Midwifery Internships in Arusha

Internship details

Midwifery interns in Tanzania gain practical skills and experience assisting local professionals in all aspects of their work with new and expectant mothers. Interns assist in busy maternity and delivery wards, helping to build strong relationships and collaborating with qualified medical teams, as they work to deliver premium care before, during and after childbirth.

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

In Tanzania, a high infant mortality rate has led the government to prioritize efforts to ensure that babies are being delivered safely and mothers are provided with adequate care and support. Women who live in under-developed rural areas are considered especially at risk, due to restricted access to healthcare facilities. As a midwifery intern, you’ll assist alongside local midwives in all aspects of their service provision for new and expectant mothers, building trusting relationships that foster safe births and healthy babies.

This internship provides an exciting chance to gain practical skills for your career, learning from qualified professionals and experiencing the daily routines of midwives in Tanzania. You’ll gain experience in antenatal classes, maternity and delivery wards, observing and assisting local midwives as they go about day-to-day tasks. Midwifery interns learn about proper pre-birthing techniques and how to teach them to groups and individual mothers. You’ll also gain an understanding of treatment for conditions such as obstetric haemorrhage, eclampsia, obstructed labour and infections.

Interns are able to gain experience providing care before, during and after childbirth. However, it’s important to understand that your ability to be present during births will depend on your demonstrated expertise and the extent of your observation, and participation will be at the discretion of the mother. If you are able to experience a birth, you should expect to simply be assisting your supervisor in a hands-off role.

Even if you aren’t present for a childbirth, you’ll be able to debrief with your supervisor to gain an understanding of what happened, and to learn about any specialist treatments that may have been required. There are still amazing learning opportunities in providing support, compassion, care and companionship to pregnant women and new mothers, with their infants, during a very special time in their life.

For all midwifery interns in Tanzania, it’s important to have a realistic expectation of the healthcare environment you’ll be experiencing. Many healthcare and medical facilities in Tanzania are under-resourced, and patients endure conditions that are in stark contrast to what you would expect in your home country. This internship provides a unique learning opportunity and you will be encouraged to reflect on your cultural intelligence, to develop your self-awareness and cross cultural communication skills. Interns must remain professional and compassionate at all times and proactively look to assist wherever your help is required, particularly in times where the workload is less than you may expect.

At all times, interns in Tanzania are encouraged to consider your supervisor and in-country coordinator as valuable and knowledgeable resources and mentors. They’re in the best position to provide guidance and local context into the needs and challenges of the local community, and will be happy to support your learning experience throughout this internship abroad. Although this internship is conducted in English, most new and expectant mothers will have a basic level of English. You should consider your supervisor to be your main point of contact in all situations.

Outside of your internship, you’ll have the opportunity to discover for yourself why Tanzania is one of Africa’s most popular tourist destinations. The country is well-known for nature and adventure tourism, particularly its incredible safaris and wildlife reserves. People come from all over the world to visit Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, and the golden beaches of Zanzibar. Your in-country internship coordinator will assist you in advance to arrange day trips or longer excursions (such as multi-day safari adventures). If you’re planning your internship in Tanzania, don’t miss the opportunity to schedule an itinerary that incorporates these wonderful, unforgettable attractions.

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.

Midwifery interns learn from a qualified and experienced supervisor, and can be involved in:

• Shadowing and assisting local midwives and medical professionals
• Assisting expectant mothers in antenatal classes and birthing preparation
• Helping new mothers and infant babies, under the supervision and guidance of your supervisor
• Collaborating with the local medical team to promote safe and healthy birthing practices

Professional development opportunities:

• Build your understanding of the routine roles of midwives
• Learn by working closely with qualified local midwives
• Gain understanding in building relationships with new and expecting mothers
• Build culturally intelligent communication skills, while building a sensitive perspective and engaging in self reflection
• Gain experience in responsible midwife duties before, during and after childbirth
• Enhance practical skills and boost your employability, with guidance from Intern Abroad HQ’s Experiential Learning Curriculum to support your learning and cultural intelligence.

Typical schedule:

• Approximately Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. It is important to understand that flexibility is a key requirement for this internship placement, as there are no “standard business hours” for childbirth and babies may not be delivered every week. Interns will establish a regular and expected schedule with the supervisor. 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.

Internship highlights:

• Gain practical understanding into the career of a midwife from qualified local professionals
• Build genuine relationships and assist both new and expecting mothers
• Enjoy spare time in Arusha, go on safari in the Serengeti, and explore world famous natural landscapes

Types of host organizations:

• Hospitals
• Birthing clinics