Occupational Therapy Internships and Placements Abroad

You learn under supervision. Pre-OT students mainly shadow occupational therapists and may help with simple, non-invasive tasks where the site allows. OT students work only within the scope their program has trained them for, supervised by licensed staff.

Outside the hospital you attend lectures and simulations, help at community clinics and teach health lessons in schools.

Areas of interest include physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, mental health and care of older adults, where the host sites offer them. You list your interests when you enroll.

The sample schedule places OT interns in the hospital’s occupational therapy department. Your department is confirmed in your acceptance email.

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. Here is a sample program schedule for Mombasa.

From two weeks up to 12, year-round. Programs start every Saturday.

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

Many UK students search for OT placements abroad or an OT elective. This is the same program, run in Mombasa, Kenya.

Whether it counts toward your degree, and in what role, is your university’s decision. Ask your placement tutor before you book. IMA can supply confirmation of hours, an outline of your duties and evaluations from site mentors.

You receive a certificate of completion, and you can request a letter of recommendation. IMA records your role, shifts and total hours, validated by its U.S.-based Medical Director.

Academic credit is your school’s decision. Many interns have earned it, and IMA supplies confirmation of hours, letters on your duties and evaluations from site mentors. Settle the approval before you enroll.

That is up to each OT program. OTCAS lets you list observation hours but does not verify them. Programs set their own rules on proof and minimum hours.

Check the rules for each school on your list, including whether hours abroad count.

Treat this program as one part of your experience, alongside observation at home.

Not before OT school. To sit the NBCOT certification exam, you must graduate from an ACOTE-accredited master’s or doctoral program.

Before you apply, many programs look for observation hours. An internship abroad is one way to add to them and to see therapy in a different health system.

Already in OT school? An IMA internship is a supervised learning placement. It does not replace any clinical training your OT program requires.

IMA’s placements are all overseas. Closer to home, start with local hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools and your college career center.

Many pre-OT students begin by volunteering or shadowing an occupational therapist. Ask each site who can sign your hours.

Still in high school? IMA runs healthcare internships for high school students.

None of those. IMA’s OT internship is not free and not paid: you pay a program fee to attend. Need-based and merit-based scholarships can cover part of it.

Some students look for OT volunteer abroad programs. IMA’s program is a supervised internship with teaching and community work built in.

Two weeks in Mombasa costs $3,995, and eight weeks costs $7,895. 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. 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. Optional laundry costs $155 for the first two weeks and $55 for each extra week.

Only in Mombasa, Kenya. IMA does not run occupational therapy internships in Europe or Asia.

Mombasa is IMA’s largest and longest-running program, and IMA recommends it for most college students. It runs in English and year-round, so it fits most calendars.

Start with the hospital, not the country. Look for a site with a working occupational therapy team, licensed staff to supervise you and a record of your hours.

Then ask 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’s program in Mombasa, Kenya, which runs in English, with daily medical Swahili lessons in clinical conversation and terminology.

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.