Physical Therapy Internships: Intern abroad in Valencia, Spain

Internship details

Physical Therapy interns in Valencia can gain assessment, rehabilitation and evaluation experience working with local sports teams and athletes, assisting within private clinics and wellness centres, or shadowing disability professionals at non-profit health centres. Internships are customized for each intern, offering highly valuable physiotherapy experience.

This is an in-country internship that includes accommodation and meals.

As an intern on this Physical Therapy internship in Spain, you’ll shadow, observe and assist an experienced local therapist in a range of treatment centers. Placements are highly customized based on your own skills and interests, and can include non-profit health centers for the disabled, private clinics, gyms, and with sports teams.

While the nature of your internship can vary, you’ll be required to follow the guidelines of your placement supervisor at all times. Interns can expect to assist with patient care and evaluation, rehabilitation planning, and physiotherapy treatment sessions. This can include a range of specialist treatments such as acupuncture, ultrasound, massage and therapies for disabled people. Due to Spanish law, interns should not expect to have a leading role in delivering therapy, but can observe and assist your supervisor where appropriate.

Spanish language proficiency is not a requirement to join. However, interns should expect that a language barrier can still be encountered to a certain extent. Interns should be prepared for the very natural and normal frustration of not always understanding what is being said around them. Come prepared and willing to surmount a language barrier (and ask for help when needed), as opposed to being intimidated by it. This internship includes five complimentary Spanish language lessons, which must be scheduled within the first two weeks of the internship. These should be considered mandatory for anyone who is not already a fluent Spanish speaker. Any additional Spanish language lessons must be coordinated and paid for separately. We encourage all interns to take advantage of the opportunity to learn some Spanish skills during their program (or develop their existing vocabulary).

In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.

Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.

Career Benefits