Is it Better to Intern or Volunteer Abroad Pre Med?

Sometimes it's hard to fit a semester abroad into your busy school schedule, especially if you’re jonesin’ for a lofty medical degree. There’s a mountain of strict requirements, time constraints, and stress boulders that tumble down every time you manage to clear your path.

That’s where pre-med internships abroad come in! By interning or volunteering abroad in pre-med, you get the chance to tick ALL the experience boxes—the ones you need for your transcript and the ones you need for your personal dreams of living abroad.

Fulfill your desire to explore another country AND work towards your medical career? Sounds too good to be true! But which path is right for you? Is it better to intern or volunteer abroad pre-med? What you ultimately choose will depend on your goals, so hang tight and read about some key differences to consider.

7 differences between pre-med volunteer abroad vs. internships abroad

1. The why

When you’re deciding whether it is better to intern or volunteer abroad pre-med, you have to start with the why. Why are you seeking an experience abroad? Is it because you want to narrow in on and hone your pre-med skills, or to simply give to a community in need?

Of course, there is overlap; pre-med is one of the most selfless fields you can pursue. However, if you’re leaning towards a professional, education-first environment, interning is probably for you. If you just want a chance to volunteer your time and expertise in the medical field, maybe you should volunteer!

Another why to consider is that of the organization, school, or hospital you attend. 

Some organizations, like International Medical Aid, offer pre-med internships abroad for undergraduate students, medical students, medical residents, and practitioners, and have a primarily humanitarian focus.

It’s possible to intern for not-for-profit organizations, which gives the interning experience some major volunteer vibes. This isn’t always the case, though. You could find yourself at a teaching hospital, where the cause is...well, teaching students like you! Or perhaps you end up in a rural community hospital, where the impetus is on serving a population in need.

2. The support

What kind of support system do you want when you go abroad? We’re not talking about support to help squash that international homesickness (although you should def have a good system in place). We’re talking about in-country, in-program people, resources, tools, and more. 

Most medical internship programs abroad are imbued with mentorships, networking opportunities, medical school admissions counseling, coaching partners, interview practice, and more. The goal is to bolster your skills and give you a plethora of resources to get you into med school. 

Some of the best pre-med volunteer abroad programs offer similar resources to internships, but that is rarely the primary focus of a volunteer abroad program. See how it can be a little grey? Choosing between volunteering pre-med and interning is not black and white.

3. The environment

Where do you wanna go? Thinking about the environment you want to be in ranges from where on the planet (hello, beaches) to type of organization. Do you prefer structure and routine, or are you happy to figure it out as you go?

Typically, pre-med internships will provide a little more of that 8-5, check-boxes and protocols vibe. If you’re in a teaching hospital or interning through a university, you’ll have that didactic structure. You might even have homework! 

Pre-med internships abroad also tend to be in more developed, resource-rich nations. That doesn’t mean you won’t find an internship in a developing country, but typically that’s more where you’ll find volunteer programs.

Volunteer programs may be in places like South Asia, Latin America, or Africa, whereas you can find internships in Spain and Italy. 

Of course, that being said, if you do your research you can probably find an internship in Africa, or a volunteer program in Europe; these are just rough trends.

4. Your credentials

What you bring to the table will greatly influence your choices in pre-med internships abroad. You’re in the medical field, so you probably expect this. They don’t let you just pop into an OR and do surgery without some major background and qualification checks (right…?). Many hospital internships abroad require you to have a certain level of experience, training, and GPA.

Don’t worry, medical volunteer opportunities also do some screening before letting randos into an OR. But it is possible to find a volunteer experience that’s a little less medically-technical, which opens it up to people with less experience.

5. The pay

If this isn’t obvious, you definitely don't get paid to volunteer. While internships can range from unpaid to paid to credit-as-compensation, volunteer opportunities are, well, volunteer-based. But the experience is priceless, right? Sure, it can be for some folks, but not for everyone.

If you’re weighing the pros and cons of whether it’s better to intern or volunteer abroad pre-med, compensation should be something to consider. Interning and volunteering without pay is not something everyone can afford, but the experience shouldn’t be doled out to people lucky enough to have that privilege.

Paid internships are a great way to get that experience and continue to pay for things like food, bills, and loans.

6. The certification

Figuring out whether or not a program offers some sort of certification is an important step in your research process. Many pre-med internships offer certification in the form of college credit or practicum hours. Internships tend to be designed for students needing to prove something, whether it’s to the medical school admissions board, or their current college program.

There are tons of intern programs that will sign, seal, and deliver a fancy embossed certificate to you once you complete the program. Add it to your CV, your application, and BOOM—med school.

Having a volunteership on your CV will likely help out, too. It just looks a little different. Make sure to list out all the requirements you need in your medical career, including what certificates you might need or would be extremely helpful moving forward. It’s not a bad idea to consult with your admissions advisor to help nail down the specifics. 

The proof is in the pudding, and some programs give you a pie. Luckily, they are both delicious.

7. The specialties

If you’re studying pre-med, you probably have thought about what you’ll be specializing in. It’s important to read through the fine print of any program to make sure they offer whatever your medical focus is, otherwise you may find an aspiring cardiologist stuck birthin’ babies!

Ok, you probably won’t be able to get that mixed up—there should be some checks in place to prevent that kind of thing happening…But depending on the program you choose, whether it’s volunteering or interning, you’ll have a different experience.

So what’s the difference between volunteering and interning when it comes to specialties? You can find a range in specializations in both intern programs and volunteer opportunities, so is this really a difference? Yes….and no.

Interning opportunities tend to have more rigid requirements and certificates affiliated with specializations (see above). While a volunteer program may be “specialized”, you may not have the same kind of “proof” of that as you would in an internship. Again, this is subject to change, because there are so many opportunities on both sides of the aisle.

Putting a pre-med volunteer stint on your resume will never take away from your credibility. It shows that you are magnanimous, industrious, and skilled. But depending on what you need your experience to prove, you may need a different route.

Talk to our FREE Online Advisor & Get Matched with Medical Programs Abroad 

So...is it better to intern or volunteer abroad pre med?

Is there ever a clear answer to questions like this? If you came here looking for someone to make a decision for you, our apologies. The differences between interning and volunteering abroad pre-med are just too nuanced. It’s truly a case-by-case situation, so it’s up to you to take this information and make an informed decision.

Do college credits matter to you, or are you just happy to get experience in pre-med abroad? Are you looking to specialize, or are you up for anything? The best pre-med volunteer abroad programs have just as many pros as the best pre-med internships, but what pros are you looking for?

This list is far from exhaustive—we could probably write a book on all the things you should know before doing pre-med abroad! But we hope it gives you something to go off of.

Discover Pre-Med Internships Abroad on GoAbroad.com

This article was written with help from International Medical Aid. IMA is a not-for-profit organization that offers medical programs for students in places like East Africa, South America, and the Caribbean through an ethics-based approach to care. They offer summer, fall, and winter programs.