How A Nursing Internship Abroad Can Help You Get Ahead
Pursuing a career in nursing is great for those who want to help people. Over 93% of nurses say they’re happy in the career they’ve chosen. But nurses have to go through years of education and practice before they’re ready to enter the working environment.
Nursing internships help aspiring nurses transition from student life to a professional environment. You’ll gain experience throughout your career as a nurse, from soft skills like leadership and organization to essential nursing skills. As you gain more experience, you’ll have access to more benefits and opportunities within your field.
If you’re undergoing an internship, you may want to consider going abroad for it. A nursing internship abroad can give you a wealth of valuable skills and experience right at the start of your career. These internships offer an opportunity to learn more about the global nursing world. This article covers some of the top benefits that’ll get you over those who went for a domestic nursing internship.
Form a Global Network
International nursing internships give you an excellent opportunity to network with people from all over the world. During your internship, you’ll meet new mentors, acquaintances, and friends. These could become lasting personal and professional relationships. As you can imagine, knowing more people and having more connections is a great asset in the professional world.
The immediate benefit of meeting new people thru international internship is that you’ll be exposed to new cultures and have the opportunity to learn new skills and methods. Different cultures have different ways of doing things. These friends could show you more opportunities to develop new skillsets and solutions to various things.
Additionally, having a network that extends across the globe may bring new and exciting job-related opportunities your way. This could mean having references in other countries, being contacted for foreign job positions, and being a reference for someone else who may have an interest in working in your country.
Make Your Resume Stand Out
Employers often have to look through many resumes from applicants. As you compete with all other applicants, you need something to make your resume stand out. The end goal of doing an internship is to gather work experience and help your resume stand out. As such, having been a nursing student abroad will contribute to an even more notable resume.
International experience is often beneficial when applying for jobs. In fact, the International Institute of Education has found that an average of 60% of employers say that international experience is a significant factor when considering job applicants. As such, studying nursing abroad may significantly increase your chances of landing the job you want.
Develop Your Skills
Fully immersing yourself in a new environment will help you develop your nursing and soft skills faster. Soft skills are related to how you work, unlike your career-specific skills. This includes skills like time management, organization, leadership, and empathy. Improving your soft skills alongside your nursing skills can be a confidence boost and help you stand out in interviews. It’ll also enable you to show employers that you’re able to efficiently put theory into practice.
Learn a New Language More Effectively
Depending on where your internship is and who you find yourself working with, your international nursing internship might present you with an opportunity to learn a new language. If this interests you, you may even get an internship in a country that speaks the language you want to learn.
Learning the fundamentals of a language is one thing, but nothing beats being able to improve your fluency through real practice and communication. Not only will you know another language, but a study done by Penn State found that being bilingual can lead to improved brain functioning and critical thinking, such as identifying important information and filtering out irrelevant information. This alone could be beneficial in some situations you’ll encounter as a nurse. (3)
Speaking multiple languages can also be advantageous later on in your professional life. Adding this skill to your resume can help you stand out more, increase your chances of being hired, and even lead to a higher salary, depending on your specialization and workplace.
Improve Your Communication Skills
One of the most significant benefits of interning abroad is that you’ll be improving your communication skills in a new setting. Interpersonal communication skills are a must in life, both personal and professional. Learning abroad puts you into a new environment, which will likely have a new culture. This presents a prime opportunity for improving communication skills that’ll undoubtedly benefit you throughout your career.
Bonus: You Get to Travel!
Of course, one of the most exciting benefits of interning abroad is that you get to travel a lot. An overseas internship is the perfect chance to explore a new part of the world while simultaneously advancing your career.
Final Thoughts
International nursing internships present an incredible opportunity to kickstart your career with many benefits. Not only will you develop the essential skills needed to be a nurse, but also have the extra career benefits that come with working abroad. If you’re looking to become a nurse, consider starting your career with an exciting cross-cultural experience by becoming an international nursing student.
