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Sri Lanka

Medical Internship in Sri Lanka

Gain valuable skills and experience by doing the medical internship at a hospital in Sri Lanka.Your field of activity depends on your previous knowledge.

Highlights

  • Intern at a major 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
Medizinischer Tirocinio no Sri Lanka

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. 

This is the main criteria to qualify for the medical internship program. Participants who have work experience in the medical field but are not enrolled in a medical university will not qualify for the medical internship and will have to join the pre-medical program instead.

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.

Sample Placement Profile

National Hospital Galle – this is the largest public hospital in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and the 3rd largest hospital in all of Sri Lanka. Capacity of ~2,000 beds. It has a total of 54 wards and several other specialized units. It was previously known as “Teaching Hospital Karapitiya” and “Teaching Hospital Mahamodara” but has now been all grouped under “National Hospital Galle” as the Sri Lankan government has recently elevated its status from a regional hospital to a national one.

Government Ayurveda Institute – this hospital specializes in the traditional medicinal practice of Ayurveda

Medical Electives Placements

Volunteering Solutions provides a variety of elective placements tailored to the specific needs of students training in the medical field. These include:

  • Medical Electives for aspiring doctors and medical students
  • Nursing Electives for future nurses and healthcare practitioners

These electives are specifically designed to meet the learning objectives of students in the medical field. Whether you are still in training or a recent graduate looking to broaden your skills, this program offers valuable hands-on experience in a real-world setting.

Volunteering Solutions team in the UK as well as the in-country team in Sri Lanka can help complete any paperwork required, provide risk assessments and sign off on hours to ensure the placement complies with your university requirements.


Intern Work Schedule

Intern Work Schedule

Saturday: Arrival in Colombo airport - transfer to Galle included

Sunday: Orientation + neighborhood familiarization tour. The orientation session will be conducted by the local coordinator, covering topic areas; such as safety, culture, language, places to visit, behavior, food, and other suggestions over things to do in and around Galle.

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.

Mon to Fri: Medical Internship placement at appropriate medical institution (schedules can be somewhat flexible by an hour or two either way, based on ground realities at the time)

• Breakfast - 06:30 to 8:30 am

• Working hours at the placement - 09:00 am to 1pm (Hours can vary)

• Lunch - 12:00-2:30 pm (Provided at the accommodation)

• Dinner - 6:30-7:30 pm onwards (Provided at the accommodation)

The same schedule continues from the second week onwards

Weekends: Free to explore the city, all the nearby beaches and also travel around Sri Lanka. Being a small island with a very good public transportation system (buses, trains), it is easy to take a weekend trip to the mountains, tea plantations, rainforests, cultural sites and various beach towns.

Note: The schedule may vary depending on the particular placement the intern is allocated to.


Intern Roles & Responsibilities

Intern Roles & Responsibilities


Project Requirement

Project Requirement

Participants in the Medical Internship Program must be enrolled in a recognized 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 for pursuing this internship

  • University reference letter

  • Police background check

  • Copy of passport

  • Reference letter issued by the University to confirm the medical studies of the elective

  • Duly completed Elective information sheet provided by the hospital

  • Duly completed Clinical Observership Trainee Assessment form provided by the hospital

  • Clinical or university documents that need to be attested by the hospital to certify the program completion.

Students should have a sufficient level of conversational/ verbal knowledge of English.

All the medical interns should submit the above required documents five weeks prior to their start date. If a medical intern needs the certification for a certain number of days, they have to complete the below number of weeks minimum in the hospital. 

  • 30 days certification - 5 weeks 

  • 60 days certificate - 9 weeks

  • 90 days certificate - 13 weeks 

The regular start day at the hospital is a Monday which will be recorded as the start date in all the documents that are certified by the hospital. The end date can be the last Saturday of the project period. Weekly intervals taken by the students during their program period will be mentioned in their documents.

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.

Interns must adhere to a professional attire while at the hospital. Clothing should be smart and professional with medical scrubs with long trousers (preferably white) being mandatory. Electives are responsible for bringing their own clothing and crocs ensuring these guidelines are met every day they are on the project.

As per the code of conduct of the hospital and the Healthcare project, accessories such as large earrings, piercings, rings and necklaces should not be worn during the project hours when they are in the hospitals. 

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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

November

16

23

30

December

07

14

21

28

Available

Filling Fast

Booked Out


Costs

Duration
Program Fee
Choose your currency
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 is charged over and above the program fee as an application 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)

What's NOT included?

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

FAQ's

Application and Program Details

When should I apply for the volunteer programs in Sri Lanka?

Does VolSol provides with a reference or a certificate after program completion?

For how many hours will I volunteer every day?

How long will it take to process my application? Will my application be accepted?

When do I need to arrive in Sri Lanka for my program? What will happen once I arrive in the country ?

Are there any necessary requirements to participate in the Sri Lankan volunteer programs?

Does VolSol provides discount if I choose more than one program or if I am a returning volunteer?

Can I volunteer as part of a group?

Flights and Visa

What are the recommended airlines to fly to Sri Lanka ?

Will Volunteering Solutions help with Visa?

Accommodation and Living

How do I get to the accommodation and the program location?

Can I know more about accommodation and food arrangements?

Are there more expenses once I arrive in Sri Lanka ?

Would I have free time during my program ? Can I do sightseeing during my program ?

Where can I change my money in Sri Lanka ? Are there ATMs in Sri Lankan cities?

Which all places can I explore during my trip?

Health and Safety

How safe is Sri Lanka in general ?

What immunizations/vaccinations will I need?

Do I need to buy a health insurance?

Are there any other things that I need to be careful about?

Connect with Past Volunteers

How can I connect with past Volunteering Solutions Sri Lankan alumni as well as other former and current volunteers ?


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