Nursing Internship in Sri Lanka

Learn directly from nurses and get work experience in hospitals while experiencing life in vibrant Sri Lanka

Destination

Sri Lanka

Age

18+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s included

Socials & Fun

Regularly organized social events with other participants.

Meals

All breakfast, lunch, and dinners, and always fresh drinking water.

Activities, Training & Equipment

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

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

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Starting at €1,945 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments
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Trip Overview

Observe real hospital work

Watch Sri Lankan nurses during rounds, gain exposure to departments like maternity and paediatrics, and learn about local illnesses and treatments.

Conduct community outreach

Assist in medical outreach, conduct vital sign checks, dispense medication under supervision, and contribute to improved global healthcare access.

Educate vulnerable children

Participate in educational campaigns in schools, raising awareness about issues like Dengue fever and diabetes, and promoting good hygiene practices.

Understand Ayurvedic medicine

Learn about traditional Ayurvedic medicine and understand how alternative healthcare practices are used alongside modern medicine.

Fall in love with Sri Lanka

Live with a caring host family, experience local cuisine, explore cities like Colombo and Galle, and immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage.

What you need to know

Overview

This project is open to anyone with an interest in the nursing field. It’s a great way to boost your CV and prepare for a future career in healthcare.

We work hard to tailor our internships towards your interests and requirements, so let us know if you’d like to specialise in a particular area. Otherwise, you have the chance to rotate through many different departments for a broader learning experience. However, this is usually dependent on the length of your stay. The longer you are in Sri Lanka, the more departments you can spend time in.

You have your own supervisor for the duration of your placement. They will ensure that you have the chance to learn as much as possible during your time abroad.

While your hospital placement is purely observational, you’ll have the chance to help provide basic medical care during our regular outreaches.

Please note that you need to be at least 18 years old to do this internship. The programme runs throughout the year, so you can join at your preferred date, and we encourage you to stay as long as possible to gain more nursing work experience in Sri Lanka.

Nursing Departments

As a Nursing intern, you can choose to rotate through different departments or specialise in a particular area. Here are some of the options:

General medicine
Obstetrics
Maternity
Ear, nose and throat
Paediatrics
Emergency
Gynaecology

If you are a nursing student in your elective year, you can also choose from the following specialities:

Adult nursing
Child nursing
Mental health nursing
Learning disabilities nursing

There is also the option to learn about traditional Ayurvedic medicine. If you are interested, please let us know when you apply. You will be based in a different hospital specifically dedicated to the practice. If you’d like to combine both modern and traditional medicine options, it is possible to do both. For example, you could spend two weeks at a standard hospital and then two weeks at an Ayurvedic one. It’s a great way to gain invaluable nursing work experience in Sri Lanka.

A Day in the Life

After enjoying breakfast with your host family, you’ll travel to the hospital where you’ll be working, either by bus or rickshaw. On your first day, our staff will accompany you to show you the way.

On this internship, you will work from Monday to Friday. Working hours will vary, but generally, you will work from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with a two-hour break for lunch. Your afternoon shift will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

You will shadow local doctors and nurses on their rounds throughout your day. We also run medical workshops once a month. These workshops are a great way for you to learn more about healthcare practices in Sri Lanka. They’re run by a local doctor and focus on common medical issues in the area. This is another opportunity for you to ask questions and get clarification about things you’ve observed at the hospital.

Once a month, you will break away from your regular schedule to take part in a medical outreach. You’ll do practical health checks here.

Once your shift or outreach is over, you’ll have the chance to relax and explore. Go out for dinner with your fellow interns and talk about what you’ve done over a plate of curry. Admire the beautiful architecture, watch a cricket match at a local stadium, and wander through the bustling markets.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to provide interns with an educational work experience.

Many of our interns do not have previous medical experience but are very eager to learn. Our goal is to facilitate the cross-cultural exchange of knowledge. You’ll observe skilled local nurses while sharing your own experiences. It’s an excellent way to gain insight into healthcare practice in a developing country. You’ll also learn about prevalent diseases in the area and how they’re diagnosed and treated.

This project also works to benefit the local community. Due to a lack of education or resources, many people die from preventable diseases resulting from poor hygiene practices. Changes in lifestyle and diet mean that non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease are on the rise. You’ll help change this by participating in outreaches and running educational campaigns to raise awareness.

We run regular community outreaches with all our healthcare interns. With your help, we aim to achieve the following in Sri Lanka:

Promote awareness of non-communicable diseases
Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups
Improve hygiene standards
Reduce the number of cases of Dengue feverWhether you’re doing health checks or sharing knowledge about preventing Dengue fever, your work is part of our efforts to help improve healthcare in Sri Lanka.

Activities

With a mixture of hospital-based observation work and practical outreach activities, this internship will give you a well-rounded experience. Here are some of the things you can do:

Observe local doctors and nurses at work on their rounds
Assist on community outreaches in disadvantaged areas
Raise awareness about important health issues
Learn about traditional Ayurvedic medicine

Your work will focus on the following areas:

Observe local doctors and nurses at work

By observing local doctors and nurses on their rounds, you’ll learn a great deal about healthcare practice in this developing country. We’ll teach you about the particular illnesses and conditions that occur in this region, as well as how they are diagnosed and treated.

There is also the opportunity to rotate through a range of different departments, or you can choose to specialise.

Assist on community outreaches in rural areas

We run regular medical outreaches at local community centres in disadvantaged areas. You’ll get involved in hands-on work here. This will take place under the supervision of a qualified local doctor. Your tasks include checking vital signs such as blood pressure and sugar levels. You will also help to dispense food and medication to the hundreds of people who attend.

Raise awareness about important health issues

You can also help out with educational campaigns in local schools. Here, you’ll work with other healthcare interns to give presentations and raise awareness about specific healthcare issues. These issues include diabetes, Dengue fever, the importance of good hygiene, and malnutrition.

Learn about traditional Ayurvedic medicine

All of our Nursing interns in Sri Lanka have the option to learn more about traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. It involves herbal therapies, special diets, and acupuncture, among other treatments. If you want to learn, you can spend time in an Ayurvedic hospital. You’ll help prepare mixtures, care for patients, and take on other daily tasks.

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.