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Medical Internship in Sri Lanka
Medical Internship in Sri Lanka

Galle, Sri Lanka

Medical Internship in Sri Lanka

Trip Highlights

  • Intern at a hospital in Galle and get practical exposure
  • Opportunity to shadow and observe in different departments in a hospital setting
  • Opportunity to meet and interact with medical professionals/students from all over the globe 
  • Acquire significant exposure that’ll help in long term medicine career plans 
  • Explore Sri Lanka on weekends and travel around with other participants

Overview

Overview

The Medical Internship in Sri Lanka caters to interns who are currently enrolled in, or have recently completed, a medical degree from a recognized university in their home country. A prior background and/or experience in the medical field is mandatory to participate in this internship. 

Medical interns have the option to rotate between a range of wards and units at the public hospital as per their interest. They can also gain invaluable practical learning experiences in a clinic setting, as well as through select community projects. They get to understand how the medical system of a developing country like Sri Lanka works and learn first-hand from local doctors, as well as contribute in the day-to-day running of the facilities. They also get to learn about various tropical diseases that are prevalent in this part of the world. 

Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia which offers free healthcare to all its citizens, which is remarkable for the region. As such, the public sector here is vast and constitutes the vast majority of the medical system. Interns have access to a larger and wider network of professionals, volume of patients and exposure to a comprehensive set of wards and special units. There is also a greater need for participants to assist in the public sector as the sheer volume of patients they get is overwhelming and from lower socio-economic classes.
Medical Interns are allotted to work in the largest public hospital in Southern Province of Sri Lanka, Govt Ayurveda Institute or in community projects.


Program Requirements

Program Requirements

Participants in the Medical Internship Program must be enrolled in a recognised medical university in their home country. Further, the following documents are needed to apply:

  • Current CV or Resume
  • Motivation statement or intent letter describing personal background and rationale forpursuing this internship
  • University reference letter
  • Police background check
  • Copy of passport

Additionally, participants must understand the special circumstances when working in a country like Sri Lanka where the medical standards differs greatly from what they might have experienced in their home country. They should be open-minded, respectful to the local staff and eager to learn.


Intern Roles & Responsibilities

Intern Roles & Responsibilities

Interns have the opportunity to get rotational exposure across various wards, units and institutions, including: 

  • General Surgical Ward / ETC Casualty Ward – tasks include observing livesurgeries (at Routine theater or Casualty Theater, supporting staff to transportpatients between units, theaters and wards, preparing beds, assisting with bed bathsto bed-ridden patients, assisting the nursing officers for wound dressing, checkingvital signs of patients and joining ward rounds and/or ward classes.
  • General Pediatric Ward – supporting the nursing officers and mothers to carry outinvasive procedures by handling the children, helping support mothers to feeding thechildren, cleaning the babies and performing activities to socialize with the children.
  • Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) – tasks include bed side teaching regardingemergency management, ward class with ward round, assisting the nursing staffduring emergency managements, etc.
  • Pediatric Cardiology Unit – typical activities include observing live pediatric cardiacsurgeries, supporting staff to handle patients in clinic, transferring patients betweenwards/units, etc.
  • Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Centre – supporting patients to carry out their dailyphysiotherapy and occupational therapy exercises, carrying out group activities tosupport the patient's mental well-being and other similar activities
  • Ayurvedic Medicine – introduction to the traditional eastern medical practice ofAyurveda.
  • Paediatric Rehabilitation – socialising with children who have suffered majorillnesses/injuries or have disabilities.
  • Community Projects – working at local schools and community organizations tosupport the well-being of local children, including disabled children.

Additionally, medical interns also have the opportunity to work in a range of specialized units, including (but not limited to): 

  • Vascular Surgery
  • Surgical Oncology Unit
  • Neurosurgery
  • Neonatal ICU
  • Dialysis Unit

The experience in the hospital tends to be more observation-based, where participants will get exposure to a wide range of cases and patient types. Some participants who show more advanced knowledge or capability may get the opportunity to get more hands-on experience where they are allowed to interact directly with the local patients, but that is entirely at the discretion of the hospital staff based on their comfort level with the particular student. 

Additionally, all interns are supported by our experienced project coordinator who provides regular guidance and support to further enhance their learning and knowledge development.


Intern Work Schedule

Intern Work Schedule

On arrival, a detailed orientation & training program is provided, including health and safety training, culture training and an area orientation tour around Galle. Our project coordinator provides project-specific training, which includes an overview of the Sri Lankan medical industry, common practices, customs, code of conduct, rules, etc. The coordinator also monitors day-to-day development of the participants and reviews and assigns project task sheets to each participant based on their experience level. Local transportation to and from the project is included every day, except when after hour work is done at the choice of the intern. Every activity, be it project-related or operational, is managed, guided and supported by our experienced local team.From Monday to Friday,  interns work for 4-7 hours per day (flexible).

 


Living

Living

At Volunteering Solutions we ensure that all our international volunteers are provided the utmost comfort so that they can have a home away from home experience while working with us. We ensure that your stay, meals and other personal requirements are looked after well. 

Airport Transfers 
Volunteers are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hrs. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hrs. 

Note : Airport Transfers are provided at extra charges of USD $37 each way for a shared transfer during scheduled pickup hours on Saturday.There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle and vice versa for return departures.​ A private transfer will cost USD 100.

Accommodation

Volunteers joining the programs in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighborhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two volunteer houses which are located near to each other. 

The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 metres from the other volunteer house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.

The other larger volunteer house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There's a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.

The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighborhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.

Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the volunteer houses or non availability of private rooms.

Orientation

A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your volunteering program.All volunteers on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour. Our staff will also assist you with the lessons and planning the curriculum, as and when required. You will also have access to our in-house teaching library consisting of manuals, books, and various teaching materials to help with lesson planning and providing general guidance.

Meals

We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. We have two lady chefs (a head chef and an assistant) from our community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the volunteers. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs.

During Free Time

There is plenty to do during the freetime and weekends for the volunteers.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:

  • Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
  • Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
  • Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
  • BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
  • Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)


The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):

  • Surfing lessons
  • Elephant safari
  • Whale watching (during season)
  • Rainforest hiking
  • Beach hopping
  • Local cooking class
  • Galle Walking Tour
  • Local spice market visit
  • Galle Fort visit

Dates

Dates

2024

2025

January

06

13

20

27

February

03

10

17

24

March

02

09

16

23

30

April

06

13

20

27

May

04

11

18

25

June

01

08

15

22

29

July

06

13

20

27

August

03

10

17

24

31

September

07

14

21

28

October

05

12

19

26

November

02

09

16

23

30

December

07

14

21

28

January

04

11

18

25

February

01

08

15

22

March

01

08

15

22

29

April

05

12

19

26

May

03

10

17

24

31

June

07

14

21

28

July

05

12

19

26

August

02

09

16

23

30

September

06

13

20

27

October

04

11

18

25

November

01

08

15

22

29

December

06

13

20

27

Past Date

Available

Unavailable

Filling Fast


Costs

Costs

1 Week $810
2 Weeks $1000
3 Weeks $1195
4 Weeks $1385
5 Weeks $1585
6 Weeks $1775
7 Weeks $1955
8 Weeks $2155
Extra Week $235

Please Note: -An application fee of $249 is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment. (A 5% international banking fee is charged at the time of payment)

What are you Paying for?

  • 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
  • Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
  • Airport Transfers on Scheduled Days
  • ​Dedicated volunteer housing with WiFi (shared rooms)
  • Orientation and training on arrival
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner all days
  • Guaranteed project placement
  • Local transportation to projects in private AC van or tuk-tuk
  • Experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
  • Dedicated staff support from 6 am to 8 pm every day
  • 24/7 local emergency support
  • Weekly yoga class on a rooftop terrace
  • Weekly movie nights on large screen projector
  • Monthly bike tour around paddy fields and local villages
  • Monthly special BBQ dinner
  • Travel & Medical Insurance (Available at an extra cost)
    • Certificate Of Completion (Upon Request)

What's NOT included?

  • Visa Fee
  • Scheduled Airport Transfer Charges
  • International Airfare
  • Vaccinations
  • Any personal expenses
  • Additional Local Excursions and Trips

Reviews

Reviews

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Frequently asked questions

FAQ's Application and Program Details

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Health and Safety

Accommodation and Living

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