Pre-Medical Shadowing Internships and Volunteer Programs

My time with Elective Africa was transformative, giving me hands-on clinical exposure in a resource-limited setting. I learned to adapt quickly, work effectively with local healthcare teams, and provide patient care with cultural sensitivity. Assisting in procedures and observing surgeries strengthened my clinical confidence, while engaging with the community deepened my understanding of healthcare disparities and reinforced my commitment to equitable, global health.

I loved my experience in Kenya. From interning the doctors to seeing the safari, I had a pleasant experience. I became fascinated with how the doctors managed the patient care life without having much of tools we have in US. I may be thinking of coming again some day. I would recommend anyone who wants to have a pre-med internship abroad to do it with Elective Africa

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to adequately summarize my time in Mombasa. There were countless lessons I learned through the opportunities available during my time there. The knowledge I've gained is invaluable and I've learned to value the process of all experiences in life. I saw a lot while shadowing: hurt, pain, agony, etc. However, what I will remember will be the strength of the mothers giving birth, the happiness of the medical student delivering babies, the bravery of the surgeons operating on patients, the tenderness of the pediatricians, and the welcoming arms of everyone in Kenya. Shadowing in Kenya has changed my perspective on life. No matter what career path I choose, the experiences I've lived in Mombasa will stick with me forever.

The program was an eye-opener in global health and medicine. Carol was fantastic and went out of her way to assist and accommodate us. The accommodation was reasonable (we enjoyed the many visits to the Mall). The chefs were very considerate and tried to accommodate all of us - despite me being a picky eater. Camel riding was fun. The hospital experience was informative, and I have a better understanding of the life of doctors in surgeons. The trip to the marine park was excellent - we saw many dolphins and beautiful coral and fish - but the negatives were - the unsuitable music in the mini-van while on our way there - and we would have liked to have our own snorkeling equipment. Without foot covers, I scraped my feet against the coral - and had to get medical attention - the boat captain wasn't exceptional either, nor was the slightly over-rated lunch - which we had to share with people we did not know. They ate all crab (inconsiderate). The safari was incredible - the tour guide, Joseph was the best - it was a memorable experience! The lodge was close to five stars - and the food was super! Overall, I enjoyed the trip - and feel better prepared to make a career decision. Thank you for a fantastic trip!

It is difficult to believe the disparities in healthcare. If you want to experience this for yourself you must intern in a developing country and discover ways you can make a difference. In my opinion, I feel blessed to have had such an inordinate experience.

I had a really fantastic time working in Coast Provincial General Hospital in Mombasa, Kenya through Elective Africa. When I arrived, although it was a long day of travel, my supervisor and driver were there to meet me at the airport and immediately made me feel at home in Kenya. Our housing is very comfortable with a nice bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Likewise, it was wonderful to have another girl from the US there with me to spend time with and learn from both inside and out of the hospital. Each of the doctors I worked with was very kind and some allowed me to try new tasks such as drawing blood and taking vitals of patients. While the Swahili language barrier was a challenge, many of the doctors explained cases later in English so that I was able to comprehend. On the weekend, I had a very exciting once in a lifetime experience on the Masai Mara safari and was able to see the big five while learning about the Masai tribe. I definitely recommend going on the safari with a friend as it is a very long day of travel to Nairobi and a seven-hour drive afterward to get there and back. Overall, one suggestion to improve the program would be to advise students when the best time is to come to Mombasa so that there are other students of similar age in Mombasa with them. This certainly made my adjustment easier and I wish I could have had my friend there for the entire three weeks. Overall, I had a great experience and want to thank you elective Africa for introducing me to the beautiful culture, people, and world of medicine in Kenya!

Elective Africa organized an amazing few weeks in Tanzania! I was able to have hands-on learning experiences while working in the health clinic. I was also immersed in the culture. I got to interact with many people, and see many different aspects of the country.

I have had the opportunity to be part of a community based research internationally specifically in Kenya, 2018 through elective Africa. My experience over there has really shaped and harness my character, knowledge and wisdom. Over the years, people tell me USA has the best education or things in the world in terms of everything. This cliche stacked with me that i never saw myself partake in any research/ internship whatsoever however, my internship/ research and stay in Kenya refuted my biased idea that other countries do not have anything compared to the USA. During my few stay in Kenya, I got a practical sense of researching and even had the opportunity to shadow physicians in the OR. It was unfortunate that my stay in Kenya was brief but it was worth it because now I have another family in Kenya who will always have their doors open for me whenever I want to go back.

I did my electives in Mombasa. And for an individual from a city with so many things similar to that of Mombasa it didn’t make much of a difference especially in the hospital. However there are a couple events worth mentioning. Tourism in Mombasa is A1. We learnt a lot in the hospitals. The supervising doctors paid very close attention to us to make us we get saturated with whatever is being taught but the out-of-hospital activities made the electives so much fun. Elective Africa has like a schedule for its students that’s all extracurricular- The Mombasa tour and site seeing, the night life; the beautiful beaches, the giraffe feeding exercise but the major highlight was saving lives beyond Medicine as a doctor. Elective Africa made us go to orphanages and community schools to do humanitarian work. I was moved. The activities were so much that I even wanted to pass up on a few. But overall, it was a great experience. Worth every single shilling!

I wouldn't trade my time in Kenya, Mombasa specifically, for anything in the world. I was very nervous going into it, and the culture was certainly hard to get used to at first. But I cannot praise the program (Elective Africa) enough for going above and beyond for the participants. You are not just another volunteer to them, they get to know you personally and do whatever it takes to make sure you get the best experience and the experience that you want. I had no medical experience going into it, so I was comfortable with just learning and absorbing as much as I could while I was there. There is no pressure to do something outside of your comfort zone, but if you want to, you fully can. The experience can be whatever you want to get out of it. We did some other community activities, we went to an orphanage and a school. We had Swahili lessons although most people in Mombasa are fairly fluent in English. I went on safari at Masai Mara, I cannot stress how important it is to take advantage and do these. The safari was easily one of the best weekends of my life. Overall, my experience was amazing, I would recommend anyone to book a volunteer/medical trip with Elective Africa, I made incredible friends from around the world and I'm already planning where I'd like to go next with them.

Just a couple years ago, I spent four weeks in Mombasa, Kenya, volunteering through the Elective Africa (EA) Pre-Medical program. I didn't know what to expect, coming from South Florida in the United States, so it's hard to say if the program met any expectations. However, I can confidently say that the program was incredible, and altogether a "once in a lifetime" experience. I stayed in a converted home that housed bunk beds, couches, a television, kitchen, pool, and an overall feeling of comfort and friendliness. Each morning, we were met by a driver who would take us to Coast Provincial General Hospital, just a 10-15 minute ride away. We were given the opportunity to rotate in three different wards during our volunteer stay. I chose Accident & Emergency (U.S. equivalent to an Emergency Room), Surgery, and Maternity. I was able to shadow the various physicians, and was even given a chance to assist in some procedures, such as incision & drainage, labor and delivery, etc. I learned so many things and gained a few friendships along the way. We were a mere 10 minutes walk from the Indian Ocean, and on weekends we would braze the coast or take a short trip into town to see a movie. I never felt unsafe or unwelcome during my stay in Mombasa, and left with a feeling of reward and renewal. In just a few months, I will be starting my third year clinical rotations in medical school, and look forward to the possibility of another medical trip as I so enjoyed my first experience with EA.

My experience in Kenya was absolutely amazing and I would go back in a heart beat. I went to Mombasa and worked in Coast Provincial General Hospital. It is a larger hospital and you have a lot more opportunity. I was worried when I first found the program that I would maybe just be observing or something. That was definitely not the case at all. As a Pre-PA I was paired with a Clinical Officer there, which is our equivalent to a PA pretty much. I spent my four weeks going around the different wards seeing and doing a bunch of things I could never do here in the States. When I was there there were 4 English, 4 Australians, 6 Norwegians, and 2 American interns. Most of them were studying to be doctors. Having them around and in the hospital really helped as well because I would go with them some days to minor theater (where minor surgeries are done) and would first show and then teach me how to do it and then I was able to do it. I was able to do Catheters, injections, IVs, sutures, resuscitate a baby, watch C sections, watch a major surgery, and examine women in the AnteNatal ward. I found that for the first week I was just getting used to the hospital and doing a lot of observing and learning. It took me just a bit to get comfortable actually touching and physically examining patients because I had never really got to do that in the States. So the first week was a lot of observing but also getting to learn how to examine patients. The weeks following were when I got to do minor surgeries and other exams. Besides the hospital though you do so much with the program. We volunteered at two schools and one we went 2x a week and taught in their classrooms (just simple math or something) and then played sports with them after or sang and danced. Then on Wednesdays they would come to our residence and we would teach them how to swim. This is where I found I learned the most about the people there, the culture, and a lot about myself was during this time with the children and adults. You also get a chance to go on safari which I definitely recommend. It will give you a break and is so amazing. I found that I enjoyed the hospital even more after my safari.