Pre-PA Students
Current Students
Recent Graduates
One of the most exciting activities during your college education can be spending time in another country experiencing new languages and cultures and making new friends. You can have the international experience during your PA education. There are avenues for PA students to participate in rotations or internships abroad. PAEA International Affairs Committee has developed several documents related to international rotations for PA students. PA students on international rotations are expected to adhere to AAPA's Guidelines for PAs Working Internationally.
If you are in the process of researching PA programs and you are interested in traveling abroad, there are a few programs with established international rotations. Other schools may allow you to set up your own rotation site, but you should discuss this option with the program director before deciding on the school, if this is very important to you. For a list of countries hosting international rotation site by program, please refer to the APAP International Affairs Committee Survey on international rotation.
If you wish to set up your own rotation, AAPA recommends working with your program's clinical coordinator and with established organizations. Your program will need to establish an affiliation agreement with the site.
Below is a partial list of possible clinical rotations and Spanish language elective sites for PA students. These are places that take medical students but they also are open to PAs. These rotations/courses usually have fixed times during the year. Please be aware that for a majority of rotations and internships, the student is expected to shoulder the expense.
General Information About International Student Activities:
American Medical Student Association--International Health
Educational Programmes Abroad
Rotations and Internships:
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals provides a directory of international opportunities for medical students to study, observe, and/or participate in reproductive health care.
Child Family Health International offers multiple types of rotations in many countries.
Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC)
Ensenada Mexico offers a three-week medical Spanish course. It is a joint program between the University of California and the Universidad de Xochicalco.
The International Health Central America Institute in Costa Rica offers a Medical Spanish/Tropical Medicine Course with patient interaction. The course is one month long and is offered February, April, July, and November. To get more information, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) offers several different public health focused rotations. The experience includes Spanish language training.
University of Arizona College of Medicine International Health offers a case based course held annually (July) in Tucson, Arizona.
Duke University Medical School offers a Medical Spanish Immersion program. Medical Spanish Immersion provides unique opportunity for American medical personnel to learn Spanish while performing half-day rotations at "Hospital Presidente Juarez" in Oaxaca, Mexico. Rotations are supplemented by contextualized language instruction and rich cultural experience.
If you are a PA student who has just graduated or will soon graduate and you are interested in international travel, options are available to you.
Educational Programmes Abroad provides educational internships and professional experiences in an international setting. The internship program is unpaid, and all of the expenses are born by the participant. This is a good program for people just out of PA school, or during a school break. Click on this link to read about a PA student's experience in Germany.
Educational Programmes Abroad
137 North Park Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
616/382-0139
Project MedSend offers grants to repay student loans owed by health care professionals while they serve as medical missionaries in medically underserved areas of the world. Grant applicants must (1) be under the authority of a collaborating sending agency (an "associate"); (2) be within 18 months of leaving for career medical missions service; (3) show fiscal responsibility and stewardship maturity; (4) be in the process of paying off their student loans as soon as earning begins (internship, residency, practice). Grant applications are considered three times a year. Visit the Project MedSend Web site for more information.
Current Students
Recent Graduates
One of the most exciting activities during your college education can be spending time in another country experiencing new languages and cultures and making new friends. You can have the international experience during your PA education. There are avenues for PA students to participate in rotations or internships abroad. PAEA International Affairs Committee has developed several documents related to international rotations for PA students. PA students on international rotations are expected to adhere to AAPA's Guidelines for PAs Working Internationally.
Pre-PA Students
If you are in the process of researching PA programs and you are interested in traveling abroad, there are a few programs with established international rotations. Other schools may allow you to set up your own rotation site, but you should discuss this option with the program director before deciding on the school, if this is very important to you. For a list of countries hosting international rotation site by program, please refer to the APAP International Affairs Committee Survey on international rotation.
Current Students
If you wish to set up your own rotation, AAPA recommends working with your program's clinical coordinator and with established organizations. Your program will need to establish an affiliation agreement with the site.
Below is a partial list of possible clinical rotations and Spanish language elective sites for PA students. These are places that take medical students but they also are open to PAs. These rotations/courses usually have fixed times during the year. Please be aware that for a majority of rotations and internships, the student is expected to shoulder the expense.
General Information About International Student Activities:
American Medical Student Association--International Health
Educational Programmes Abroad
Rotations and Internships:
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals provides a directory of international opportunities for medical students to study, observe, and/or participate in reproductive health care.
Child Family Health International offers multiple types of rotations in many countries.
Global Health Education Consortium (GHEC)
Ensenada Mexico offers a three-week medical Spanish course. It is a joint program between the University of California and the Universidad de Xochicalco.
The International Health Central America Institute in Costa Rica offers a Medical Spanish/Tropical Medicine Course with patient interaction. The course is one month long and is offered February, April, July, and November. To get more information, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) offers several different public health focused rotations. The experience includes Spanish language training.
University of Arizona College of Medicine International Health offers a case based course held annually (July) in Tucson, Arizona.
Duke University Medical School offers a Medical Spanish Immersion program. Medical Spanish Immersion provides unique opportunity for American medical personnel to learn Spanish while performing half-day rotations at "Hospital Presidente Juarez" in Oaxaca, Mexico. Rotations are supplemented by contextualized language instruction and rich cultural experience.
Recent Graduates
If you are a PA student who has just graduated or will soon graduate and you are interested in international travel, options are available to you.
Educational Programmes Abroad provides educational internships and professional experiences in an international setting. The internship program is unpaid, and all of the expenses are born by the participant. This is a good program for people just out of PA school, or during a school break. Click on this link to read about a PA student's experience in Germany.
Educational Programmes Abroad
137 North Park Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
616/382-0139
Project MedSend offers grants to repay student loans owed by health care professionals while they serve as medical missionaries in medically underserved areas of the world. Grant applicants must (1) be under the authority of a collaborating sending agency (an "associate"); (2) be within 18 months of leaving for career medical missions service; (3) show fiscal responsibility and stewardship maturity; (4) be in the process of paying off their student loans as soon as earning begins (internship, residency, practice). Grant applications are considered three times a year. Visit the Project MedSend Web site for more information.
