Your role as an intern or a volunteer
This internship is ideal for anyone who wants to see medicine in practice. You’ll get first-hand experience of working in a hospital in a developing country.
You can use this internship to add work experience to your resume before applying to medical school. You can also talk about all you saw, learned, and how you overcame challenges during interviews or in application essays. It’s also a great way to explore different departments within a large hospital. This is especially useful if you’re a medical student deciding on a specialization.
Remember that you’ll be shadowing doctors and nurses in a busy medical environment. It’s important to be proactive, ask questions, and demonstrate initiative. This will ensure that you develop a good relationship with the staff, and that you learn as much as possible during your medical placement in Ghana.
Our medical internship in Ghana runs throughout the year, and you can join at any time from a minimum of 2 weeks. We encourage you to stay longer, so you can see and learn more.
Working under the supervision of medical professionals, you will:
Join doctors and nurses on their daily patient rounds
You will shadow doctors and nurses on their daily rounds. They’ll teach you about Ghana’s prevalent diseases, their diagnoses, management, and treatment. You should be prepared to to encounter patients who suffer from diseases and conditions that you don’t see at home, such as Malaria and Typhoid.
During your time as a medical intern in Ghana, you’ll also spend some time in different departments of a large regional hospital. This will give you insight into various specializations and could help you choose your own later in your studies.
Do health checks during community outreaches
In Ghana, many rural and disadvantaged areas lack access to healthcare services. Most people cannot afford to travel to clinics or pay to see a doctor. We organize regular outreaches, where you get involved with tasks like:
This is important work, that gives you the chance to help others while learning and using basic medical skills.
Take part in health education campaigns
You will help us raise awareness about key healthcare issues around the country. We do this by holding talks in schools, care centers, or local communities. Typical topics will include:
Sexual education is critical, as this is still considered a taboo topic in many schools. You could also focus on healthy lifestyle choices to prevent illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.
There are many different departments available including:
Adolescent Counselling, Community Health Education, Dentistry, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), General surgery, Laboratory, Nursing, Maternity & Midwifery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, Pharmacology, Physical Therapy, Physiotherapy, Prenatal, Psychology, Radiology, Ultrasound.
Participants are likely to have the opportunity to observe within more than one division. However, it is recommended that interns spend a minimum of one week per department.
During orientation, you will receive a full introduction to the hospital. A staff of OGVO will lead a tour around the whole institution, allowing you to become familiar with the hospital’s layout, and also meet staff members within each department.
Can I use this program as part of a college or university placement?
It is certainly possible to use one of OGVO’s programs as part of your university or college placement. Project staff can sign off any paperwork required by your course tutors. OGVO regularly receives medical, childcare, psychology and nursing placement students at our projects across Ghana and we have ties with some of the leading universities.
If you’re a course tutor and would like further information about how one of OGVO’s programs could meet the placement requirements for your degree course then please contact us directly.
Location
On any given day, you will work shifts alongside your supervisors. These shifts typically take the following form:
Each shift starts with rounds as you follow the consulting doctor and learn about each patient's case and course of treatment. Use this opportunity to ask plenty of questions. After rounds, you’ll assist nurses with patient care. You can watch them administer medication and treatment, and help to update patient files. Nurses always appreciate help in general patient care as well such as feeding, bathing, and bed changing.
Please note that hospitals in Ghana are often busiest in the mornings. Don’t be late for the morning shift if you'd like to witness the bulk of the day's work!
Afternoons are a great opportunity to get to know the staff and patients better.
Two days per week, you’ll join one of our community outreaches to assist with doing health checks.
During the hours you aren’t working, you’ll have free time to explore Ghana’s colorful culture and natural beauty with your fellow interns.
Since you will be living with a local host family, breakfast or dinners offer great opportunities to get to know them better and fully immerse yourself in their way of life.
During weekends Volunteers/Interns have the opportunity to visit all
that Ghana has to offer. Weekend trips available include visits to Mole
National Park in the Northern Region of Ghana. This National Park offers
a great Safari-like experience and is one of the biggest Elephant
Sanctuaries in Africa with the chance to spot Lions, Leopards &
Antelopes in their natural habitat.
Volunteers can also take a trip to
Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana to relax in the beautiful
beaches and see the famous Cape Coast castle, the Kakum Canopy walkway
and Elmina castle, where slave trade begun.
NOTE: We do provide guided weekend tours, however you can add a tour before or
after your volunteer program for an additional cost. We can perform
quality tours and can offer discounts to volunteers.
The price does not include visa, flight, vaccinations/immunizations, personal insurance (required), personal spending and in-country travel.
You should arrive into Kotoka International Airport in Accra (ACC). You will be met at the airport by one of our local staff or an appointed driver who will be holding a named sign. They will take you to your accommodation where you will spend the rest of your day at leisure.
Volunteers on this program will be accommodated with a local host family, and will gain the opportunity to become immersed in the local culture and custom, improving their knowledge of the people, culture and language. Ghanaian families are renowned for their kindness and hospitality and they love to learn about different cultures. Living with a local family truly is the best way to throw oneself into the local culture and to meet people who will often become lifelong friends!
All families have been fully vetted by our team and have extensive experience hosting international volunteers. Bedrooms are private but generally shared with volunteers of the same gender. Volunteers will be provided access to a shared bathroom. Generally, your host brother, sister or mother assist you with your laundry but it is not an obligation, learn to wash your clothing’s with your hands in several buckets, enjoy the sun drying your clothes and odor the African fragrance in your clothes.
It is important to remember that the living conditions in Ghana are different from home. Most families have running water, but hot water is still uncommon in some areas. Although the accommodation is basic, this is part of the challenge and experience of volunteering in a developing country. With a little patience, and a flexible attitude, you will quickly get used to your new surroundings.
Three meals a day are provided by the home-stay families and consist mainly of traditional Ghanaian meals with some flexibility for home comforts when available.
Breakfast is usually ready by around 7am; however you can eat later if you prefer to get up late. Lunch is usually packed by your host family in a lunch box so that you can eat at your project if you wish. Dinner is usually served around 6pm.
If you have special eating needs, you can indicate that while applying. Even though special eating needs are not something we can guarantee, we will do our best to meet your needs.
This program is available all year round, so volunteers or interns can arrive any day of the week or any month of the year with enough advance notice!
Inexpensive Medical Internship in West Africa
Gain work experience while learning directly from doctors in hospitals and doing health checks
$200/week
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