Medical Internships: Intern abroad in Arusha, Tanzania

Internship details

Build your practical medical knowledge on a Medical internship in Tanzania, shadowing and assisting a range of medical professionals in clinics and hospitals. This is a perfect internship for medical or nursing students who are more advanced in their studies, where you will learn from experienced professionals and help patients in a range of healthcare departments.

This is an in-country internship, with accommodation and meals provided.

Medical internships in Arusha, Tanzania, provide opportunities for interns to develop your practical understanding of healthcare to add to your theoretical knowledge. Interns can be placed in hospitals and healthcare clinics, where you’ll shadow and assist local medical professionals in their daily routines in a participatory and observational capacity, depending on skills and experience.

Medical internship placements are available in general wards, as well as highly specialized departments including:

• Surgery
• Outpatient clinics
• Children’s wards
• Medical community outreach
• HIV outpatients
• Mental health services

Interns with a desire for placements in a specific field should include details in your application. These will be accommodated wherever possible, but are subject to availability.

Note that supervision on these internships is handled by a range of medical professionals. Interns must expect to work in a multidisciplinary team. Depending on your medical department and variations of your daily roster, this may include nursing teams, doctors, or other department heads. Such team members are in the best position to provide guidance, direction, and answer questions as it will pertain to current duties and responsibilities. Therefore, there is not one sole supervisor throughout, as interns interact with a range of local staff in various positions, deferring to their expertise and instruction. Outside of the placement supervision, interns additionally have access to support from the Program Director, who oversees placement allocation.

It’s important for medical interns to be prepared for a very different healthcare system than what you may be used to at home. Healthcare in Tanzania can be under-resourced and under-funded, and patients may endure conditions that would be considered rare or unacceptable in your own home country. While you may encounter culture shock, it is important to remain professional and compassionate at all times.

Due to the unpredictable nature of patient flow in clinics and hospitals, interns should note that the timing of treatments can be irregular. This means that there will be days which are very busy, as well as slower days if patient workload is lighter. Interns should be adaptable, proactive and willing to help where it’s needed. You will be welcome to discuss your schedule at all times throughout the internship, should you wish to pick up any extra hours. This is subject to availability and must always be discussed with your in-country coordinator, who would facilitate any necessary arrangements for you.

It is important to note that the internship placements grouped as “Medical” require interns to make a Ministry of Health contribution. This supports the operation of placements and covers supervision for interns on medical-related placements. This contribution is not included in the internship program fee; it must be made directly, in-country, under the direction and guidance of the Program Coordinator in Arusha. Interns will not be permitted to commence their placement until this has been covered. The amount of the Ministry of Health contribution varies, as it is not the same for every clinic/hospital. However, to cover the contribution sufficiently, we ask interns to budget up to US$75 per week.

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.

Typical Schedule

• Approximately Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. It is important to understand that flexibility is a key requirement for this internship placement, as the unpredictable nature of patient flows in clinics and hospitals can lead to irregularities in the timing of treatments/procedures. This means that there may be days which are very busy, as well as slower days if patient workload is lighter. Interns should be adaptable, proactive and willing to help where it’s needed. You will be welcome to adapt your schedule or contribute extra hours, provided that discussion and agreement to do so takes place between you and your coordinator/supervisor. Some weekend and night shift work may be required.

What are the career benefits of interning abroad as a Medical Intern?