Medical Internships in Ghana
Make a difference and boost your CV in this hands-on learning experience
Book now for £49
Prices from
£739
739
Group Size: Avg. 5-15
Trip code: GHMI
Duration: 3-12 weeks
Make your mark on a marvellous medical internship in Ghana. Ghana is one of Africa’s most friendly and welcoming countries, with glorious year-round sunshine and loads of amazing activities to try in your spare time - It's the ideal introduction to Africa. Dedicate yourself to doing good and help in a range of healthcare areas, whether in general medical care at Ghana’s clinics and hospitals, or out meeting patients and people in the community. If you have relevant previous experience you can sign up for a nursing internship, or help rehabilitate patients as a physiotherapist. If dentistry’s your thing, you can take up an internship working in dental health. Add amazing skills to your CV and pave the way forward into a medical career by gaining medical experience in gorgeous Ghana: It’s the work experience opportunity of a lifetime!
Trip highlights
- Gain medical experience and a certificate to boost your CV and pave the way to a medical career.
- Help give Ghana’s healthcare system a boost by assisting as a medical intern and really making a difference.
- Learn all about medical techniques, patient care and Ghana’s healthcare system observing experienced staff and giving practical help.
- Gain hospital experience, work in community clinics and even meet newborns at a maternity unit.
- Plenty of time off to have African adventures or just relax on the nearby beach.
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- Medical internship placement
- Food
- Accommodation
- Airport pick-up
- Orientation
- In-country Induction Pack
- Advice about travel and transport to/from placement
- 24/7 emergency support
- Flights
- Travel Insurance
- Visas
- Payment for transport to / from placement
- Laundry service
- Soft drinks and alcohol
- Extra activities not on itinerary.
Why Ghana?
Ghana is a safe, sun-drenched, fun destination for anyone wanting to have an authentic African gap year. Ghana is a country full of beauty and amazing potential, with an established healthcare system that nevertheless needs constant support. As a medical intern you can support the hardworking professional staff at Ghana’s hospitals to give the best quality of care to patients.
Ghana is one of the most secure and friendly destinations where you can relax, get to know the locals and explore the country at your leisure. Your free time can be spent seeing the sights, lazing on a sunny beach or partying with your newfound friends!
Orientation
When you arrive at the project you’ll spend a couple of days getting to know your fellow interns. You’ll get a full introduction to Ghana and learn more about your chosen placement and your duties as a medical intern. You’ll have a city tour of Accra and visit a vibrant local market. It’s a fun-packed few days, rounded off with a trip to some local bars with your fellow interns! This sociable start will set you up for the rest of your exciting stay in Ghana.
Medical Internships
General Medical Internship
Working in either a hospital or specialist clinic in the Accra area, you may find yourself working with newborn babies at a maternity clinic, help out with much-needed education at a family planning clinic or assisting on a community outreach project visiting patients and their families in their own homes. You can choose to focus your internship on one project or help out at a mixture of medical projects to gain a broad overview and experience of healthcare.
Nursing
Committed interns with nursing experience are always needed to provide vital support in general nursing both at hospitals and in the community. If you are a postgraduate nursing student or experienced nurse looking for a new challenge, your skills will always be welcomed in Ghana. You can choose to help with general nursing, on maternity wards, in ear, nose and throat or eye clinics, in mental health or community nursing.
Dentistry
If you are interested in gaining dentistry experience, you can enrol on a dentistry internship. Dentistry is often an overlooked medical area in Ghana so as a dental intern you can offer support and improve resources. Educating Ghanaians about the importance of dental care is important and by supporting developing communities as a dentistry intern in a hospital or clinic you can really make a difference.
Physiotherapy
If you are a qualified physiotherapist or currently training (you must have reached second year undergraduate degree level or above) you can assist as a physiotherapy intern in Ghana. Helping at community clinics and alongside sports organisations you can get hands-on with healthcare and help make a difference.
Free Time
Ghana is such a wonderfully welcoming and friendly country, your free time is all about having fun and amazing African adventures as you explore the best Ghana has to offer. Your hours of medical commitments are usually between 4-6 hours a day, leaving plenty of free time!
Accra is close by for art galleries and museums as well as shopping and all the practicalities such as banks and healthcare. Try awesome activities such as go-karting or visit Accra’s cinema. A beautiful, clean beach is only a ten minute drive from your accommodation. Group activities are often arranged such as African dancing, drumming or nights out in bars across Accra – and of course the famous beach party!
There are lots of opportunities for arranged weekend activities, which can be organised for you at an extra cost. These two-night trips offer organised and effortless ways of seeing some of Ghana’s top sights and you can take a trip with your new friends.
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The medical internship begins every Saturday throughout the year. You will need to arrive at Kotoka international Airport in Accra on your agreed placement start date, where you will be met at the arrival gate and transferred to your accommodation, which is located about half an hour’s drive from the airport.
You will be staying in a shared volunteer house, where you will get to meet and mix with other volunteers. Located in a pleasant suburb of Accra, the house is basic but comfortable, and can accommodate up to 40 people. Rooms are single sex dorm share basis with between 2-12 people per room. All rooms have fans, there is staff on site 24/7 and the communal living room is a great social spaces. The house does not have wifi, but local sim cards with data packages can be also be bought very cheaply locally (for around 15p for a SIM card and 90p for a GB of data) and there are local internet cafes that can also be used.
There is also an outside space with seating where you can soak up the year-round sunshine! It’s the ideal environment to easily make new friends and have fun during your downtime, and there are plenty of opportunities for group outings and planned trips too.
There are shops, bars and restaurants near the house so you can buy tasty snacks and relax with a drink in the sun. Street vendors sell fruit on the roadside, and you'll interact with local people going about their daily lives.
You are responsible for your own transport to and from your placement, and there is easy access to several modes of transport. Staff will advise you on the best methods of travel. The main centre for this programme is a 20-40 minute taxi ride from the volunteer accommodation.
There is a taxi rank outside the house so you can hop in a cab and head off to explore. The volunteer house is ideally located only a ten-minute drive from a beautiful beach where you can soak up some serious sunshine in your leisure time!
Three meals a day are provided. These inclusive meals will be a mix of traditional Ghanaian and western food. There is a cook in the house who will prepare meals for you, but there is also access to a kitchen where you can make something for yourself whenever you fancy it. Drinking water is available at the house, but outside of the accommodation it is recommended that you only buy bottled water. Other drinks are at your own expense, but there are plenty of nearby shops and bars. Snacks are at your own expense.
A typical breakfast consists of bread, porridge and hot chocolate. Lunch is a mixture of sandwiches, wraps, pasta, salads and traditional Ghanaian dishes. Dinner ingredients include rice, chicken, beef, fish, beans, and also includes traditional Ghanaian meals. Vegetarians can be catered for but it is not possible to cater for other dietary requirements.
On average, we recommend you allow a budget of around £50-70 per week during your stay in Ghana. There will also be opportunities to take part in optional trips away on some weekends while you are in Ghana, and if you wish to participate in these extra trips you should budget around £100 per trip.
Minimum age for the medical internship is 18 years.
To participate in the programme you must be qualified or enrolled in university in a medicine related field.
Nursing applicants should be postgraduate level or trained nurses. Physiotherapy applicants will need to be educated to 2nd year undergraduate level or above.
If you are not currently studying medicine but are enrolled to join a medical course in the future, there may be an opportunity to observe and shadow medical professionals. Please contact us for more information.
British travellers to Ghana will need a 3-month visa to enter Ghana. You are required to arrange for your own visa before departure. This can be applied for online and you will need a 3-month tourist visa.
Please note: When you arrive in Ghana, you will get a 60 day entry stamp at immigration. If you are staying for longer than 60 days you will need to extend your entry permit every month for a small fee. You will need to provide a passport photo. The local team will help you with this.
You will need to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever before travel into Ghana and present a certificate to confirm this on arrival. Please speak to your GP about vaccinations and up to date health information before you travel.
DBS
On this particular programme, as you’ll be working with children, you’ll need to undergo an enhanced DBS previously known as CRB, or Criminal Record Bureau check and will need to have a clean criminal record.
DBS checks may list past convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings, and if applicable will show whether or not you have been barred from working with certain vulnerable groups. Non-conviction information such as fixed penalties may also be included.
There is an addition cost for the DBS check, please speak to your travel advisor at the time of booking. The DBS process is in 3 stages:
1. Once we receive your booking payment, you will then be sent an online application link for the DBS check, which you will need to complete.
2. Once you have completed the application, the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) will need verification of your identity - to do this you will need to take 3 original documents to your nearest crown post office and use their DBS and ID verification service. This costs approximately £9 and is payable directly to the Post Office.
3. Once the post office verification is done it usually takes up to 2 weeks for your DBS to be processed, and your DBS will be sent to you directly in the post.
Please note, enhanced DBS (criminal record) checks can take 6-8 weeks to come back, so please ensure your start date allows enough time for your DBS check to be completed.
Visa rules and regulations are subject to change. Please check the relevant embassy websites for the most up to date visa information.