Boost your career on a Nursing elective abroad

Go on a once-in-a-lifetime nursing elective abroad with Work the World and you’ll get career-boosting clinical experience in an overseas hospital. Then in your free time, you’ll have life-changing travel experiences with new friends.

These are not ‘off the shelf’ nursing placements — you can tailor your experience to your interests. You choose everything from the destination down to the individual departments you want to get experience in.

You’ll find the experience to be life-changing. And that’s true whether you want to undertake your placement as a nursing student or a graduate.

Why go on an overseas nursing elective?

  • Unique experience that puts you ahead of your peers
  • Stand out to employers
  • Strengthen your academic profile
  • Build a network to tap into during your career
  • Gain perspective that reframes your view of the NHS
  • Build confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone
  • Get inspiration around where you might specialise

"Step outside your comfort zone. I was hesitant at first, but I’m so glad I took the plunge." - Becky, University of Surrey 
Read more overseas student nursing reviews here

Eye-opening clinical Placement

This is your chance to hone your clinical skills as a nursing student or graduate in a low-resource hospital setting in Africa and Asia. 

Nursing abroad is all about challenging yourself and gaining a different perspective. You’ll come to realise that being able to practise the 6Cs is a luxury of a wealthier healthcare system.

Some things you will observe on your nursing elective placement include:

  • Different cultural attitudes towards care
  • Religious beliefs affecting practise
  • Extremely late presentations and advanced conditions

On your nursing placement abroad, you'll also see major differences in the fundamentals of nursing practice. For example, in many of our destinations, families take responsibility for many tasks that would (in the UK) fall to a nurse, like personal care.

Branches for nursing electives abroad

Looking for nursing experience abroad? Choose a branch for your nursing placement below and see what you can expect from an overseas elective. Or you can stay on the page to find out more general information about a nursing placement abroad.

Remember — you can customise your overseas placement. So if you want to combine branches for your elective placement, or try a branch different from the one you're studying, you're welcome to do so.

Once-in-a-lifetime travel

As a nursing student or graduate, your clinical placement is the focus of your trip. But your free time in the afternoons and weekends will be packed full of experiences like:

  • Relaxing on palm-lined, white-sand beaches
  • Getting close to elephants, lions and giraffes on safari
  • Swimming with curious sea turtles on warm tropical reefs
  • Hiking (or paragliding!) through the Himalays
  • Spending a weekend hopping between paradise islands

But it's the people you share it with that really make your Work the World trip memorable. You'll live with other healthcare students and graduates in a big private house.

Learn about accommodation

What's included?

The service you get with us is end-to-end. That means we will support you before, during and even after your trip.

You'll get:

  • Pre-departure preparation with our UK team
  • Structured, supervised nursing elective placement
  • Private, catered accommodation
  • 24/7 in-country team
  • Airport pick up and drop off
  • + more

Arrivals are every Sunday, 52 weeks of the year — travel when it suits you. Nursing elective placement durations start from one week.

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DESTINATIONS

Ghana - Takoradi
Nursing Electives in Ghana
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Consider Takoradi If you’re looking for nursing placements in Africa. You’ve got the option to undertake your placement in a number of our partner hospitals and clinics. One of our partner hospitals is the biggest and best-equipped in the city. While nursing abroad, you'll see there's a big difference in the meaning of ‘best-equipped’ when it comes to Ghana and the UK. Make no mistake, this is an eye-opening placement in Ghana, and on it, you’ll get a snapshot of the challenges that local professionals face. This programme suits adult, child, mental health and learning disability nursing branches.

Discover student stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Takoradi.

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Nursing Electives in Ghana

Sri Lanka - Kandy
Nursing Electives in Sri Lanka
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Healthcare is free for patients in Sri Lanka, but culture, religion, and a lack of resources still impact local nursing practices. The lack of resources will be the most prominent difference, and you’ll see how local staff have found ways to make the most of what little they have. One example of this is the sterilising and reusing of equipment that would be single-use in the UK. For instance, fabric bandages are sent away to be thoroughly sterilised and used again. Our partner hospital is connected to a large nursing college, so you’ll also have the opportunity to interact with local students. This programme is suitable for adult, child and mental health nursing branches.

Discover student stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Takoradi.

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Nursing Electives in Sri Lanka

Philippines - Iloilo
Nursing Electives in The Philippines
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Nurses run the wards in Iloilo, leaving patients’ families responsible for each patient’s bedside care. That means you won’t be expected to help wash and feed patients, but instead get involved in the more clinical side of nursing. On your nursing elective placement abroad here, you’ll see that patients do have access to government subsidised healthcare through ‘PhilHealth’ insurance, but policies are limited. The healthcare system may be progressive, but you’ll still see how the most economically disadvantaged patients struggle to afford certain treatments. Our partner hospital also hosts some students from local universities, so you can tap into their knowledge too. This programme is suitable for adult, child and mental health nursing branches. Read stories from those who've already travelled with us to Iloilo. 

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Nursing Electives in The Philippines

Vietnam - Hue
Nursing Electives in Vietnam
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On a nursing elective placement in Vietnam you’ll see how local culture can affect clinical practices. For example, patients’ families normally provide bedside care for patients,which frees up local nurses’ time to get involved with clinical aspects of nursing. You’ll also see how a lack of primary care options (and patients coming from rural farming areas) leads to patients presenting cases that are further advanced than you’re used to. You can even see how traditional medicine is used in Vietnam alongside more modern practices. It’s worth noting that we can host you in Hue if you’re studying adult, child or mental health nursing.

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Nursing Electives in Vietnam

Tanzania - Dar es Salaam
Nursing Electives in Tanzania
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Our partner hospitals in Dar es Salaam are under-resourced. Of course, this is the norm for local nurses, so they’ve come up with clever ways to get around the limitations — you’ll learn these techniques firsthand. Healthcare is not free in Tanzania. Patients have the option of private healthcare, but few can afford it. You may even see patients turned away if they cannot afford to pay. Combine this with a lack of primary healthcare options in Tanzania and you get very busy departments full of patients with advanced conditions. You should seriously consider Dar es Salaam if you’re looking for nursing electives in Africa. This programme is suitable for adult, child and mental health nursing branches. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Dar es Salaam.

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Nursing Electives in Tanzania

Nepal - Kathmandu
Nursing Electives in Nepal
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Our elective placements for student nurses in Kathmandu allow you to get experience in a range of specialised institutions. These include a major teaching hospital, a specialist maternity and women’s hospital, or a specialist children’s hospital. The teaching hospital has 22 departments — the greatest number of specialties of any institution in Nepal. 45% of Nepal’s population are under 15, so as the children’s hospital is the only one of its kind in the country, you can expect a busy placement here. Offering family planning and reproductive services to the city’s women, the women’s and maternity hospital is progressive, especially considering its cultural context. This programme is suitable for adult, child and mental health nursing branches. Read stories from those who’ve already travelled with us to Kathmandu.

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Nursing Electives in Nepal

"I had the privilege to watch multiple vaginal births as well as c-sections and many other surgeries."

Mia Fitzgerald, University of Manchester 2024

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"Some of the most memorable cases I observed included open heart surgery for a valve replacement."

Catherine Noone, University of Manchester 2024

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"This has allowed me to become more open-minded and look at healthcare from a different perspective."

Constance Forbes, University of Manchester 2024

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"During the three weeks I was there I was able to spend a weekend in Zanzibar and a weekend doing the safari. On my first weekend, me and the girls in my room all went to Zanzibar via the ferry".

Elle Anderson, Bradford University 2024

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"What made me really excited were the tourist attractions in Sri Lanka. The culture, wildlife, and beaches looked breathtaking."

Scarlett Crago, University of Plymouth 2024

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What do our nursing electives offer?

A Work the World nursing elective gives you the chance to undertake a clinical placement in the developing world. You will spend time in a low-resource hospital and see unfamiliar practices and advanced conditions. You can even choose the departments you want to rotate through. We cater to all nursing branches including: - Adult NursingChild NursingMental Health Nursing and Learning Disability Nursing

What are the benefits of a Work the World nursing elective?

The benefits of our nursing electives include:

  • Getting invaluable clinical experience in the field
  • Making yourself more attractive to employers
  • Building your professional network
  • Doing some proper travelling

How long is a Work the World nursing elective?

A nursing elective is as long as you want it to be. Our minimum placement duration is one week, but students typically travel on their nursing electives for 4-6 weeks. There is no upper limit to how long you can travel for.

What is a nursing elective placement?

A nursing elective placement is your opportunity to get some real-world experience in a clinical setting. Undertaking your nursing elective placement overseas massively expands the scope of what you'll be able to achieve. It also looks great to employers as it shows your passion for your vocation.