It was quite the experience. I was also able to volunteer in the outpatient department as well as the radiology oncology unit.

Barbara L

Medical Internship in Nepal

Read the review

As well as conducting the surveys for the programme, I was also able to help out at different events across the community including vaccination clinics for babies and small children. At these clinics I measured the length and weight of the babies and was also allowed to give oral polio vaccinations to those who needed it.

Holly G

Read the review

Having spent many years studying, I was looking for some hands-on experience in the field and thought combining this experience with travelling would be a great way to celebrate my graduation.

Sarah S

Read the review

How to Get Experience in the Medical Field

Our medical projects abroad are open to people aged 16 and over. To join a medical internship abroad for undergraduates, all you need to do is check that you meet the requirements, and fill in the application form. Our Project Experts are here to assist if you need help finding healthcare work experience that best meets your needs and goals.

You may be thinking “I want to study medicine, but is it the right decision for me?” If you tick one or more of these boxes, then the answer is yes! A Projects Abroad internship lets you:

Add pre-medical work experience to your CV
Gives you the benefit of work experience in a hospital
Shadow doctors and nurses so you can see what their day-to-day life is really like
Take part in an ethical medical volunteering project where you can really help people

Having this kind of international medical trip experience will strengthen your CV and give you great discussion points in interviews and essays. If you’re a pre-med student, volunteer work in healthcare facilities in places like Nepal, and Kenya, can also help you decide if you want to pursue a medical degree.

You can also join if you have medicine work experience under your belt, and want to do something different to further your career.

Not 100% convinced a medical internship overseas is for you? Here are other options that may interest you:

Medical Electives for students already studying medicine
Social Work for anyone interested in working with people, such as our clinical placement supporting patients affected by HIV/AIDS in Ghana

See a full list of our internships abroad.

A Projects Abroad intern shadowing doctors in a hospital on one of our medical placements abroad.

Can I get work experience in a hospital?

Yes! Through our volunteer opportunities for pre-med students, you can spend time getting work experience in clinical environments at any of our hospital placements.

The hospital departments you shadow in - like Paediatrics or Surgery - depend on the placement and what country you go to. Vietnam and Nepal are popular choices for pre-med shadowing programs abroad. To find a project that has all the departments you want to gain experience in, speak to our Project Experts.

Our Medicine & Healthcare Policy

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!

Winter Break Medical Internships

We can organise winter break medical programs for as little as one week, accommodating even the busiest student. So even if you only have limited time over the winter, you can travel throughout June, July, and August. We’re entirely flexible, and you can choose when to start and end your trip. You can also join in the summer if you’re looking for pre-med summer abroad programs or summer internships abroad for medical students.

Whether you’re interested in medical student internship opportunities, or someone interested in giving back as a medical volunteer abroad, we have something for you. For example, practice your suturing skills at our Medicine Internship in Tanzania. Or, do check for illnesses like high blood pressure and diabetes at our Public Health Internship in Cambodia.

What will I gain from a healthcare volunteering abroad program?

Our medical student internship opportunities give you skills that prepare you for your next stage of education and career.

Here are some of the benefits that our previous interns talk about on this international opportunity for medical students:

Soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, resilience, organising, planning, and time management
More in-depth clinical experience for pre-meds than you might get in your home country. Concerned about how much you can benefit from your project if you don’t have previous medical experience? Read our blog about volunteering abroad without experience
The ability to work and empathise with people of different cultures and backgrounds, helping to develop a global mindset
Confidence from pushing past your comfort zone

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

Why do medical internships matter?

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.

How are our Medicine & Healthcare Internships different?

At Projects Abroad, our first aim is to benefit the communities we work in. You can be assured that your medical internship is ethical, well supported, and part of a better future. Here are just a few elements of our work that set it apart from other international healthcare trips and internships:

Recording our work in a secure database

We created a Global Impact Database so we can track the positive impact our projects have. This is a secure and anonymous database that we use to identify specific areas of need. It allows us to use data to shape medical outreaches and health awareness programmes. We can also monitor individuals we see often, report our results, and collect data for research. All of this work is guided by our Management Plans.

Real work with trained professionals

On our medical placements abroad, 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're often able to tailor your internship to your interests. You can work in more than one hospital department or focus on one particular area, or experience outreach work in the local community.