The location sought out for an international health internship will depend largely on the specific subset of health care a student is pursuing.

Academically Based. A top choice for students looking for a health internship abroad that is more academic than field work based is none other than Germany. Germany is a global leader in almost every science field, and health sciences are no exception. With constant breakthroughs in epidemiology, neurology, and biomedical sciences, Germany is a top notch, first world destination, especially for students hoping to go to professional schools in medicine, dentistry, optometry, and related fields.

Hands On Based. Students studying health fields related to human movement could be hard pressed to find a more appropriate international internship destination than Australia for experience in their chosen professions. Students interested in fields like physical therapy, athletic training, and sports medicine can find plenty of internship opportunities for health science in Australia’s expansive sporting culture, as well as more research based opportunities in sports performance and human physiology laboratories, of which Australia has some of the finest in the world.

Rural/Need Based. These health internships abroad are more suited for either medical students or students in fields like public health, social work, or health systems administration. International health internships available in places like Uganda, Nepal, and Cambodia focus primarily on delivering healthcare to those who need it most. Having minimal or no access to healthcare is one of the largest preventable health disparities on Earth, and health internships in places like these will focus not only on educating the student, but on making them an active part of the fight to rectify the health crisis at hand. If you can handle the absence of many modern comforts, then a health internship abroad in a developing nation might be the perfect mix of professional and personal experience.