KENYAN MEDICAL EXTERNSHIP (KME)

Kenyan Medical Externship (KME)

International internships are a growing commodity, but the medical variety rarely take students abroad. Sure, a medical internship in Kenya adds an exotic line to your CV, but labeling this formative experience as a mere “résumé booster” shortchanges it.

Completing a medical internship in Kenya is a particularly attractive prospect for pre-med students in the West, where opportunities to work this closely with medical professionals and their patients are nil. And honestly, how many of your of peers can say they jetted halfway around the world to join the brigade in one of the world’s fastest-growing wellness hubs?

There’s a growing awareness in the West regarding Africa's need as a medical depot. These days, Kenya leads Africa in terms of attracting medical tourists. In fact, a well-known private hospital in Nairobi attracts more international patients than any other hospital in Africa. Hundreds of thousands of international patients seek treatment in Kenya every year.

You’ll be paired with a full-time doctor or nurse and will shadow this person on daily rounds from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. These are highly qualified professionals, many of whom have been educated in the US or UK. Interns are only placed with doctors with an exceptional command of English.

Medical Intern Tasks

The project is mainly observation based. An intern with extensive training, education and experience in the healthcare field, may receive a slightly more hands-on experience. Every aspect of the internship is carefully monitored by the supervising staff, but you’d never get this far behind the scenes in a Western hospital. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for medical students.

Medical Intern Project Facilities

Kenyan Medical Internships partners with private and public hospitals in Nairobi, _________ and ___________to facilitate this internship. The hospital is 'so many years old and can accomidate " " people.

These are full-service private and public hospitals. Depending on current needs, interns may be able to choose which department they work with. In most cases, it’s possible to spend supplemental time in a second department as well. These are just a few of the main healthcare departments in the hospitals:

General Surgery
Orthopedic Surgery
Neurosurgery
Dermatology Clinic
Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic
Diagnostic Radiology
Intensive Care Unit

The hospitals themselves are noteworthy. It has shades of colonial architecture, with airy courtyards and tropical gardens. Interns don’t have any problem finding a tranquil corner for an iced coffee break. Better yet, hospital staff are well-versed in receiving interns, but it’s still a novel enough concept that you’ll have no problem striking up conversations and getting to know your colleagues.

Medical Internship Project Fees

Participation in the Medical Intern Project starts at $1199 for two weeks. Each additional week (over the two week minimum) is $499.

Project Fee Includes

Comprehensive Pre-Departure Information
Visa paperwork (for projects over 8 weeks)
FFA Volunteer Insurance
Airport pick up
Accommodation during orientation and entire project time
Breakfast every morning
Lunch every work day
2 day Orientation (including half day city tour, cultural dinner and show)
Onsite Coordinator
Cost of transportation to and from Project site and and accommodation (roughly $2 per day)
24 hour emergency assistance
Written record of internship completion (for interns that successfully complete their project).

Project Fee Does Not Include

Travel to/from Home and Kenya (airfare, train tickets, etc.)
Kenya visa costs (if applicable)
International Medical Insurance
Lunches on weekends.
Dinner

Apply Now for this Internship – Free to Apply

Medical Internship Start Dates for 2015-2016

November 03, 2014
November 17, 2014
December 01, 2014
December 15, 2014
January 05, 2015
January 19, 2015
February 02, 2015
February 16, 2015
March 02, 2015
March 16, 2015
No Project Start Dates in April, 2015
May 04, 2015
May 18, 2015
June 01, 2015
June 15, 2015
July 06, 2015
July 20, 2015
August 03, 2015
August 17, 2015
September 07, 2015
September 21, 2015
October 05, 2015
October 19, 2015
November 02, 2015
November 16, 2015
December 07, 2015
December 21, 2015

Medical Intern Project Additional Information

The basic project calls for interns to work from 8am – 4pm, Monday – Friday. Depending upon the working schedule of the paired doctor and area of the hospital an intern is placed, the times and days of work may fluctuate. Your patience and flexibility with these schedule and time shifts is greatly appreciated. The depth and amount of “hands on” involvement an intern will have during their internship will normally be very little. Hospitals in Kenya can not ethically allow individuals without the proper experience, education and certifications to actively participate in medical procedures they are not able to conduct. The willingness of the paired physician(s) will also have a large stake in the amount of hands on work that an intern will have during their internship. With this being said, obviously the more education and knowledge an individual has in medical science, the more hands on work he/she will be able to experience. Most interns only observe or help out with very minor tasks.

Medical Intern code of conduct

All participants in African Medical Inthership, Medical Interns are not allowed to:

Smoke while on hospital grounds
Consume or be under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating substances while at the hospital
Conduct inappropriate or romantic relationships with hospital staff or patients
Share personal information or photos of hospital patients with others
Dress inappropriately during work hours.

All interns are welcome to breakfast at the Friends For Asia House each day of their internship.

Clothes and Appearances

Kenyan's put a lot of emphasis on appearances. This is especially true for hospital professionals, as they hold a very important and high ranking position in Thai society. Appropriate clothes for participating in this project are:

Khaki or dress slacks/pants.
Button up shirts with a collar for men
Polite, button up blouses for women
Knee length, or below, skirts/dresses for women.

Things that are considered inappropriate and could be offensive:

Visible tattoos (especially on women). If you have a tattoo, bring something that will cover it.
Visible piercings for men anywhere.
Visible piercings for women anywhere outside of their ears.
Women’s tops that reveal shoulders or part of chest
Short skirts or dresses (above the knee)
All black clothes (black top complimented with black pants or skirt), especially shirts or blouses. Thais only wear all black if they are going to a funeral or are in mourning.
Jeans
Shorts/Capris
Tight or revealing clothes for women especially

It’s understandable that interns may enjoy expressing themselves with tattoos and lip/nose and other facial piercings. It is, however, considered highly inappropriate for hospital employees and interns in Kenya to have such things. For this reason, you will be asked to remove all facial piercings prior to your first day at the hospital of your placement and to cover all visible tattoos to try to not offend the people you work with. Thank you for your flexibility and patience regarding this issue in advance.

Transportation

Airport pick up, the city tour and the transportation to and from the cultural show and dinner are covered in the project fee. African Medical Internship staff also sends volunteers and interns to seek medical assistance in non-emergency situations. Obviously, in the case of an emergency a proper ambulance would be called and used. An intern will have to cover the cost of their own transportation if they make multiple appointments to see a doctor or dentist. Transportation to Margaritta House and the various hospitals is covered in your fee's.