Nursing Internship in Ghana

Our Nursing Internship in Ghana is ideal for students looking for work experience before or during university.

This is a great accompaniment to your studies and will give you a clearer idea of the work you do on a daily basis. If your goal is a career in nursing, the skills you learn during your internship will be a valuable addition to your CV.

No experience? No problem! The goal of this internship is for you to learn, and you’ll gain a lot from shadowing local nurses and doctors. We recommend taking advantage of any opportunity to ask questions and take notes.

Your medical coordinator will teach you what you need to know before you work at any outreaches, and will there to supervise you throughout.

Our Nursing Internship in Ghana runs throughout the year, and you can join at any time.

Your work will focus on the following areas:

Shadow nurses as they work with patients in the hospital

A big part of your  placement will see you observing and following nurses as they do their rounds. This will give you an idea of what nurses do on a daily basis. At your nursing placement in Ghana, you will see for yourself how important nurses are in the smooth functioning of a hospital. They care for patients, monitor them, and administer medication.

Experience work in different hospital departments

Hospitals in Ghana have different departments to meet the needs of the growing population. We recommend using this this opportunity to intern several, spending at least a week in which one. You’ll see different illnesses and injuries across different departments. This will also give you a better idea on which departments you wish to work in in the future.

Provide free health checks and run educational campaigns at medical outreaches

You’ll take part in medical outreach work once or twice a week. Here, you’ll assist the nurses with basic healthcare checks at a leprosy camp, care centre, or in more remote areas. Here are a few of the tasks you do:

• Clean wounds
• Treat ringworm
• Check blood sugar levels
• Check blood pressure levels
• Conduct malaria and Hepetitis B tests
• Help nurses refer patients with positive test results
• Help distribute medication

Another part of our outreach work is focused on education. Education is a huge part of empowering local communities and an important prevention method. Our goal is to improve standards of health in the community. We do this by creating awareness around various diseases and share knowledge about prevention and treatment. You will help with setting up and running these campaigns. These activities will give you invaluable nursing work experience in Ghana.

Accra

Ghana’s capital city is a thriving trading centre and serves as the country’s administrative, economic, and educational centre. You’ll work at a general hospital and assist local nurses with the patients that come in to to be treated by the doctors. As Accra is the largest city in Ghana, you’ll see a variety of different medical conditions and treatment methods.

Akuapem Hills

Located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, Akuapem Hills is characterised by vibrant green vegetation and rich red earth. As one of the quieter regions, children calling ‘Obroni’ (foreigner) as they try to catch your attention will be unmistakable. The villages are welcoming and know how to entertain! When volunteering in Ghana, join in on the street festivities or try dried fish and yams at a food stall on the main street. The bustling city of Accra is within easy reach for a day trip.

Nursing interns will work at hospitals and join outreach events in the community.

Start your day after a good night’s sleep in your host family’s home. Get dressed, eat breakfast and grab a tro tro or shared taxi to get to the hospital. Don’t forget your white coat!

Your day starts at about 8am, Monday to Friday. This will, however, depend on the department you are working in . Finish up around 2pm or opt to stay longer and continue your observations. Just be sure to check with your supervisor and the local staff beforehand.

Each day, you will find yourself assisting the nurses as they go around the hospital cleaning their ward, bathing and grooming patients and remaking beds. You’ll often spend the next hour shadowing the doctor in the ward as he visits each of his patients. Under the supervision of the local nurses, you can help check vital signs and administer medication according to doctor’s instructions.

If you’d like to head home for the day, head back to your host family’s house. Tuck into a home-cooked meal of jollof, a traditional rice dish of rice with tomato sauce and meat, fish or chicken. You can then depend time getting to know your host family and playing games or watching movies in the evening.

In your free time, you can explore more of Ghana by renting a tro-tro for the day. We encourage you to learn more about Ghana’s history by visiting the Cape Coast castle. There are also a lot of hikes in the national parks. If you’d like recommendations, you can speak to our staff. They will be able to give you the best advice and tips on what to see and do while you are there.

The aim of this internship is for you to learn from qualified nurses in a medical setting, and get experience in various hospital departments.

Working in different departments is a way for you to explore different specialisations if you plan to become a nurse. This will help you get a better idea of the departments you’d like to work in in the future. It will also allow you to add amazing experience to your CV, and give you more to talk about in interviews.

Besides getting nursing work experience in Ghana, you will also help make a difference.

Ghana suffers from a double burden of disease. Infectious diseases like cholera and malaria are rife, and cases of illnesses like diabetes and hypertension are on the rise. We want to help communities prevent and manage these diseases through our outreach work.

To accomplish this, we implemented a Medicine Management Plan, which has five clear goals:

• Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promoting an exchange of medical knowledge
• Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups through outreach work in leprosy camps and schools
• Promote awareness of non-communicable diseases
• Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
• Reduce the number of cases of malaria

Join us on the Nursing Internship in Ghana and broaden your medical knowledge and skill set.

You’ll stay with a host family in Ghana. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Ghana and have a truly unique experience.

We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.

Your program fee includes three meals a day.

Find out more about our accommodation.

Volunteering in Ghana is an ideal way to explore this colourful West African country. There’s a huge variety of different activities to do while you’re there, giving you plenty of exciting ways to spend your free time.

Music is a central part of Ghanaian culture. In the bigger towns, especially Accra, you will hear some great live bands and have some memorable nights out. Evenings spent at buzzing restaurants will also give you a taste of some of the delicious local cuisine.

For a look into Ghana’s history, you can tour the slave forts of Cape Coast and visit museums. Nature lovers will relish trekking through the rainforests of Kakum National Park or Mole National Park.

We run a wide range of projects in Ghana so there’s sure to be other volunteers there during your trip. This means you can explore the country solo or connect with other volunteers and travel as a group.

Your safety and security is our prime concern. We have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. Our Projects Abroad staff are available 24 hours a day to help, and will be on-hand to make sure you settle in well at your accommodation and placement. If you encounter any problems, they will be available to help at any time.

Find out more about safety and backup.