Healthcare Internship

My name is Sarah and in the summer of 2017, I spent about 8 weeks in Dublin working at the renal biobank, which is part of Trinity College.
When I applied to Stint, I really wasn't sure what I was getting into. I had never been to Ireland, not to mention alone, I am completely gluten free, and I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to do for my internship. The staff was really helpful in helping me find different opportunities and choose the one that might be the best for me along with reassuring me that there will be plenty for me to eat (the gluten free food is the same price as regular food for restaurants and food from the grocery store is pretty cheap if you know where to look.
While I was there, the staff was there for anything I needed. There were check in meetings just to make sure everything was going well in the house and with the internship. They had suggestions for places to go and things to see during my free time.
I knew no one in the house when I arrived but the people who were there were super nice and helped me acclimate to life there- where the grocery store is, how to meal prep, going on trips together.
Also, since there are several houses that are part of Stint, they arrange trips and meet ups for everyone that is part of the program year round.
My internship itself was a great learning experience for me. I spent most of my time working in the biobank, but the staff there understood that I wanted to see and experience as much as I could and allowed me to assist with other projects, observe, and even gave me the opportunity to work on something that might get published. The working environment is much different than it is in America. Everyone is calm and understanding and it's a much slower working pace.
If you're even thinking about going with Stint to do an internship abroad, go for it. The Stint workers will help you get there and give you what you need and the current Stinters will make you feel at home.