AT A GLANCE Start dates: Custom dates, year-round Duration: 4 weeks or longer Credit: 4 US credits (~ 8 ECTS credits) for eligible university students Eligibility: Grad – Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Health Sciences Program fees: US $2,870 (4 weeks) + US $480 per extra week |
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Course overview
Our health electives in Rwanda and Vietnam for international students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and other health sciences offer a variety of preclinical, clinical, global health, and research opportunities at Rwandan and Vietnamese hospitals and host organizations. Placements are tailored to your qualifications and interests. Clinical rotations are particularly available to final-year medical students who desire to meet their medical school elective abroad requirements.
Host sites include university teaching hospitals, other selected urban and rural hospitals and health centers, as well as public health-related NGOs.
Custom placements are available year-round, with flexible durations (minimum 4 weeks).
Highlights:
- Combine a highly relevant global work experience with professional skills development, global change leadership competencices development, and cultural immersion.
- Work with African or Asian colleagues and develop your intercultural communication skills, confidence and adaptability.
- Gain new insight through a unique African or Asian perspective on healthcare in developing countries.
- Explore the progress and challenges towards development of an African or Asian success story.
- Broaden your personal and professional network, and build lasting international friendships.
Program locations
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Rwanda One of today’s greatest development success stories, Rwanda is Africa’s prime study abroad jewel. The country underwent a breathtaking transformation since the 1994 genocide. A model for poverty reduction and economic growth, it accounts for the highest percentage of women in parliament anywhere in the world. And the streets of its modern green capital Kigali are clean, safe, and free of corruption. |
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Vietnam
The Asian Dragon is undergoing some of the fastest socio-economic changes any country in the world has seen. It is a major development success story with remarkable rates of economic growth since the start of massive political and economic reforms in 1986. But the lure of modern living has a deep impact on the traditional networks of family and community that continue to play a pivotal role in society. |
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Academics
This course enables students to develop and apply their theoretical and practical knowledge in a supervised placement experience. Qualified students are placed with a local hospital or organization in one of various fields, including, among others, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, allied health, oral health, or mental health. Students are matched with host organizations according to their level of study, existing skills, and desired fields. A specific placement plan is developed in advance of each stay.
Students benefit from a pre-placement orientation, a weekly classroom or field session with interdisciplinary training, and a weekly formal supervisory meeting.
After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Identify professional and personal values, strengths, and interests
- Describe disease processes, gender disparity, transitional epidemiology and emerging health issues
- Develop realistic diagnostic and management plans for local patients
- Appreciate how culture influences patients’ perspectives on health, disease, and the healing process
- Demonstrate strong communication and interactive skills for dealing with patients and other members of the health care team
- Discuss societal and environmental issues as they affect specific patient groups
The interdisciplinary training focuses on cultural intelligence (CQ), transformations towards sustainable development, storytelling, and career development with special emphasis on international careers and networking.
Further details:
Dates, fees, and scholarships
The program dates are generally identical across our program locations – Rwanda and Vietnam.
Program | Application due | Start date | End date | Fees |
Year-round | 2 months prior | Custom | Custom | US $2,870 (4 weeks) + US $480 per additional week |
We value full transparency and no hidden costs. As a result, you won’t have any disappointing surprises when you arrive.
Included in your program fees are the placement and supervision at a host organization, a pre-placement orientation, a weekly interdisciplinary training session, a weekly meeting with the internship supervisor, accommodation (either in a host family with breakfast and up to 5 dinners per week or at a local guesthouse with breakfast), a personal meet & greet at the airport and transfer to the host family or guesthouse, and 24/7 emergency support by GEI staff.
It is important that you take note of what is explicitly not included in the program fees. This helps you budget. Not included are the transportation to/from the program location airport (including international airfare and taxes), visas, immunizations, meals and local transportation other than what’s included in your accommodation, excursions that you may want to do in your own time during weekends, general items and services of a personal nature, medical expenses not covered by the insurance provided, and other discretionary expenses. Also not included are potential expenses relating to any Covid-19-related measures, including testing, quarantine, or isolation requirements. Should such requirements exist, we will gladly provide on-site assistance, but you will have to cover all related expenses.
In addition, if you are an undergraduate student and want to seek academic credit, your college or university may charge additional fees for study abroad, or may require you to receive a transcript via GEI’s academic school of record, The College of New Jersey, which carries an additional fee of US $125 per credit.
Scholarships:
GEI offers a variety of merit scholarships, trailblazer scholarships, and opportunity scholarships and grants. You can find further information as well as additional resources for external funding opportunities in the following blog post: Scholarships & Grants.
Our program staff
Our in-country program staff consists of experienced local education, sustainability, and program operations experts.
![]() Yvan Rubengebenge | ![]() Cailin Human, MBA |
![]() Thuy Phan, MA |
![]() Francoise Uzamukunda, MA |
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![]() Eric Kingoina, DCS |
![]() Adeline Imanirakiza, DIS |
![]() Amy Lin, MA |
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