Physician Assistant and Pre-PA Internships Abroad

You learn under supervision. Pre-PA students mainly shadow physicians and other clinicians and may help with simple, non-invasive tasks where the department allows. Interns with a certification, such as EMT, may do more within that training.

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

That depends on what you did and on each PA program. Most pre-PA interns observe, and CASPA files observation under shadowing. Its patient care experience category is for work in which you are directly responsible for a patient’s care.

IMA documents your role, shifts and total hours. Its U.S.-based Medical Director validates the record, so you can report your hours accurately. CASPA says program definitions vary, so ask a program directly if you are unsure.

PA students complete supervised clinical rotations inside their own accredited physician assistant program. The AAPA puts that at more than 2,000 hours. Rotations cover fields such as family medicine, surgery and emergency medicine.

Before PA school, students build experience through shadowing, patient care jobs and programs like this one. IMA also takes graduate PA students, recent graduates and licensed PAs who want to see care in another health system.

It can add supervised clinical exposure, a second health system to write about and a letter of recommendation. It cannot guarantee admission, and no program can.

According to the AAPA, many PA programs also require direct patient care experience. It often comes from a job at home, such as EMT or medical assistant. Most students have about three years of healthcare experience before they enter a program.

Ask questions, keep a journal and get to know your mentors. IMA’s guide to a competitive pre-PA application shows where this fits.

In Mombasa, Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital offers emergency medicine, surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics. In Cusco, Hospital Nacional Adolfo Guevara Velasco covers internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN and geriatrics.

You rotate through one department a week and list your preferences on your enrollment form. Stays longer than two weeks let IMA place you in departments closer to your interests.

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

An optional night shift once a week may be possible, and weekends are open for treks or extra hospital time. Here is a sample PA program schedule for East Africa.

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. Two weeks covers two departments, and four weeks or more lets you see several.

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 interns have earned it, and IMA supplies proof of hours, letters on your duties and faculty evaluations. Settle the approval before you enroll.

IMA’s placements are all overseas. Closer to home, start with your pre-health advisor and your college career center. Some local hospitals and clinics let students shadow PAs.

For patient care experience, many pre-PA students work as EMTs, medical assistants, certified nursing assistants or phlebotomists. IMA’s guide to 10 ways to get clinical experience covers more options.

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 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, weekly rotations 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, it runs in English and interns can rotate through several specialties. Cusco, Peru suits students with at least two years of Spanish who want primary care, family medicine and community health.

IMA’s PA internships run only in these two cities.

Either way, ask any program five questions. What will you do, and who supervises you? How are your hours documented, 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.