Why I did my nursing internship with travel4med in Sri Lanka

Right from the start of my studies, I knew that I definitely wanted to gain more experience abroad, which is why I looked around for internship opportunities outside Germany. However, as it is not that easy to organize a nursing internship abroad on your own, I got in touch with travel4med on the recommendation of fellow students. What I really liked about the organization was that it was designed by medical professionals for medical professionals, which guarantees that the internship will be recognized. In addition, there are always friendly contact persons available to answer any questions or help with any problems. Sri Lanka as a location also appealed to me because although the language spoken in the hospital is English, you get to experience a completely different culture and healthcare system, and all this in a place that feels like a vacation destination.

Until the long-awaited day of arrival in Sri Lanka, travel4med supported me every step of the way with my travel planning. There was an online meeting where everyone who was arriving at the same time could coordinate their flights so that no one had to fly alone. There was also a packing list, the visa was applied for together with us, and we were advised on which vaccinations might be useful before the internship. This definitely took a lot of the worry out of the exciting time ahead and I immediately felt that I was in good hands.

I met two other interns in person for the first time at the German airport, and we were able to get our bearings together upon arrival in Sri Lanka.

A driver from travel4med picked us up there and we drove from Colombo to Galle. During the trip, the driver, Archie, told us a lot about Sri Lanka.

When we arrived at our accommodation, the staff there gave us a very warm welcome and we were thrilled with the surroundings and the pool. During our time in Sri Lanka, we really grew fond of the

team really grew on us, especially the villa's cook, whom we all called "Chef Uncle."

In the morning, travel4med drivers took us to the nearby hospital, where a supervisor assigned us to the various wards. We usually traveled in pairs, so we weren't on our own. The hospital and healthcare system in

Sri Lanka are very different from what we are used to in Germany, which made it all the more interesting. Most wards have no windows, there are no individual patient rooms, but at most curtains between the beds, and patients usually walk around barefoot. Different standards also apply in the operating room, and there are far fewer minimally invasive procedures than in Germany, which of course meant that we students got to see a lot. In addition, people often come in with wounds or illnesses that would be treated much earlier in Germany. Since human medicine is generally studied in English in Sri Lanka, all patient documentation and similar materials are understandable to us. Only when interacting with patients do they usually switch to the Sinhalese language, but the doctors speak good English and are happy to translate.

There were no limits to our leisure activities, and Sri Lanka offers a wide range of activities and places to discover! After work at the hospital, we often took a tuktuk to Sahara Beach and spent the afternoon there or even went surfing, which is great there, even for beginners. Galle also has a beautiful old town with a fort, good restaurants, and small shops. In the surrounding area, we also visited tea plantations, planted trees in a village, and were able to release baby turtles on the beach at sunset, which was my personal highlight. On the weekends, groups always got together to do something. For example, we went on two safari tours in Yala National Park and Udawalawe National Park. We also organized a tour inland, where we visited the city of Kandy with its large elephant parade and the famous Nine Arches Bridge, and hiked up Little Adams Peak early in the morning in Ella. The nature in Sri Lanka, with its rainforest, beaches, rice fields, elephants, and monkeys, is truly breathtakingly beautiful.

The five of us shared a room with the people we had traveled with. I got on really well with everyone in the room and with the other interns, and some of us are still in touch two years later. We had great team spirit, did a lot together, and never really had any arguments. In the evenings, the whole villa usually played games together or we were in the pool talking. You definitely get to know lots of nice people!

My nursing internship with travel4med was unforgettable and I would do it again in a heartbeat! Spending an extended period of time in such a different country definitely gave me completely new experiences, as did the insights into the healthcare system in Sri Lanka. I got to meet amazing people and collect so many memories. That's why I can highly recommend an internship with travel4med to anyone.