An internship in another country can give you insights in other health care system and gives you many opportunities. But odds are you’ll always be recognized as a tourist and will be sent sightseeing after lunch. (One doc in NY told me: “You shouldn’t go to the OR, go to the BAR.”) At the end of your studies you want to avoid the impression of being a great tourist rather than a good doctor.
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So before you start planning, booking and snorkel-shopping ask yourself three questions:
1. What is the one goal of this internship?
There are many possible answers, which can be grouped in two categories:
Category A
-get to know the country
-get to know another language
-visit friends
Category B
-get to know another medical system
-get to know the way patients are treated abroad
-find out whether you want to work in this particular hospital or specialty
-learn a new skill
Less than 25% of the internships should be planned based on a Category-A-reason, because, well primarily you want to be a good doctor. You’ll have many opportunities to do those activities, but the chances to learn something valuable for your career are really sparse.
2. What other internships have I already completed or planned for later?
Later when you apply for positions most of the clinic directors will not only look at your grades but also at your practical experiences, your “portfolio”. What did the applicant emphasize during his studies? And he’ll put you in a category. You may find this superficial, but that’s the way it is:
4/4 internships in Hawaii, Bermuda, Dominican republik and Tenerif: This applicant is a great surfer. (Few hospitals are looking for surfers.)
4/4 clerkships in China.: This guy is probably fluent in Chinese. But does he know how things are handled in our health system?
Again, there is nothing wrong with completing an internship in Hawaii or Brazil. But tourism should not be the main task of your medical study. There is plenty of time to travel later in life.
During internships your main task should be to prepare for your career by getting practical experience. If this is possible in Hawaii, great. I have learned the most valuable lessons in internships. Only for a short time you are a medical student and thus allowed to learn and make mistakes.
3. What other projects do I have to finish soon?
Some of you will have to write a doctor thesis or study for upcoming exams during an internship. In general this is probably put on hold during an internship abroad, because in your freetime you’ll feel the urge to look at the country. You have to decide whether these tasks can be postponed without delaying the end of your studies.
If you want to break it down to one question it is this: Is this internship going to help me prepare for my “day one” as a doctor?
You can learn just as much abroad as at home but the distractions are numerous during an internship abroad.
Question: Where are you doing your next internship, and why? Please leave a comment below.