Here is a call out to nursing students with a desire to travel and gain valuable experience. Your help is desperately needed across the globe. Countless developing countries are offering nursing student internships as a means to support their medical system. Volunteers who love helping others and are pursuing a future in the medical world, get ready for a life-changing international experience. Nursing volunteers will learn things during these volunteer nursing projects that medical school will never teach. Brace yourself for projects abroad that will leave you wide-eyed and moved in many ways. Join a project in Africa, Asia or South America and help the local community gain access to the nursing care they deserve.
🏥 Why complete a nursing internship abroad?
Those of us living in developed regions have easy access to excellent healthcare with well-trained professionals. Undeveloped regions, however, can’t always rely on the same quality of care in hospitals and often lack trained professionals. Nursing volunteer opportunities can make a difference in these regions by supporting hospitals or health care centers in a developing country.
Helping less fortunate communities
Luckily, there are international medical volunteer organizations that have identified the need for medical support in regions abroad that need it most. These organizations collaborate with hospitals and clinics within the local community and rely on the help of nursing internship volunteers to realize their dream of helping those less fortunate. They are passionate about creating nursing student volunteer opportunities to treat those with limited resources and have targeted areas like Africa, Asia, and South America.
International experience
If you are in medical school training to become a nurse and are eager to gain medical experience in a hospital overseas, volunteering for a nursing internship abroad is an excellent opportunity. Volunteers doing internships on one of the projects will gain more insight into the health practices in developing countries. You’ll get the unique chance to work with an international team, learn more about the culture and know what it is like working abroad in less than ideal conditions.
Volunteers for nursing internships should take this chance to join one of the projects and help the local community. Work toward providing countries like Africa, Asia, and South America with the healthcare they deserve. International volunteers are highly sought after by medical programs. Volunteer and support a local hospital abroad and gain valuable work experience.
🚑 What will I do as a volunteer nurse??
There are several internships for nurses where you can put your nursing skills to good use. Each project has a different focus so you will need to take a good look at what you would like to specialize in. Here are a few possibilities you may want to consider:
- General medical
- Surgical theatres
- Outpatients
- Children's ward
Depending on your specialty and work focus, you will select a program that matches those skills. If you have experience, you will have more responsibilities during the nursing internship program. Volunteers who can’t rely on medical experience will learn a lot from observing the doctors and other nurses on site and assisting them during the projects. Most programs focus on providing medical care. As a volunteer at one of the nursing internship abroad projects, you can expect to help with the following tasks:
- Observing procedures
- Office administration
- Health data recording and storage
- Taking care of patients
- Reporting for out-patient care
- Changing bandages
- Monitoring recovery
- Checking blood pressure
- Emergency room support
- Weighing babies
- Applying first aid
Volunteers who are still students in medical school can gain valuable international experience on the program alongside the practical medical knowhow. It’s also likely you may get to practice more in this setting due to the limited resources and abundance of patients.
Doing internship projects abroad will give you an insight into what work in the healthcare sector is like in a completely different part of the world.
10 Essential Nursing Skills
In case you’re not sure whether you would make a great healthcare professional, we have listed some characteristics that are great to have these 10 Essential Nursing Skills:
- Communication skills
- Emotional stability
- Empathy
- Flexibility
- Attention to detail
- Interpersonal skills
- Physical endurance
- Problem-solving skills
- Respect for people of all cultures
- Good work ethic
It's not necessary to tick all the boxes but it is a good guideline to help you decide whether you would be a good candidate for international nurse volunteer opportunities. A long-term commitment is always a big plus if you want to develop your skills. However, it is possible to join a medical mission trip for nurses for a shorter period as well.
There will be a lot of opportunities to learn from this experience but also bear in mind that it will not always be easy. As a volunteer nurse, you will witness difficult situations and sensitive scenes that you aren’t prepared for after a year of medical school. Your limits will be put to the test during a nursing internship abroad. Just do your best volunteers, and keep cool.
What Language Skills are Required for Nursing Internships?
English is the main language on all projects so it’s important that volunteers and students have a good understanding of English. This is important to communicate with the staff at the nursing project and other volunteers. For projects in South America, it would be great if you gain a basic knowledge of Spanish prior to going. Knowing some Spanish words will kickstart your nursing volunteer adventure.
🌏 What are the Best Places for Nursing Abroad?
It’s developing areas like Africa, Latin America, and Asia that need your help the most because adequate healthcare is most lacking in these areas. If you decide to volunteer in the nursing department, get ready for an adventure that will take you to interesting and exquisite places on earth. Be prepared to meet the most gracious and optimistic people you’ll ever encounter despite their living conditions. Let’s take a closer look at some of the options for your volunteer experience abroad.
Latin America
Volunteers eager to brush up on their Spanish can head to Latin America to gain nursing experience. Offer your help in culturally diverse places and grasp this opportunity to explore the unique surroundings of countries like Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Jamaica.
Africa
African gems like Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa are waiting for nursing volunteers to lend a helping hand at the local hospitals. Experience the real side of Africa and volunteer your time to improve the lives of those less fortunate.
Asia
Volunteer nurses eager to visit tourist hotspots like the Philippines and Sri Lanka while providing medical support, this is your chance! Or you can admire colorful India as you embark on your volunteer program abroad as a nursing intern.
International programs worldwide are waiting for your help to guide patients on their journey to better health.
🤗 What are the Benefits of Nursing Internships Abroad?
It’s difficult to name drawbacks when talking about volunteering abroad, especially when it’s dedicated to nursing people toward better health. By volunteering for a nursing internship, you are offering the healthcare sector necessary support. But let’s take a look at the benefits of an internship for future nurses:
Valuable Learning Opportunities
As a nursing volunteer, you will have the opportunity to learn from experienced doctors and nurses. Nurses looking toward specialization can focus on that particular area while a volunteer without experience can offer support and gain experience by observing others. You will learn a great deal about the culture, the country and what it entails to work in healthcare in the developing world. Rest assured that joining one of the nursing projects will teach you more than you can ever learn at school.
Meet other people
This is your chance to meet other like-minded students and form meaningful connections. Your nursing volunteer experience will allow you to get to know the locals as well as other volunteers who share the same interests. Joining a nurse internship volunteer program may be the first step to a lifelong friendship.
New Experiences
Volunteering is a brilliant way to expand your perspective of the world. Issues that seemed huge problems before to you as students may seem trivial after your internship volunteer experience. When you decide to join a program for medical training, it will seem like the new experiences never end.
Happiness
Research shows that a sense of purpose has a very positive influence on people’s happiness. Volunteer in healthcare and you will experience first-hand how empowering it is to be able to help others as you guide them toward a healthier life.
Travel
Students and volunteers, this is your chance to explore the world and discover some of the most interesting places the world has to offer. You’ll be doing this while contributing to a meaningful cause. What are you waiting for, nursing students? Get out your luggage and start packing!
💊 How Do I Become a Volunteer Nurse?
You’re ready to start improving lives but you’re not quite sure where to start? First of all, you have a look at the different programs in Africa, Asia, and South America, and select the ones that caught your attention.
Once you’ve done that, let’s take a look at the first 3 steps which will send you on your way to nursing internships abroad:
- Check whether there’s a match between you and the nursing programs by looking at their requirements.
- Take a look at the location of the program and decide whether it would be a location you are excited about.
- Get in touch with the organization and see whether your expectations and your schedule match up.
Once this is sorted. Let’s take a look at the practical steps:
Insurance (Health & travel)
We recommend getting both health and travel insurance. In fact, this is even a requirement for all volunteer programs abroad. Get in touch with your program contact person to find out if an insurance plan is already in place for volunteers.
Visa, Passport, and Documentation
Once you know your destination, take the following 3 steps before setting off on your life-changing adventure!
- Look into the visa requirements for the country you will volunteer in
- Make sure you have a valid passport considering the requirement of the host country
- Make sure you prepare the correct documents to fulfill the visa application
That’s it! Students applying for international nursing internships will get the opportunity to explore the world and work their magic in a local hospital abroad. You will learn a lot about the medical world, get to know a completely new culture and most likely also a great deal more about yourself. Volunteers, get ready for a life-changing experience that no school can prepare you for. Africa, Asia, and Latin America are waiting for your help.
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