Your work will focus on the following areas:

Shadow experienced doctors and nurses on their rounds

Your main role on this internship is to learn by observing local doctors and nurses at work and shadowing them on their rounds. You’ll encounter a range of conditions and diseases that you wouldn’t usually see back home, and we’ll teach you how to diagnose and treat them. We encourage you to take notes and ask questions to get the most out of your internship. This is a great way to gain medical work experience during your internship in Kenya.

Assist with a range of different medical tasks

Depending on your level of experience, you may have the opportunity to assist with more practical tasks. These include writing charts, taking blood pressure, and giving oral vaccinations. You could help with wound dressing and stitching as well. Previous interns have had the chance to work on diagnoses, treatment, and counselling for patients with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malnutrition.

These activities are supervised. You will only be permitted to do them if you have the training and have proven your capability to the local staff.  

Take part in medical outreach sessions which benefit disadvantaged communities

Projects Abroad organises regular medical outreaches at community centres or schools in local villages or rural areas. These outreaches serve people in disadvantaged communities who would otherwise not receive regular medical care.  

Under the supervision of qualified medical staff, you’ll help to carry out medical checks and provide basic treatment to members of the local community. These checks may include taking vital signs such as blood pressure or blood sugar levels. You will also dress wounds, administer oral vaccinations, and administer HIV tests.

Learn new skills at educational workshops from medical staff

You will also have the chance to broaden your knowledge and learn new skills at our medical workshops, which are usually run by our Medical Coordinator. Here you’ll have the chance to ask questions and share experiences with fellow interns. You’ll also learn new techniques which you can then put into practice during outreaches or at your placement.

If you choose to work in the teaching hospital, there are a number of departments you can rotate through:

• General medicine
• Dentistry
• Surgery
• Maternity
• Paediatrics
• Palliative care
• Laboratory
• Pharmacy

You can also choose to work at a government health centre, a maternity and children’s hospital, or a palliative care centre instead. Palliative care centres are institutions which provide specialised care for people with terminal illnesses.