Join our Midwifery internship in Ghana and observe the work of qualified midwives. You’ll learn more about maternity healthcare and the challenges faced by expectant mothers in a developing African country.
You’ll gain essential midwifery work experience in Ghana that will put you a step ahead of the rest. This is a great addition to any CV and will benefit you greatly in your studies and future career. You’ll learn basic medical skills, as well as how to treat numerous conditions affecting pregnant women.
Depending on your qualifications and skill level, you’ll based at a hospital either in Dodowa or Cape Coast, and live with a local host family. You’ll get the chance to explore on the weekends, and enjoy some of the local cuisine!
When you apply you only pay 1195 AED, which comes off the total price.
Looking to do more than one project? Call us on +971 (0) 5025 48846 to see if we can offer a discount.
Project Overview
Trip Format:
Flexi Trips - A flexible project that gives you the support and independence you need as you volunteer
Project Name:
Ghana > Midwifery
Start Dates:
Completely flexible dates
Minimum Duration:
Two Weeks
Placement Location:
Dodowa, Cape Coast (Read More)
Accommodation:
Host family Read More
Requirements :
Anyone aged 16 or over can join
Is a Midwifery Internship in Ghana right for me?
This internship is perfect for anyone interested in gaining work experience in midwifery. It will add value to your CV, and give you interesting points to talk about during interviews and in essays and applications. You can also use your midwifery work experience in Ghana to decide whether a career as a midwife is the best option for you.
You don’t need previous experience to join. You’ll have an observational role, and the midwives you shadow will answer your questions so you can learn.
Please note that if you don’t have experience, you’ll work in Dodowa. The midwives here have more time to help you and answer your questions. For those who are already studying midwifery, you’ll be based at a teaching hospital in Cape Coast.
All interns will be allowed in the maternity ward. However, hospital regulations only allow students in their third year of studies to be allowed into the delivery wards.
You can join our Midwifery internship for a minimum of two weeks, but we encourage you to stay as long as possible. This internship runs all year round so you can join whenever it suits your schedule.
What will I do on my Midwifery placement in Ghana?
While in Ghana, you’ll be learning from and assisting midwives at a local hospital. You’ll be involved in the following activities:
- Observe the work of qualified midwives as they go about their day-to-day tasks
- Learn more about midwifery in a developing country and the issues experienced by pregnant women in Ghana
- Provide assistance to the midwives as you lend a hand in the maternity ward
- Take part in medical outreaches in leprosy camps and schools
Your work will focus on the following areas:
Observe the work of qualified midwives
You’ll learn through shadowing the midwives as they go about their day-to-day tasks. Follow them around during hospital rounds, watch them as they treat patients, and ask questions if there is anything you are unsure of. Your qualifications and experience determine how much responsibility you’ll be given.
Provide assistance to the midwives
Although your main focus will be to observe and shadow the midwives, you may be given the opportunity to take on more hands-on responsibilities. This will depend largely on the initiative you show and your level of experience. Under supervision, you may be allowed to carry out basic consultations and health checks on patients in the maternity ward.
Learn more about midwifery in a developing country
As you work in the maternity ward, you’ll learn more than just how to deliver babies. You’ll learn how to treat patients from the start of their pregnancy right until the end. You may even come across some conditions that you would not normally see back home. Pregnant women sometimes come into the hospital experiencing malaria symptoms or the early onset of diabetes. As you observe the midwives, you’ll also learn how to comfort and treat these patients.
Lend a hand at medical outreaches in leprosy camps and schools
If you’d like to get a more well rounded view of medical care in the community, you can join a few of our medical outreaches at local schools and a leprosy camp. You’ll assist with basic health checks like blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring. You’ll also help treat and wrap wounds, measure temperatures, and help test for malaria and ringworm.
Where will I be working in Ghana?
Dodowa
If you have no midwifery qualifications or experience, you’ll be based in the traditional town of Dodowa. You’ll work at a regional hospital where the medical staff will have more time to assist you. This will make it easier for you to learn and ask questions.
As Dodowa is a more traditional town with a small population, you’ll get the real feel of living in a Ghanaian community as well as the chance to get to know the locals better.
Cape Coast
You’ll work at a modern public hospital that also serves as a teaching hospital for medical students. With numerous patients coming in each day, the staff are busy and there is always something to see or do.
Although the hospital is busy, Cape Coast has a peaceful air. Situated right by coast, there are numerous beaches to visit and fishing boats to watch. You can also learn more about the town's history as a slave-trade centre by visiting the many museums, castles, and colonial buildings in the area.
A typical day on the Midwifery Internship in Ghana
Your work day will usually start around 8am and finish at 2pm, Monday to Friday. The hospital works on shifts, so you can stay later if your supervisor approves it.
You can enjoy a well deserved lunch break around 12. At this time, you can break out your packed lunch or use the time to rest your feet and have a late lunch back at your host family.
You’ll spend the day observing qualified midwives as they consult with patients in the maternity ward. This will give you the chance to see the different conditions pregnant women in Ghana face. Depending on your qualifications, you may even be able to witness a birth in the delivery room.
When you get back to your host family, spend time getting to know them and their culture over a deliciously home cooked Ghanaian meal of jollof rice.
Ghana has many interesting sites to see and explore. In your spare time, you can take a hike through the countryside, get a tan on the beach, or enjoy a more urban feel when visiting the capital city of Accra.
What are the aims and impact of this project?
This aim of this internship is to provide you with an educational experience at your midwifery placement in Ghana.
You’ll shadow qualified midwives in the maternity ward of a local hospital and learn how to treat different conditions faced by pregnant women in a developing country like Ghana. You’ll find yourself coming into contact with pregnant women experiencing complications that you don’t normally see in your home country. These include diseases like malaria and typhoid. You will find this experience challenging, but it will give you significant insight.
In addition, you’ll also help by working at community outreaches. You’ll do health checks, providing basic medical care to people who can’t access it regularly.
We are currently working towards the following goals laid out In our Medicine Management Plan:
- Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promoting an exchange of medical knowledge
- Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
- Reduce the number of cases of malaria
- Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups through outreach work in leprosy camps and schools
- Promote awareness of non-communicable diseases
Join us on the Midwifery Internship in Ghana were you’ll expand your skills while providing assistance to expecting mothers in the heart of Ghana.
During my time at the University Hospital, I worked alongside a variety of brilliant women. The bond I made with these women is what allowed me to act as a midwife, and even relocate to a few other wards, including surgical and radiology to assist with various needs.
Rashae H
Midwifery Internship in Ghana
Medical Electives for Students
This project is also perfect for university medical and healthcare elective students. The real-world insight and knowledge you gain will help shape you as a future medical professional. You will also learn to work with different people and get a broader perspective of global healthcare systems and issues. This benefits your career for years to come. We can organise a placement that meets all of your university's requirements.
Management Plans
We set out the aims and objectives of our projects in documents called Management Plans. We use them to properly plan the work you’ll do. They also help us measure and evaluate our achievements and impact each year.
Ultimately, our Management Plans help us make our projects better. This in turn means you get to be part of something that makes a real impact where it’s needed. Read more about our Management Plans.
Measuring Our Impact
Our projects work towards clear long-term goals, with specific annual objectives. Every volunteer and intern we send to these projects helps us work towards these goals, no matter how long they spend on our projects.
Every year we take a step back and look at how much progress we've made towards these goals. We put together a Global Impact Report, which documents our achievements. Find out more about the impact our global community of volunteers, interns and staff make, and read the latest report.
Meet the team in Ghana
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