CRNA and Anesthesiologist Assistant Internships Abroad

You learn by watching, under supervision. You shadow nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists and other clinicians. You see how they assess, monitor and protect patients.

Students never give anesthesia, draw up drugs or manage an airway. Outside the hospital you attend lectures and simulations, help at community clinics and teach health lessons in schools.

Where the hospital allows it, yes. IMA’s CRNA program is built around shadowing anesthesia providers in operating rooms. You also learn about pain management, preoperative assessment and patient safety.

What you see depends on the cases that day, the hospital’s rules and your level of training. Staff tell you where to stand, and you follow their instructions at all times.

At IMA’s teaching hospital placements in Kenya and Peru. Kenya runs in English and year-round. Peru runs in Spanish in fixed sessions.

Your Program Mentor confirms your country, hospital and departments before you travel. Ask which departments suit an anesthesia focus on your dates. The program dates and fees page lists both countries.

No. IMA’s CRNA internship is in person, at a hospital placement abroad, for two weeks or longer. Orientation, lectures and simulation sessions take place in your host country too.

Most days run from about 8 AM to 4 PM, with six to eight hours at your placement. Afternoons can bring a lecture, a community clinic or a hygiene lesson.

Weekends are open for treks or extra hospital time. Your Program Mentor builds your schedule with you after you are admitted.

In Kenya, from two weeks up to 12, year-round, starting any Saturday. Peru runs fixed sessions of two to four weeks.

Most interns stay four to six weeks, and IMA suggests at least two.

You receive a certificate of completion, and you can request a letter of recommendation. Your hours are logged by role and shift and validated by IMA’s U.S.-based Medical Director.

Academic credit is your school’s decision. Many students have earned it, and IMA supplies confirmation of hours, evaluation letters and an outline of your duties. Settle the approval before you enroll.

It can support your CRNA shadowing story, but it is not critical care experience. Nurse anesthesia programs require at least one year as a registered nurse in critical care. The Council on Accreditation says that year must be in the United States, its territories or a U.S. military hospital.

If a program asks for CRNA shadowing hours, check who must sign them and whether hours abroad count.

It suits pre-AA students, but it is an internship, not an AA school. Certified anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs) earn a bachelor’s degree with premedical coursework. Then they complete a master’s at an accredited AA program, as the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants explains.

Graduates then sit the NCCAA certification exam. CAAs work under the supervision of an anesthesiologist and can practice in 22 states, Washington, DC and Guam.

Most AA programs ask for documented anesthesia shadowing, so check each program’s rules first.

First you earn a bachelor’s degree and a registered nurse license. Then you work at least one year in critical care. Next comes a doctoral nurse anesthesia program accredited by the Council on Accreditation, at least 36 months long.

Graduates must then pass the National Certification Examination from the NBCRNA to use the CRNA credential. IMA’s guide to becoming a nurse anesthetist walks through each step.

No. Anesthesiologists are physicians who train in residency after medical school. IMA’s guide on how to become an anesthesiologist sets out that path.

This program is for students, nurses and CRNAs who want to see anesthesia care abroad. Pre-med students can compare IMA’s pre-med internship.

Neither. These are not paid positions, and you pay a program fee to attend. Need-based and merit-based scholarships can cover part of it.

Two weeks costs $3,995 in Kenya or Peru. Eight weeks in Kenya costs $7,895, and four weeks in Peru costs $5,995. A separate $995 program deposit applies to every program.

Your placement, teaching, housing, meals, transport and insurance:

• Hospital placement and clinical mentorship
• Orientation, the Global Health Lecture Series and clinical simulations
• Shared housing in a gated residence with 24/7 security, three meals a day and Wi-Fi
• Airport transfers and private daily transport to your placement
• Travel medical insurance with $1,000,000 in coverage
• 24/7 in-country and U.S.-based support
• Weekly community outreach and local cultural outings
• Alumni graduate school admissions support

It does not cover international airfare, vaccinations, visa costs, optional laundry or personal spending. IMA-branded scrubs are required and bought separately. The $995 program deposit is extra.

Yes. IMA offers need-based and merit-based scholarships. IMA offers flexible, interest-free payment plans, and Program Mentors give specific guidance on the plans available for your program dates.

IMA’s Funding Guide covers outside scholarships, grants and fundraising on sites such as GoFundMe and FundMyTravel. Some interns also use financing through Uplift.

Plan on $50 to $100 a week. Meals, housing and program transport are covered, so spending money goes on meals out, souvenirs and weekend activities.

Optional treks cost extra. In Kenya, the Masai Mara safari starts at $3,595.

Most purchases in Kenya are in cash. Bring newer U.S. bills from 2009 or later, because older ones get a lower exchange rate.

IMA reports a 100% safety rating, with no incidents involving interns or staff in any of its programs. The details are on the program safety and security page.

You live in a gated residence with 24/7 security and travel only in private program vehicles. Staff are on call around the clock.

Orientation covers health and safety before your first day. Post-exposure prophylaxis is available at no cost, and families have a 24/7 U.S. contact.

In a shared IMA program residence near your hospital. Residences sit in gated communities with 24/7 security staff. Rooms hold two or three interns, and common areas include Wi-Fi, a kitchen, a dining area and a lounge.

An in-house chef cooks three meals a day, and housekeeping staff look after the house.

IMA recommends Kenya for most college students. It is IMA’s largest and longest-running program, it runs in English and year-round and interns can see several specialties.

Peru suits students with at least two years of Spanish who can travel in a fixed summer or winter session.

For an anesthesia focus, ask your Program Mentor which country and departments fit your dates. Whichever you choose, ask what you will do, who supervises you and what the full cost is.

Yes, and you can check the details yourself. International Medical Aid Foundation is a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at 1629 K Street NW in Washington, DC. It launched in 2012, and its alumni come from more than 1,250 universities.

You can read accounts from interns and parents on the alumni testimonials page. Every intern is covered by $1,000,000 in travel medical insurance.