Health professions encompass a wide range of roles and careers from doctors, nurses, and midwives, to public-health specialists, allied-health practitioners and health-system managers. These roles help keep individuals and communities healthy, tackle disease outbreaks, promote well-being, and strengthen health systems. For students in Africa (or anywhere globally), pursuing a health profession offers two major benefits:
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High demand & global mobility – Health-care workers are needed everywhere, which means opportunities both locally and internationally.
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Access via online learning – Many prestigious institutions now offer free or low-cost online courses that provide foundational knowledge, accessible from anywhere. This means you can begin building your skills now, even before enrolling in a full bachelor’s or master’s programme.
Below is a list of free, verified online health-profession / health-system / public-health courses open to learners globally (including Africa). For each course you’ll find the provider, a summary, and a link where you can explore enrolment.
1. Alison — Introduction to Public Health (free online course)
2. edX (via MOOC.org) – You can browse free-to-audit healthcare/medicine courses.
3. Coursera – They offer many courses in health / medicine / public health; you can enroll free in many (sometimes certificate costs extra) but the learning content is free.
4. Global Health eLearning Center – Focused on global health, these are free or mostly free courses/certificates.
5. Additional resource lists: e.g. “The Top 26 Free Online Public Health Courses” list gives a bunch of free ones from reputable institutions.
6. Peoples‑Praxis – Free Online Public Health Courses (for LMICs)
7. Alison — Nursing in Global Health (free online course for advanced learners)
8. Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (GFMER) — Emergency & Surgical Care in Universal Health Coverage (free online course)
9. Global Health, Conflict & Violence (by University of Bergen): A 3-week course (approx 3 hrs/week) that explores how healthcare workers operate in contexts of conflict & violence; useful if you’re interested in global health in challenging settings. Free access to course is limited to 3-weeks.
10. Global Health Governance: Addressing Globalization and Health Inequities (by St George’s, University of London) : A 3-week introductory level course (~3 hrs/week) looking at the role of governance, globalisation, health inequities and how global health challenges are addressed. Free access to course is limited to 3-weeks.
Since you’re just getting started, here’s a simple plan you can begin with:
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Choose one foundational course (e.g., from Alison or Peoples-Praxis) to build base knowledge in public health/healthcare.
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Choose one specialized area you’re particularly interested in (e.g., One Health, environmental health, digital health). Use AfroHun or VCPH or CDC modules.
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Choose a top-tier free auditing course (from Coursera or edX) to show you can handle university-level content. Complete it and keep proof of completion.
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Throughout, keep track of your certificates (even if free) and build a simple online portfolio (LinkedIn, CV) with what you’ve done.
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Try to allocate a consistent schedule (e.g., 5 hours/week) so you finish within 2-3 months for each segment.
Note:
Free online health courses like these aren’t a substitute for a full degree in medicine, nursing, or public health but they’re a powerful place to start. They show your curiosity, build your technical and clinical foundation, and make your application shine when you’re applying for scholarships, internships, or advanced programs.
Use these courses to bridge the gap between where you are today and where you dream to study or work tomorrow whether that’s in a hospital, a research lab, or a global health organization.
-Bookmark this article.
-Share it with a friend who dreams of working in healthcare.
-Start learning today.
And if you’re planning to study abroad in 2026 or 2027, our team can help you find the right health-related program and guide you through every step of the application and study-permit process.
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