I've done a lot of work placements and work experience visits throughout my college course (not in the medical field) and there are somethings I'd consider above others -
Beautiful town/city/province - beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? Besides, all places I imagine will have something to offer, and being a medical intern I doubt you'll have that much free time to go roaming the mountains, beaches and parks.
Presence/Absence of good specialists - while I haven't selected this one it could be an important factor - but how much face-to-face contact will you get with these specialists? From visiting hospitals here (in Northern Ireland) with my mum (who has had two brain aneurysms, a hemorrhage, three grand mal seizures, a shunt fitted, coils fitted and is now also diagnosed epileptic who takes "absences" and has psychiatric issues) WE rarely ever see a specialist and have learned about mum's condition through the great nurses and junior Doctors who cared for her on a daily basis.
Safe/unsafe environments - I cheated a little because I consider this to include the political instability factor. Like I say, I live in Northern Ireland, which can often be judged as being politically in-stable (though getting much better all the time) and I reckon the biggest threat our hospitals face are the Saturday night drunks. Unless you are referring to a country in the middle of a civil war, I wouldn't necessarily count political instability, only if it is an extreme. Safe environments however, for what you are doing, is likely essential. Your health, safety and wellbeing should come first.
Tutorials and other learning experiences - Important, yes, but surely all placements will allow for this?? The other factors regarding safety and wellbeing should come first, in my opinion, and then the benefits of the internship. I can't imagine where you are planning to intern if these serious issues are a concern, if you are overthinking it then go for wherever provides you the best opportunities.
Friends applying to the same place - this is always a factor from a young age isn't it? But I tend to not consider it at all anymore. What's right for you isn't right for someone else. What if you fall out? What if you don't get the best from the experience because you stay within your comfort zone and don't open up to new people? If you happen to be at the same place, happy days, but it wouldn't be my top 3 factor.
Familiarity, family and rural vs urban - All important factors, but not deal breakers. It's good to try new things and gain new experiences, especially in your field, so familiarity wouldn't be a massive one for me. I'm not overly close to my family (in the sense that I could leave them for a designated period of study and survive just fine...maybe I'd miss my sister...) so that wouldn't overly affect my opinion. As for rural vs urban, I've done both - I'm from a major city in NI, and now live in a much more rural area around 1 hour away from "home". There are differences of course. But not massive negatives/positives. If anything in a rural area your travel time to and from work is reduced, the cost of living is cheaper, and if you're within a decent distance to a city you can still go for nights out etc.
Quality and availability of living quarters and poorly vs well resourced hospital would be important to me - living accommodation would be No. 1 because that will directly impact the entire experience and your stress levels etc. Also, if it is a poorly resourced hospital I'd be more stressed out and frustrated, you'd want this experience to be as beneficial as possible.
If you've made it through all of this, yay! I don't know why I took the notion to write you a novel, when it comes to learning and careers I always have to throw my 2 cents in! Good luck whatever you decide to do, and I hope you get your first choice!
I've done a lot of work placements and work experience visits throughout my college course (not in the medical field) and there are somethings I'd consider above others -
Beautiful town/city/province - beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? Besides, all places I imagine will have something to offer, and being a medical intern I doubt you'll have that much free time to go roaming the mountains, beaches and parks.
Presence/Absence of good specialists - while I haven't selected this one it could be an important factor - but how much face-to-face contact will you get with these specialists? From visiting hospitals here (in Northern Ireland) with my mum (who has had two brain aneurysms, a hemorrhage, three grand mal seizures, a shunt fitted, coils fitted and is now also diagnosed epileptic who takes "absences" and has psychiatric issues) WE rarely ever see a specialist and have learned about mum's condition through the great nurses and junior Doctors who cared for her on a daily basis.
Safe/unsafe environments - I cheated a little because I consider this to include the political instability factor. Like I say, I live in Northern Ireland, which can often be judged as being politically in-stable (though getting much better all the time) and I reckon the biggest threat our hospitals face are the Saturday night drunks. Unless you are referring to a country in the middle of a civil war, I wouldn't necessarily count political instability, only if it is an extreme. Safe environments however, for what you are doing, is likely essential. Your health, safety and wellbeing should come first.
Tutorials and other learning experiences - Important, yes, but surely all placements will allow for this?? The other factors regarding safety and wellbeing should come first, in my opinion, and then the benefits of the internship. I can't imagine where you are planning to intern if these serious issues are a concern, if you are overthinking it then go for wherever provides you the best opportunities.
Friends applying to the same place - this is always a factor from a young age isn't it? But I tend to not consider it at all anymore. What's right for you isn't right for someone else. What if you fall out? What if you don't get the best from the experience because you stay within your comfort zone and don't open up to new people? If you happen to be at the same place, happy days, but it wouldn't be my top 3 factor.
Familiarity, family and rural vs urban - All important factors, but not deal breakers. It's good to try new things and gain new experiences, especially in your field, so familiarity wouldn't be a massive one for me. I'm not overly close to my family (in the sense that I could leave them for a designated period of study and survive just fine...maybe I'd miss my sister...) so that wouldn't overly affect my opinion. As for rural vs urban, I've done both - I'm from a major city in NI, and now live in a much more rural area around 1 hour away from "home". There are differences of course. But not massive negatives/positives. If anything in a rural area your travel time to and from work is reduced, the cost of living is cheaper, and if you're within a decent distance to a city you can still go for nights out etc.
Quality and availability of living quarters and poorly vs well resourced hospital would be important to me - living accommodation would be No. 1 because that will directly impact the entire experience and your stress levels etc. Also, if it is a poorly resourced hospital I'd be more stressed out and frustrated, you'd want this experience to be as beneficial as possible.
If you've made it through all of this, yay! I don't know why I took the notion to write you a novel, when it comes to learning and careers I always have to throw my 2 cents in! Good luck whatever you decide to do, and I hope you get your first choice!
Rachel