Nutrition Internships: Intern abroad in Arusha, Tanzania

Internship details

Nutrition interns are placed with community groups or in regional clinics or hospitals, where patients with severe and complex cases of malnutrition are referred for care. Interns work alongside local nutritionists, medical professionals and advocates who endeavor to treat and educate adults and children who are suffering from the effects of long-term malnutrition.

This is an in-country internship, with accommodation and meals provided.

Anemia and chronic malnutrition affect many children in Tanzania. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are also at risk of suffering from preventable nutritional deficiencies. Many people don’t have access to specialized nutrition advice, so interns play an important role in helping to provide support to those in need. These Nutrition internships in Arusha, Tanzania are highly valuable learning opportunities for interns to understand the unique needs of individuals in a culturally and economically diverse environment.

To create a more immersive program, which can diversify your experience, Nutrition internships will include hospital, clinical and community based placements. From a clinical perspective, interns gain a practical understanding of how nutritionists evaluate, diagnose and treat those with nutrition concerns. This is done by shadowing local professionals in an observational capacity. Interns may be given the opportunity to actively participate in the work performed by their team, once their skills and experience have been effectively demonstrated.

Community based placement will be with a local community group, providing assistance to families and their children in all areas of nutrition. Interns are involved in putting together food packages, running nutritional workshops and home visits for those in need of nutrition education, advice and support. Interns will need to be prepared to travel across the city with their supervisor to reach patients and families in their homes. Average travel times can range from 45-60 minutes, so interns must be physically fit and able.

Note that supervision on these internships is handled by a range of medical professionals. Interns must expect to work in a multidisciplinary team. Depending on your medical department and variations of your daily roster, this may include nursing teams, doctors, or other department heads. Such team members are in the best position to provide guidance, direction, and answer questions as it will pertain to current duties and responsibilities. Therefore, there is not one sole supervisor throughout, as interns interact with a range of local staff in various positions, deferring to their expertise and instruction. Outside of the placement supervision, interns additionally have access to support from the Program Director, who oversees placement allocation. Most patients speak at least basic English, although you should be prepared for the fact that you won’t always understand what’s being said if locals are conversing in other dialects. Your internship supervisors are available to provide support and assist you in understanding exchanges, as and when appropriate.

Interns should come prepared to encounter a healthcare environment which is very likely going to be quite different from what you’re used to. Facilities and community groups are usually under-resourced and placements can also be relatively under-staffed. This is the reality of healthcare in many underdeveloped countries. Interns are encouraged to maintain a professional, caring and compassionate outlook, striving to understand local contexts, enhance cultural intelligence, and learn from the knowledge and experience of local professionals.

It is important to note that the internship placements grouped as “Medical” require interns to make a Ministry of Health contribution. This supports the operation of placements and covers supervision for interns on medical-related placements. This contribution is not included in the internship program fee; it must be made directly, in-country, under the direction and guidance of the Program Coordinator in Arusha. Interns will not be permitted to commence their placement until this has been covered. The amount of the Ministry of Health contribution varies, as it is not the same for every clinic/hospital. However, to cover the contribution sufficiently, we ask interns to budget up to US$75 per week.

In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.

Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.

What are the career benefits of interning abroad as a Nutrition Intern?