Bugando Medical Centre in Mwanza, situated on Lake Victoria in Tanzania is the largest hospital in Western Tanzania. The hospital welcomes medical elective students and interns in nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry, occupational therapy, midwifery as well as health care professionals in these areas. As a teaching hospital of the University of Bugando, the hospital also offers final year rotations.

At Bugando Medical Centre you can do your healthcare elective or internship in the largest hospital in Western Tanzania. The hospital is located in Mwanza in the beautiful Lake Victoria Region of Tanzania. You will gain valuable work experience for your studies by assisting the local staff who serve a population of around 13 million people. Furthermore, you will get a chance to develop your intercultural skills in Tanzania's second largest city and discover the breathtaking scenery in the surrounding region.

Hospital profile

At a glance

Departments available for internships:

Internal Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, Urology, ENT, Gynaecology/Obstetrics, Psychiatry and anaesthesia. There are currently two resident doctors from the US at internal medicine who will mentor elective students in this ward; other departments have English-speaking Tanzanian doctors and staff. The psychiatry ward is rather small (one chief psychiatrist and an assistant). Students can combine several departments during their elective/final year rotation.

City: Mwanza
General practitioners: 0
Specialist physicians: 0
Assistant physicians: 0
Nurses: 0
Other especialists: 0
Annual outpatients 0
Total of beds: 0

Hospital Description

Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) is the tertiary referral hospital of the Lake Victoria Zone and Western regions, serving a population of around 13 million people. The 900-bed hospital was built by the Catholic Church and was officially opened in 1971. Since 2003, it is also the teaching hospital of the Bugando University College of Health Sciences. The hospital accepts 5th and 6th year foreign medical students for electives and final year rotations. The hospital has exchange programs with several foreign universities, including Cornell University New York, North Western University Chicago, University of Salzburg/Austria and University of Würzburg/ Germany. There are foreign physicians and students who work permanently at Bugando Medical Centre.

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Internship profile

Typical day and tasks of an intern

Interns usually work Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Every morning starts with a one-hour meeting, where the program for the day is discussed. Interns will be attached to a supervising physician or nurse whom they will shadow and who decides which examinations and treatments the student can carry out under their supervision, including drug administration, wound care, taking vital signs, giving vaccinations and assisting with other tasks.

Interns should bring their own scrubs (white, green or blue), closed shoes which they should only wear on the hospital premises (colour doesn't matter). It is furthermore recommended to bring one's own hand disinfection liquid and one's own stethoscope. Those who want to join surgery should please bring green or blue surgery scrubs, face mask and medical hair nets.

Supervisors available

You will be assigned a supervisor from your field who will look after you during your elective. If your university / school has special requirements regarding the supervision of your elective, please let us know so that we can inform the hospital.

Requirements

Minimum age:


18

Maximum age:


99

Minimum qualification of the intern:


None for pre-medical and pre-nursing internships. Health care professionals of the above-mentioned disciplines are welcome to volunteer at the hospital.

Application process

Documents required:


Please contact us for a list of all necessary registration documents.

Application instructions:


As soon as you have sent us your complete application documents, we will submit your application to the hospital and can usually give you a confirmation within a few work days. Then you decide whether you want to take the place. Before that there are no costs for you.

Costs

  • 2 weeks 840 USD
  • 4 weeks 1130 USD
  • 8 weeks 1875 USD
  • 3 months 2655 USD
  • 6 months 4650 USD
  • 1 year 0 USD

This includes:


* Accommodation (single room) at Guest House on the hospital premises, shared with other international medical students
* One-time registration fee ( 55 USD) + weekly hospital contribution (40 USD per week)
* Arrangement of your elective or internship
* Individual consultation and preparation prior to your arrival
Access to our online resource center with preparation materials including intercultural preparation, compiled particularly for your destination
* Preparation session via Skype, together with other participants,
* Arrangements for your Residence Permit or similar permit and other official permits (if required), but not the official government fees for it/them
* Pick-up and Transfers from/to Mwanza Airport (MWZ) on arrival and departure
* Personal support staff at your location and at our international office
* Orientation and introduction in Mwanza
* Accompaniement you to your placement on your first day of internship
* 24 Hours emergency support by local support team
* Local SIM Card with 10,000 TSH airtime credit
* Issuance of Confirmations/Certificates for your university, scholarship, insurance, etc. and filling out/signing Internship Contracts for your university.
* 15% Discount for Safaris, Kilimanjaro Climbs, Excursions and Watersports Activities offered by "Budget Safari Tanzania"
* CO2 compensation of your long-haul flights: Costs for 10 seedlings of indigenous trees that we plant on the slopes of Kilimanjaro

This does not include:


- Meals,
- Travel to/from Tanzania (you can book it on your own or we can assist you),
- Official fees for Visa,
- Insurance (Travel Health Insurance, Liability Insurance, Travel Cancellation insurance; you can book it on your own or we can assist you),
- Personal Expenses,
- Vaccinations,
- Local Transport.

What to bring:


Interns should bring their own scrubs (white, green or blue), closed shoes which they should only wear on the hospital premises (colour doesn't matter). It is furthermore recommended to bring one's own hand disinfection liquid and one's own stethoscope. Those who want to join surgery should please bring green or blue surgery scrubs, face mask and medical hair nets.

Request more information

I'm interested in a placement at this hospital. Please send me more information!