Choosing the Right Midwifery Internship What Future Midwives Should Know

A career in midwifery offers the chance to provide meaningful care during one of life’s most transformative moments. Childbirth. Whether you’re a student preparing for midwifery school, a nurse exploring a new path, or someone passionate about women’s health, a midwifery internship can give you the clinical foundation and cultural insight needed to thrive in this demanding field.

At Go Elective, we offer midwifery internship programs in Kenya and Tanzania that immerse you in real-world maternal care, from prenatal visits to labor and delivery in underserved communities. But how do you evaluate if an internship program is truly worth your time and investment?

Here’s what to look for when selecting a midwifery internship that will prepare you both professionally and personally.

Safe, Comfortable Housing and In-Country Support

If you're considering an international internship, safety and comfort should top your checklist. Before committing, confirm that the program offers secure housing with essentials like running water, electricity, and accessible transport to clinical sites.

At Go Elective, interns stay in fully staffed residences with 24/7 support, airport transfers, and daily transport to and from placement facilities. This allows you to focus on learning while enjoying peace of mind — and your family will feel better knowing you’re well cared for abroad.

Guided Clinical Experience in Maternity and Women’s Health

Not all internships provide equal learning opportunities. Look for programs that emphasize direct clinical engagement over passive observation. Will you assist in labor and delivery? Observe prenatal care? Participate in postpartum checkups?

Our midwifery internships at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital in Mombasa and Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha expose students to high-volume maternity wards, giving you the chance to witness births, assist midwives, and engage in both hospital and community-based care.

Flexibility and Customized Learning Tracks

If you’re still exploring your niche within midwifery or maternal health, a flexible internship structure is key. The best programs allow you to tailor your experience — whether that means spending extra time in the OB/GYN ward, joining neonatal care rotations, or assisting with community-based maternal outreach.

Go Elective offers personalized placement planning, enabling you to align your learning goals with specific departments, from labor rooms to prenatal clinics and postnatal units.

Community Outreach Opportunities

In many parts of the world, midwives are the primary — and sometimes only — source of maternal care. Participating in outreach programs helps you understand the cultural, economic, and logistical barriers patients face when accessing healthcare.

Go Elective’s programs include community health days and rural maternity visits where you can support prenatal screenings, assist with maternal education, and gain exposure to public health systems. This kind of experience will deepen your cultural competence — a vital skill for any aspiring midwife.

On-the-Ground Mentorship and Support Network

A quality internship program doesn’t just drop you into a hospital and leave you to figure things out. You need real-time feedback and professional guidance.

Look for programs that offer dedicated supervisors, weekly check-ins, and on-site coordinators. Go Elective provides one-on-one mentorship with experienced midwives, scheduled reviews of your learning objectives, and continuous academic support. You’ll always have someone to turn to — both locally and from our support team back home.

Career Development and Academic Value

Ask yourself: will this internship add value to my resume, applications, or clinical training? Make sure your chosen program provides documented clinical hours, professional references, and opportunities to reflect on your experience through case logs or final reports.

Go Elective offers formal evaluations, certificates of completion, and support with academic credit or preceptor coordination if needed for your institution. Many of our interns go on to secure spots in competitive midwifery, nursing, or global health programs.

Why a Midwifery Internship Matters

Midwifery is a hands-on, deeply personal field. Textbooks can’t prepare you for the emotional highs of delivery or the cultural complexities of women’s healthcare across the globe. That’s where international internships come in.

By stepping into maternity units in Kenya or Tanzania, you’ll witness up to 20+ births a day, interact with skilled birth attendants, and gain firsthand insight into maternal and neonatal health challenges and triumphs in resource-limited settings.

These are not just credentials for your CV. They’re lessons in empathy, adaptability, and leadership — essential traits for any future midwife.

Start Your Midwifery Journey with Go Elective

Choosing the right midwifery internship can shape the rest of your professional journey. Look for a program that prioritizes safety, offers immersive clinical experiences, provides tailored mentorship, and values your growth beyond the hospital setting.

At Go Elective, we are proud to offer midwifery and nursing internship placements designed to prepare tomorrow’s maternal health leaders through ethical, meaningful, and culturally immersive clinical experiences.