Medical Internship for Teenagers in Sri Lanka

Spend your summer learning directly from doctors and doing health checks during medical outreaches

Destination

Age

15-18 y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

During school holidays

Accommodation

Homestay

Service Hours

15

Shadowing Hours

25

What’s included

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

Pre-departure Support

Everything you need to prepare for your trip, including visa advice, cultural awareness training, access to your dedicated pre-departure portal, and more.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

24/7 Support

Full supervision from arrival to departure, and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Trip Overview

What you need to know

Overview

Are you a high school student hoping to start a career in medicine one day? Would you like to gain some practical experience to see if medicine is right for you? Do you dream of travelling and making new friends from all over the globe?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, this project is definitely for you! You’ll learn about medicine from experienced doctors and help disadvantaged communities through outreach work. This will help add valuable medical experience to your CV and demonstrate your commitment to helping others.

This medical internship in Sri Lanka is designed by our staff for teenagers your age. All activities will take place in groups, follow a set itinerary, and be supervised by Projects Abroad staff. This ensures that you can relax, learn, and have fun throughout your trip.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to offer you the opportunity to gain medical experience in a developing country.

You will spend time learning directly from doctors and nurses and gain insight into the healthcare challenges people in Sri Lanka face. This will add valuable work experience to your CV and give you interesting points to talk about in interviews and applications. The outreach work you do will also demonstrate your dedication to helping those in need.

While Sri Lanka does provide free healthcare services to all its citizens, these can sometimes be limited or inconsistent. You’ll work alongside medical staff to provide important basic medical services in disadvantaged, rural areas.

In 2017, interns participated in 14 medical camps in Sri Lanka. These outreaches were requested by government leaders and reached up to 2,050 beneficiaries.

Join us in Sri Lanka and gain clinical experience while giving back to those who need help most.

Activities

During your time as a medical intern in Sri Lanka, you will have many opportunities to learn, help, and explore. You will:

  • Observe doctors and nurses as they work with patients who suffer from a range of conditions
  • Help doctors and nurses perform basic health checks on medical outreaches
  • Expand your horizons by exploring a new country and learning about its culture

Your work will mainly focus on the following:

Shadow doctors and nurses as they work

As a teenage intern in Sri Lanka, your role is strictly observational. This means that you’ll shadow doctors and nurses on their rounds and learn by watching what they do. You can expect to get involved with activities like this:

  • Spend time in the different departments of a general hospital
  • Visit a hospital specialising in traditional Ayurvedic medicine
  • Attend a workshop on medical practices in Sri Lanka. You’ll also attend workshops that teach you basic medical skills, like measuring blood pressure levels

Help with medical outreach programmes

Hoping to do some hands-on work during your medical internship in Sri Lanka? During your time here, you’ll join doctors and nurses at a two-day medical outreach at a community centre. You’ll assist with basic health checks. This could involve measuring blood pressure and weighing.

All of your work during the outreach will be supervised.

Expand your horizons

Finally, as you live and work in Sri Lanka with other teenagers, you will enjoy a range of new experiences. This will include the medical work you’ll be involved in, as well as a range of cultural activities in the evenings.

Over one weekend, we will take you on a trip to Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

You’ll live with a host family, which means you will be able to immerse yourself in the Sri Lankan way of life and eat local food.

Map & Location
Ayubowan! That’s “may you live long” in Sinhala, the language of Sri Lanka, a beautiful island nation in the Indian Ocean. Experience a culture and tradition dating back thousands of years and try the exotic flavours of Sri Lankan cuisine.

Did you know Sri Lanka is thought to have world’s oldest wildlife sanctuary? While exploring, you’ll find ancient cities with distinct architectural styles, vast tea plantations in mist-covered hills, and the warm hospitality of its people.

Colombo

Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka, sits on the west coast of the island where history, culture, and modern life intertwine. This city of over 750,000 residents experiences a tropical climate with warm temperatures year-round.

With a mix of architectural styles, Buddhist temples, cultivated parks, and winding canals, the city is varied and interesting to explore. You’ll find floating markets, beautiful waterfronts, and incredible people as you do!

Galle

Coastal, historic, and well-connected, Galle is an idyllic city in the south of Sri Lanka. Most famous for the incredibly well preserved 17th-century fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city is home to 100,000 people and has a warm, tropical climate.

Within fort walls, you’ll find narrow streets with colonial-era buildings, cosy cafes, shops, restaurants, and stunning views of the Indian Ocean. You may even see signs of the strong global trade Galle has conducted through history.

Food & Accommodation

Experience the warmth of Sri Lankan hospitality and settle into your home away from home. We provide everything you need for a comfortable and enriching stay, including a cosy bed, three delicious meals a day filled with local flavors, and access to clean drinking water.

You’ll be welcomed into the home of a carefully vetted Sri Lankan family, offering a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture. We’ll take care of your daily transport to and from your placement, making your experience even smoother.

Your host family home will be a safe and comfortable space, and if you share a room, it will be with someone of the same gender and similar age. This allows you to connect with fellow travellers, share your experiences, and create lasting memories.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Sri Lanka Arrival Procedures page.

Book your adventure

Call +353 (0)1 571 5080 to discuss special discounts or group bookings.

Still got questions? We’re happy to help!

Our trusted accreditations

British Youth Travel Awards Customer Service
Go Overseas Rating
SDG Contribution finalist
Go Abroad Winner
Learning outside the classroom badge
GoOverseas community choice award
Sustainable tour operator finalist
GoAbroad Rating
Volunteer Forever award