Medical Electives Abroad: Observations & Practicums
High quality and affordable Medical Electives Overseas
Our professional and affordably priced medical electives abroad are conducted in English speaking environments, and provide medical students with invaluable opportunities to gain hands-on experience, inter-cultural knowledge, and make a positive impact on underserved communities in the country you go to.
Our medical student electives overseas can be tailored to yours and your university’s requirement, enhancing your clinical skills and knowledge in a real-world setting. Our placements enable you to experience diverse medical cases they might not encounter at home, as well as approaches to treatment and perceptions of medical care they may not have previously come across. Additionally, our medical electives foster cultural competency, allowing students to work alongside local healthcare professionals and immerse themselves in different healthcare systems.
Central to the success of our medical electives abroad are our strong partnerships with healthcare institutions in the program countries. These partnerships ensure that students have access to the necessary resources and guidance, guaranteeing a supportive and meaningful experience. Moreover, "Give a Fig Volunteering" stands out as your first choice for medical electives abroad as we prioritize sustainable, ethical, and impactful healthcare projects that address needs that the partners themselves have identified. Our programs ensure that students not only contribute meaningfully to healthcare initiatives, and receive comprehensive support, and in Ghana, Sri Lanka, and Uganda, mentorship. We place a strong emphasis on community engagement and cultural exchange, promoting a holistic learning experience that extends beyond the clinic. In sum, medical electives abroad with "Give a Fig Volunteering" provide an enriching, responsible, and life-changing experience for students pursuing a career in medicine.
“Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is… love (for) Humanity.”
- Hippocrates -
Medical Electives Abroad
Medical Electives in Sri Lanka
take place in the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. You will have opportunity to increase your knowledge of medical provision in Sri Lanka, as well as visit the government Ayurvedic hospital located next door
The teaching hospital has 6 speciality, and 15 sub-speciality clinical departments, and for those joining us on GAFV’s program at the hospital, discrete 7-day programmes are provided:
Mental Health / Psychiatric
Tropical Diseases (including snake & insect bites, and plant poisoning)
Community based primary healthcare system
Medical electives in Uganda
Maternity
Pediatrics
Surgical
take place in a teaching hospital, and in the community through our partner organisations working in collaboration with the hospital
Medical Electives in Ghana
These are based in a busy rural hospital, 20 km west of Accra. The following clinical specialisms are provided:
ENT
Maternity / Midwifery
Opthalmic
Orthopedic
Psychiatric
Psychotherapy (for cognitively impaired)
Pediatric
Rehabilitation
Physiotherapy
Surgery
Medical Electives in Kenya
in a range of hospitals (Teaching, Village and Community, Clinics, and Private) in a range of locations from the forest in the west to the shores of Lake Victoria.
Overseas Medical Electives in Sri Lanka
Location: Anuradhapura
Weeks: 2 - 12 ( + )
Code: SL_ ME_TH
Elective Description
The electives in Anuradhapura run year round, and offer a wide range of experience in this major teaching hospital, with 6 speciality wards and 15 sub-specialities.
Ward rounds are 08:00 - 12:00; you can elect to stay in the afternoon, and / or also join some or all of a night shift.
The A&E is not included in the ‘ward rounds’, but you may choose to join this busy department after ward rounds / nights / weekends
Impact:
You will gain a wealth of experience at this major teaching hospital, gaining first hand experiencing of health care in this country, and carrying out clinical work (as your prior training). Your elective and interactions support the learning of the student Drs and nurses, developing their knowledge of medical practice in other countries, and their English.
Medical Electives in Ghana in a rural town hospital
Country: Ghana
Location: 20km west of Accra
Weeks: 2 - 12
Code: Gh-Med-El
Elective Description:
Carry out your medical elective in a local hospital, and clinics, in this small rural town, close to the coast and fishing villages. Your programme is supervised in the hospitals, and managed by a local community medical organisation led by qualified medical professionals dedicated to providing the local people with medical support.
Branches of medicine offered include: Disease Control; Family Planning; Maternal Care; Mental Health; Optometry; Public Health; Outpatients; as well as Dispensary; Hospital Admin; and Health Information Technology
Public Health students are welcome to join, as public health promotion programmes are routinely carried out
Clerical workers are welcome to volunteer, and you do not need a medical background for this.
You may like to volunteer teach Science in local schools
Impact: your elective provides much needed support to the medical professionals there, and the hospitals appreciate you bringing with you medical equipment that may be donated to the hospitals (gloves, stethoscopes…)
Medical Electives in Kenya
Location: various settings
Weeks: 2 - 12
Code: Ke-ME-HC
Elective Description:
These medical electives can be carried out in hospitals and clinics, government, and private at various locations across Kenya, including in the foothills of the equatorial rainforest in the west, to the shores of Lake Victoria, and amongst the traditional Maasai people of the South
Your programme is supervised in the hospitals, and managed in Kenya by our partner organisation.
Many medical specialisms are offered across the teaching hospitals, whose satellite hopsitals refer patients to them.
Impact: your elective provides much needed support to the medical professionals there, and the hospitals appreciate you bringing with you medical equipment that may be donated to the hospitals (gloves, stethoscopes…)
Medical Electives in Uganda
Location: SW Uganda
Weeks: 2 - 12
Code: Ug_ME_HB
Elective Description:
The medical electives we offer in Uganda take place in a teaching hospital, where the hospital offers the following specialisms for your electives:
surgical
pediatrics
maternity
Impact: your elective provides much needed support to the medical professionals there, and the hospitals appreciate you bringing with you medical equipment that may be donated to the hospitals (gloves, stethoscopes…)