Midwifery Internships and Placements Abroad

You learn under supervision. Most of your time is spent observing midwives and obstetric teams on the maternity service. Where the ward allows it, you may help with simple, non-invasive tasks suited to your training.

Interns do not deliver babies or perform procedures. Outside the hospital you attend lectures and simulations, help at community clinics and join women’s health sessions.

You may, but no one can promise how many. The ward team decides when students can be present, and each mother can say no.

A longer stay gives you more time on the maternity service. An optional night shift once a week may also be possible, so ask your Program Mentor.

The main areas are prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care and community maternal health education, where the site offers them. Midwifery interns are not moved to a new department each week, as most IMA interns are.

In Mombasa, Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital has a maternity theater used mostly for cesarean births. In Cusco, Hospital Nacional Adolfo Guevara Velasco has an obstetrics and gynecology department.

Most days run from about 8 AM to 4 PM, with six to eight hours on the ward. Afternoons can bring a lecture, a community clinic or a women’s health session.

Weekends are open for treks or extra hospital time. Here are sample program schedules for East Africa and South America.

From two weeks up to 12 in Kenya, which runs year-round. Cusco runs fixed sessions of two to four weeks.

Most interns stay four to six weeks. A longer stay means more time on the maternity service.

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. Each school decides how to count them.

Academic credit is your school’s decision. Many interns have earned it, and IMA supplies proof of hours, a description of your duties and faculty evaluations. Settle the approval before you enroll.

There is more than one route. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) complete a graduate midwifery program accredited by ACME. They then pass the national exam of the American Midwifery Certification Board.

ACME-accredited programs require a bachelor’s degree, and many also require you to be a registered nurse. CNMs can practice in every state. CMs are recognized in 11 states and the District of Columbia.

Direct-entry midwifery schools are accredited by MEAC, the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council. The American College of Nurse-Midwives explains each credential and how to start.

The American College of Nurse-Midwives suggests spending time with a local midwife to learn about the work. Its Find-a-Midwife search can help you find one near you.

Shadowing at home and a structured program abroad work well together. IMA’s guide to midwifery shadowing covers how to find a placement and prepare for it.

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.

It is not a volunteer post that fills a staffing gap either. You are a supervised learner, and local staff give the care.

Two weeks costs $3,995 in Mombasa or Cusco. Eight weeks in Mombasa costs $7,895, and four weeks in Cusco 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 shift. 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. In Kenya, optional laundry costs $155 for the first two weeks and $55 for each extra week.

IMA recommends Mombasa, Kenya for most college students. It is IMA’s largest and longest-running program, and it runs in English, with daily medical Swahili lessons in clinical conversation and terminology. Cusco, Peru suits students with at least two years of Spanish who want women’s health, primary care and community health.

IMA’s midwifery internships run only in these two cities, not in Europe, Asia or New Zealand. Both hospitals have maternity services.

Mombasa is usually the simpler start. It takes interns year-round for 2 to 12 weeks, and the wards run in English. Cusco runs fixed sessions and needs Spanish.

Either way, ask any program five questions. What will you do, and who supervises you? What teaching is included, what is the full cost and who helps if something goes wrong?

This page answers each one for IMA.

Yes, and you can check the details yourself. International Medical Aid, Inc. 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.