
If you have an interest in medicine, patient care, or aspire to become a doctor, Try Medics provides an opportunity to explore your future aspirations. We coordinate international internships at hospitals, allowing you to gain insight into the daily life of a medical professional. Before deciding on your international internship, there are some considerations you should make.
International internships are for individuals over 18 years old who are either health science students or aspire to be.
As a basic framework, we organize our health science internships for two target groups:
Expect learning tailored to your level.
Regardless of whether you belong to one group or the other, it's essential to remember that you are not going on an internship to Africa to perform "voluntary" work; you are going to learn and simultaneously experience the daily workings of a different healthcare system.
At your international internship placement, you will be welcomed by trained healthcare professionals ready to impart knowledge and meet you at your professional level. Whether you are a pre-student seeking insight into healthcare work or a student in the midst of your health science education wanting to experience and learn from a clinic in another country, you are guaranteed this level of support.
Your hospital internship will always be supervised by a responsible mentor with relevant health science education. As an intern, you will not be considered an extra pair of hands at the hospital but rather an observer and learner, aiming for a strong professional outcome from your international internship.
As a pre-student, you are there to observe.
If you are undertaking an international internship as a pre-student, you are on an observational internship. Your primary task is to observe and learn from professionals trained in the health science field you are considering pursuing.
During this internship, you can expect to gain insights into the work involved in your chosen profession once you graduate. Additionally, you will receive theoretical education aimed at enhancing your health science knowledge. The professionals you follow at the hospital will act as mentors for you during your international internship. They will also be fully informed about your educational level to tailor the internship accordingly, ensuring you derive the maximum benefit from the experience.
Avoid patient contact during your internship abroad.
During your internship abroad, it is essential not to seek situations that exceed your competencies. If you and your fellow students are waiting for your mentor, it's crucial not to initiate patient contact or respond to healthcare-related questions from patients or their relatives at the hospital. All patient contact and care should be handled by the hospital's healthcare professionals.
It is also crucial to remember that patients always have and should have the first priority for your mentor. Unexpected and critical situations may arise in patient care during your international internship, leading your mentor to prioritize patient needs over your presence, possibly asking you to leave the room.
Show respect for your surroundings.
When on an internship at a hospital, you are in a more serious reality than what other fields and interns may experience. You may encounter unfortunate circumstances in any hospital, so it's important to display respectful and discreet behavior towards patients and staff during your international internship.
What is particularly unique about international internships is that you are acting in an international context, requiring you to serve as an ambassador for your home country. Maintain a professional and distant tone and approach as much as possible. Adhere to confidentiality obligations, especially being cautious not to violate rules regarding images and comments on social media.
International internships can clarify your future aspirations.
When immersed in your studies, you may quickly lose sight of the long-term goals of your education. You might be uncertain about what awaits you in terms of jobs and work after graduation. Regardless of whether you are undecided or entirely committed to your chosen field of study, gaining professional experience through international internships can be beneficial.
This experience allows you not only to get a taste of what awaits you in your professional life but also provides a stronger foundation for choosing or rejecting a specific study direction.
Bringing such clarity is especially crucial for health science programs, which often experience a higher dropout rate during the first clinical period of study. This may be due to expectations and perceptions of the work not aligning with the reality experienced during the clinical visit.
An international health science internship can help align expectations and provide insight into whether this field is the right fit for you. To learn more about the details of the internship and how international internships with Try Medics work, you can read more in this article from Studentum.dk.
Students from higher education institutions on international internships.
If you are abroad as part of your higher education in health sciences, there will be requirements from your educational institution regarding the structure and format of the internship and its content. This also includes requirements and limitations on the practical tasks you should and can undertake during your clinical period. Your international internship will still be tailored to your educational level and current competencies.
If you go on an international internship and visit an international clinic or hospital during your break from studies, there will generally be no specific requirements for the structure and content of the internship. It is crucial to clearly communicate your current educational level to us and your mentors during the internship.
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