Medical elective internships

International medical elective internships in Uganda, Elective internships in Uganda, International medical electives in Africa

Elective Medical internships in Africa-Uganda, medical elective internship opportunities in Uganda 2024/2025 and onwards.

We have a wide range of popular International medical elective internships in Uganda or Hospital internships in Uganda for international students that can help you gain medical experience in a clinical setting.

Medical placements in Uganda for international students and medical elective internships and Internship opportunities in Uganda are available for people from all over the world.  Of course, we believe that one of the best destinations for your medical elective is in Africa specifically Uganda.  You will be visiting one of the most beautiful countries in Africa.  Furthermore, you will see and participate in health care in an African developing country and develop skills that you may use throughout your health care career.

On medical elective placements in Uganda, you will see a healthcare environment quite different from your home country.  You may rotate in your preferred area of medicine and see conditions and untreated illnesses you may not have encountered before.  We work with several hospitals in the country.  These include hospitals in both the Uganda government health care systems and non-governmental organizations.

Objectives on Uganda medical internships :
  • To gain international health exposure in Africa
  • To learn, develop and apply practical skills in non-traditional settings
  • To develop sensitivity to different healthcare delivery systems by working alongside local Ugandan healthcare providers
  • To introduce participants to Ugandan cultures and lifestyles in remote rural areas
  • To develop awareness by analysing social, economic and health needs in Africa
Medical internship recommendations in Uganda- Associated career paths:

Physician / Physician’s Assistant, Nurse, General Practitioner, Midwife, Pharmacist, Medical Laboratory Scientist, Radiographer, Dentist / Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienist, Dietitian, Paramedic, Anaesthesiologist, Sonographer, Medical Scribe.

How to apply for Uganda medical internships :

Competition for medical internship programs in Uganda can be high and communication can be slow in remote parts of Uganda. It is advisable to apply early.

Start planning your healthcare internships in Uganda, right away: 

Make initial contact with Msafiri Tours in the form of a letter or CV. If possible write in English otherwise use Google Translate. keep your information clear and to the point, covering the following points:

  • The preferred travel dates for your Uganda elective
  • What do you want to get out of your Uganda elective 
  • What stage of medical or healthcare training are you at
  • Where you are studying
  • How you hear about this Uganda elective internship placement
  • Highlight your contact details including email and address.
  • Enclose formal proof of your status as a medical student
Once the application for the Medical elective program in Uganda is complete:

Your Uganda plans to become a reality. We will send you a clear confirmation of your Uganda elective placement. In weeks before departure, it’s worth re-confirming your arrival with Msafiri Tours. Electives sometimes fall through, but if that happens don’t panic. We have a backup in mind if things like this happen.

Finding the funds for your global health internships in Uganda:

Once the plans for your Uganda medical elective internship are underway, draw up a list of expenses for the trip and work out a budget including all possible expenses.

The following items are what you need to have on your Uganda medical elective checklist to give you an idea of where the bulk of your money will go:
  1. Flights to Uganda
  2. Accommodation ( Sorted by us)
  3. Food
  4. Immunisation / Vaccinations
  5. Equipment( rucksack, clothes, shoes etc)
  6. First aid kit
  7. Transport
  8. Travel Insurance
  9. Uganda Tourist Visa
  10. specialist medical travel insurance
  11. Communication( Mobile phone, laptop, phone cards, internet etc)
Prepare to take off:

Luggage? Check.

Passport? Check.

Flight ticket? Check.

Your Flight to Uganda will by far be one of the biggest expenses for your coming Uganda medical elective internship expense.

Before you buy a flight ticket check the following:
  • What are the restrictions on your air ticket?
  • Is the ticket flexible? can you change the departure or return dates?
  • Is there flexibility should you want to change your travel dates?
  • What is the cost to cancel the ticket?
Get International medical internships in Uganda travel insurance:

As you will be working in a medical establishment in Uganda, it is important that you take out specialist medical travel insurance to cover you while working in Uganda. You need a comprehensive travel care insurance package e.

Check that your medical insurance covers you in case of an accident while in Uganda.

It is important that you have medical elective travel insurance before you travel to Uganda fo your medical elective internships. Make sure you purchase insurance that will cover you while you work in a hospital or medical facility in Uganda.

Some of the things to consider while booking your Uganda medical elective internship insurance are these:
  • Delays, cancellations and missed departures
  • Portable medical equipment you may have
  • Emergency medical biological fluids
  • Personal accident needle-stick-injury
  • Loss of money or passport
  • Loss of luggage
  • Personal and legal liabilities
  • If you plan to take part in adventure or extreme sports
Personal insurance:

Going on your medical elective internship in Uganda may be your first opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills you’ve learned over the last few years.

In doing so, you might come across circumstances or situations which may be a medical legal minefield, as well as clinical challenges. You need to access the best possible professional protection. if you stay within the limits of your knowledge and experience during your Uganda medical elective placement, it is unlikely that you will encounter any legal problems. If you however come into situations involving medical negligence or complaints, notify your insurance provider as soon as possible.

Why participate in medical volunteer opportunities in Uganda?
Health is a major agenda and is at the forefront of Uganda. Uganda understands the need for collaboration and creating common goals towards improving global health.
 
Msafiri Tours’ Uganda volunteers have the opportunity to understand the socioeconomic and health implications of poverty within a developing nation like Uganda. You will experience first-hand the care of vulnerable patients within an African healthcare system with limited resources. 
 
General medical, general surgical, labour & delivery, paediatrics, outpatients clinic, community, laboratories (biomedical sciences), physiotherapy, dentistry, HIV outpatients and counselling services, social work, women’s empowerment, teaching & children’s development, trauma & Emergency Surgery
If you choose us for your medical student internships in Uganda we will:
  • A Uganda medical elective tailored to your clinical interests
  • Comprehensive pre-trip preparation
  • Dedicated (24/7) in-country support team
  • Private, catered accommodation
  • Uganda airport pick-up
  • Meals and orientation
Book Now and pay later for your medical internship experience in Uganda
Book your Uganda medical elective today with a low deposit and pay the balance later or in instalments – interest-free!  If you would like to pay in instalments for any part of your Uganda trip you will need to contact us to make a booking. All our Uganda medical elective deposit options are flexible which means you can pay as and when you like, with any amount, as long as you are paid by the due date.
 
Msafiri Tours will do everything we can to ensure that the process of organizing your Uganda medical elective internships is as hassle-free as possible and we’ve simplified the process of becoming a Uganda Medical volunteer for you in 5 simple steps here below
Consider your Healthcare internships in Uganda options:
Consider which causes you are most interested in, what your specialized skills are in the medical field, and which region in Uganda appeals to you on both a cultural and tourism level.
Where will I do my Uganda healthcare internship placements?

You’ll experience a range of clinical placements while in Uganda. They’ll involve supervised practice in different settings including:

  • Teaching Ugandan hospitals
  • Private hospitals and clinics
  • Community health centres and medical centres
  • Specialist areas, such as early childhood services, or drug and alcohol services in Uganda
To narrow down your options, you can ask yourself:
  • Do you prefer a city scene or a more rural volunteer placement?
  • What are my accommodation preferences i.e. homestay or volunteer house, hotel?
  • What is my budget for flights?
  • How much time do I have available for travel to Uganda?
  • Will you be arranging travel and free time activities besides my Uganda medical elective?
  • Do I want to work within a specific field or can I be flexible with the medical volunteer tasks?
  • Do you want to take any Uganda language classes during my medical elective?
  • Are you aiming to fulfil medical elective internship requirements, course credits, or a basis for a thesis?
Deciding where to take your medical elective is a personal decision and we recommend doing some independent research to help determine the perfect fit for you. The Msafiri Tours in Uganda are more than happy to answer any questions that you have and can provide you with better guidance if we know more about your personal goals, preferences and expectations.
At Medical internship placements in Uganda, you will:
1. Improve your clinical skills and clinical knowledge by shadowing Uganda health professionals and guided learning activities.
2. Exposure to various Uganda healthcare specialities (depending on your interest).
3. Opportunity to witness unique African medical conditions that you have only read in books about tropical diseases. 4. Challenge your critical thinking ability and inventiveness due to limited resources in the Uganda hospitals and medical clinics.
5. Enhance your soft skills like communication, confidence, teamwork, leadership, resilience, organising, planning, and teamwork through working with fellow students and other healthcare staff in the local Ugandan hospitals and medical facilities where you will be placed.
6. Give you a chance to travel around Uganda, unwind, meet new people and interact with a new Ugandan culture.
Responsibilities of interns enrolled in the program include: 
  • Placed in Uganda hospitals and medical clinics in the rural, urban or semi-urban areas of the country, interns assist Uganda medical professionals at their placement
  • Work primarily includes shadowing Uganda professionals and assisting them as and when required
  • If interns are travelling to Uganda in a group, then special health care/ dental camps can be organized where they would be able to serve more Ugandan people.
  • Opportunity to choose to work in different departments such as Emergency, IPD Wards, Laboratory, Blood Bank, Pharmacy, Radiology/Imaging, OT, Dialysis Unit, Critical Care, General Wards, Orthopaedic, Nursing, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Physiotherapy
  • If interns are travelling to Uganda in a group, then special health care/ dental camps can be organized where they would be able to serve more people.
  • Administering medicines
  • Treating ailments
  • Keeping medical records
  • Conducting health workshops
  • Assisting with mealtime
  • Therapies
  • Shadowing doctors and nurses
  • Arranging medical supplies
  • Emergencies
  • Helping to prepare and run health awareness workshops
What will I observe on my elective placement in Uganda? 
Ugandan different cultural attitudes towards medical care How religious beliefs may affect medical practice in Uganda Poor patients in both towns and rural communities who can’t afford even the most basic treatment Some late medical presentations and advanced conditions You will also see major differences in the fundamentals of nursing. For example, in many medical facilities in Uganda, you will see families take responsibility for many tasks that would (in the West) fall to a nurse, like personal care.
So what will I do on Medical volunteer programs in Uganda rotations for medical students? 

It depends on the environment but some examples are below:

  • Consultant ward rounds – you can learn from the way Ugandan consultants deal with patients, from their examination techniques and their clinical reasoning skills
  • Attending ward rounds with doctors in training – these will help you learn about the day-to-day tasks of working in an African or Ugandan hospital
  • Ward rounds or clinics with specialist nurses or other Ugandan or local healthcare professionals
  • Operating theatres – to observe surgical and anaesthetic procedures
  • Outpatient clinics with consultants or junior Ugandan doctors
  • Doctors surgeries and home visits – you will learn how Ugandan Doctors manage their time and make diagnoses, decide when to refer patients to specialists etc.
  • Multidisciplinary team meetings – these may comprise nurses, social workers, and physiotherapists at Ugandan hospitals or medical facilities. 
What level of medical training do you need for Uganda medical elective internships?
Medical student elective placements in Uganda are available to medical students at any stage of their studies and to those who want to broaden and widen their medical practice experience after graduation.
Where would your Healthcare Internships in Uganda be?: 
We have relationships with a large number of Ugandan hospitals, medical centres, clinics, NGOs and government authorities in Uganda. These relationships give us the freedom to organise placements.
 
When you contact us, specify which clinical placement department you’d like to work in.
 
Students on electives are supervised at the hospital and medical centre and they live, integrating with the local community. Our host communities often lack modern medical facilities, so medical volunteers should plan to bring their instruments and medical supplies. We can offer medical placements in Uganda for Student Medical Doctors, student nurses, physiotherapists and trainee dentists
What is the length of the Uganda medical elective internships?
The basic elective period we offer in Uganda is four weeks, but you can add any number of weeks depending on your University requirements. You might consider exploring Uganda or other parts of East Africa after your elective. Additionally, during your weekends, you can discover the country by taking advantage of Msafiri tours safaris and other exciting adventure activities.
 
You can also opt to stay in Uganda to either travel or get involved with some of the travel programmes and other projects run by Msafiri Tours.
What are the dates, daily routine and elective expectations in Uganda?
We can arrange medical elective itineraries in Uganda all year round, arriving in Kampala on a Saturday or before so that you have time to settle into your new surroundings. This also enables us to have time to transfer you to your elective location (if it is outside Kampala) and have you in place and ready to start your Elective on a Monday morning.
 
You will be expected to work a minimum of five shifts per week, each being an average of 8 hours long. Weekly rotas and ward rounds will be arranged on the ground with your supervising doctor in Uganda or consultant and are designed according to your preferences.
What can I expect during my medical elective internship in Uganda?
  1. A range of medical conditions which you are unlikely to see in developed countries.
  2. To gain invaluable experience in managing medical situations with limited resources and prioritising where there are little or no assumptions beforehand.
  3. To be involved with the community in planning and developing health promotion programmes.
  4. To develop personal, financial and organisational skills within broad ecological criteria, sensitive to environmental, social and cultural requirements.
  5. To be part of a program that increases the profile of health care in Ugandan communities and more importantly psychological implications of HIV, hepatitis and orphans.
How do the local benefits of medical elective internships in Uganda?
  1. You will help all the patients that you work with while in Uganda and you will be assisting the local Ugandan medical staff in hospitals, medical centres and clinics.
  2. You are in Uganda to learn, but your presence is of great practical and emotional help, and there is a good chance you will also be communicating with the families and friends of patients.
  3. You have a chance to make a difference in people and use your verbal and non-verbal skills in a very beneficial and powerful way.
  4. Many Ugandan people you meet will be illiterate and the word of a medical person is very regarded.
  5. You will benefit the local Ugandan community by spending in the local shops, on entertainment, weekend visits or day trips. Your trip to Uganda allows us to use many local people.
  6. The medical electives we offer enable us to keep some of the projects we run like Suubi Medical Centre going. Msafiri Tours supports Suubi Medical Centre so that all donations go to the programme’s projects and beneficiaries.
What do I need to prepare for my International medical elective internships in Uganda?
You don’t need specific training before a Uganda elective. Do read up on Uganda before you travel, in particular, the areas that you are planning to travel to. Prior knowledge of the history, cultures, tribes and Uganda’s local customs will enhance your trip.
 
The majority of Ugandans speak good English and you will have very little trouble communicating. Still, you may find it helpful to learn a few key Luganda or Kiswahili words and phrases. The local Ugandan people love to see that you made an effort to learn the language.
Why use us for your Uganda medical elective internship?
  1. We have over the years developed a keen eye on minute details and we have a well-established network of medical facilities and service providers in Uganda.
  2. We have flexible Uganda electives with no fixed dates
  3. All our Ugandan staff are experienced and speak good English
  4. We support the local Ugandan economy through our work
  5. We have representation in the UK so you can chat with us about your plans
  6. We have staff on hand to help teach you whenever you need us
  7. Our electives meet the requirements of British medical schools.
  8. We combine your elective with a chance to explore and travel in Uganda
What are we looking for in International medical elective internships in Uganda?
We are looking for creative, driven and collaborative personalities with a genuine interest in healthcare management and leadership in Africa. If you think this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you.
What is the medical internship application process in Uganda and when is the deadline?
Applications are open, all you need to do is submit your CV and Cover Letter. Your CV should be in a consulting-appropriate format and your cover letter should include your reasons for wanting to take part in the Uganda medical elective internships and why you would be an appropriate fit.
What are the medical internship requirements in Uganda and Where do I start now?
Your first port of call is to speak to us here at Msafiri Tours. We are ready to answer any of your questions and will paint a vivid picture of what medical elective placement in Uganda could look like for you.
 
Suubi Medical Centre offers elective clinical placements for national and international medical students. Our clinical elective placements range from two to 12 weeks.
 
Your chosen volunteering tour will end with a 3-day, 5-day or longer safari of your choice. The options range from a mountain gorilla trekking safari, a wildlife safari or adventure activity including white water rafting, and mountain climbing.
 
Make contact with us to link you up with Ugandan medical experts to jumpstart your medical career. Your medical elective in Uganda is guaranteed to be an amazing experience.
Your Uganda Medical Elective

Each month we receive healthcare students and professionals in Uganda from across the world.  For each person, we provide a tailored experience on their Uganda healthcare elective.

To learn more about the kind of experience you will have in Uganda, contact us.

Please click these related links for more information.

International medical elective internships in Uganda are an excellent opportunity to gain unique clinical experiences, broaden medical knowledge, and contribute positively to global health. By immersing oneself in a foreign healthcare system, interns can develop a global perspective and acquire valuable skills and qualities that will benefit them throughout their medical careers. It is a chance to make a real difference while also embarking on a transformative personal and professional journey.

Please see our testimonial page here below to learn from the experience of past guests who have not just been on our International medical elective internships in Uganda but other tours too.