In recent years, traditional midwifery has been making a comeback to help reduce new born and maternity death. This is due to the increased awareness surrounding these cases. Therefore, there has been increased investment in midwifery all across the world. As a result, many students are pursuing this course worldwide.
Moreover, the increasing demand for midwives means that students get opportunities to intern and work abroad. This comes with many benefits for the institutions and the people needing midwifery services and those interned there.
There are many reasons to do your midwifery internship abroad. This article discusses some of them below:
1. Develop Cross-Cultural Skills
In the midwifery sector, it’s very crucial to develop to experience, understand, and respect people’s cultures and mindsets. In some cases, culture plays a significant role in how people perceive healthcare or some aspects of healthcare, such as giving birth. So, culture plays a significant role in their decision-making.
When you intern abroad, you experience these different cultures and mindsets first-hand. Hence, when you attend to a patient from a different background to yours, you’ll be able to see things from their perspective. You can then communicate with them and help their decision-making, ensuring their safety and that of the newborn.
2. Boost Your Resume
Interning abroad will automatically boost your CV and make you stand out among the group of midwives. If you’re an undergraduate looking to apply to medical school or if you’re looking for a job, having interned abroad will place you ahead of the curve. You’ll have real working experience working as a midwife, and adding this is a significant boost to your resume.
Moreover, having done your internship abroad will show your commitment to delivering midwifery care anywhere in the world whenever required. This is important mainly because the services may be needed in areas with no access to proper healthcare. If you go to an interview, this will display your flexibility and adaptability.
3. Opportunity to Work with Professionals
One of the major benefits of having your midwifery internship abroad is that you can work with professionals. You can learn a lot by shadowing them in hospitals where they’ll attend to many patients. You’ll have first-hand experience of how experts handle childbirth to ensure the safety of both the mother and the child.
This learning experience will teach you how to handle emergency cases and tactics on dealing with different kinds of patients. Also, working with experienced midwives will inspire you to be better. You can always clear any doubts about the sector by asking them. By the time you complete your internship, you’ll be ready to work as an expert.
4. Understand Medical Situation in Developing Countries
There are plenty of medical internship opportunities, such as midwifery care, provided in third-world countries. In these countries, the availability of resources is limited compared to other countries, including where you’re from. However, when working in these regions, you must use the available resources and make the best.
When you undertake your internship in such regions, you’ll learn to appreciate the toughest condition other healthcare providers go through to ensure patients are attended to. Also, this opportunity will groom you to work in one of the toughest conditions and regions as a midwife. Your contribution will be appreciated by residents and your colleagues in these places.
5. Make New Friends
While the primary purpose of interning abroad is to gain experience as a midwife, there’s also an opportunity to expand your social life. The chances are that you’re not the only person interning there, but there are many interns from different countries. So, by the end of the internship, you’ll have made new friends, built networks, and maybe learned a new language.
6. Help Create Awareness About Midwifery
If you’re interning with other students, you can set up medical camps in rural areas where there’s no proper medical camp. In these areas, you can help spread awareness on safe childbirth, hygiene, maternal healthcare, or spread awareness on the importance of midwifery.
In these camps, you’ll be able to meet the locals and learn about their problems and help them come up with solutions. You can also guide them on the proper lifestyle to increase safety during childbirth.
Conclusion
If you pursue midwifery, you stand a high chance of gaining more experience, working with professionals, and experiencing cross-cultural skills if you intern abroad. As the sector is making a comeback, the demand for midwives will increase, hence you should place yourself ahead of the rest. Find a reliable opportunity, apply, and start the amazing journey.
