Gap Medics: Pre-medicine programs

things i liked:
- how there was time to interact and make new friends
- the different activities we could do
- independence we gained
- food in the house
- staff members in the house
- hospital experience

things i thought needed improvement:
- taking autos everywhere (most money spent on autos)

Being a 17 year old in UK wanting to do medicine, its seriously difficult to get work experience in a clinical environment, let alone see things and actually doing things would simply never happen. In tanzania it's a whole different story... You WILL see some amazing things over there no matter how long you stay for (I went for three weeks in OPD, Obs & Gynae and Surgery and some things truly changed my views on life, for the better) before I left for tanzania, I didn't know what to expect but very quickly you get into the swing of things, all of the staff are amazing- sillah, jerry, akiba, baptista, they'll answer any questions and will help you with anything.
There's so much to say, I simply can't put it all down, the facts are...
You'll have probably the greatest time of your life,
Make loads of true friends,
Get truly invaluable experience,
Love every second of it.

It is safe to say my time in Tanzania was one of the best experiences i've had to date. I would be lying if i said that i had worried about my arrival and the fact i wouldn't know anyone but in perspective my worries were unnecessary. Everybody was in the exact same boat as me and therefore it was easy to get on with and make friends with everyone. On arrival at Dar Mdoe (Gap medics representative) was there to meet everyone off their flights and along with Jerry we were accompanied all the way to Iringa.

When you first arrive at the house they tell you that it's your "home." And although at first you may be skeptical (i know i was) it wasn't long until i realised it really was. The staff were friendly, welcoming and always eager to help causing you to feel more than comfortable.

The placements at the hospital were also amazing. The doctors gave amazing notes and were eager for you to learn and take away from the experience. You'll also find that in Tanzania the placements you get in the hospital are more 'access all areas' and hands on than anything you can find on the UK. This is explained by a phrase that became very common among the students T.I.A (this is africa).

In our free time there was more than enough to do. Everyone spends a lot of time in town, the Masai market, warthogs and Neema's being particular favourites. Not only can you "shop till you drop" but you can help out at the orphanages, go horse riding and take a walk up to "The Rock" to watch the sunset go down.

I also went on safari which was an amazing experience. How close you get to the animals is extraordinary, much better than visiting any old zoo.

I can't write enough about how amazing my experience was. At the end of the two weeks i wished i had booked up for longer and i have been left seriously considering going back next summer.

I had an amazing experience with Gap Medics Tanzania! The staff were excellent, going out of their way to make sure all the students felt at home and had everything they needed. The house was really nice too, spacious and clean, couldn't ask for much better. When I was there you could only have a hot shower in the day time because the water was heated by solar power, which was a little inconvenient, but compared to most accommodations in Africa, this is a minor issue and one that they intend to improve upon as soon as they can. As far as the hospital went, I found all the doctors very welcoming and eager to teach. I learned and saw so many things that I would have never gotten the chance to do here at home and I really think this experience will help me a lot in med school interviews. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone considering a career in medicine or nursing!

Gap Medics was the best program I could have chosen for the summer before staring university as a pre-med student in the US. I was dreading starting the eight year run through undergraduate school and medical school-- I needed an amazing trip before it all to clear my head and make sure medicine is really what I want to commit so much time to. Gap Medics was the perfect program, I learned so much not only about how local hospitals in Tanzania deal with their resources and the prevalent local illnesses, but also about East African culture (African time!) and even picked up some Swahili! I always felt safe in the house, loved the delicious food prepared by our amazing chef Akiba, and made amazing friends with so much in common who I still stay in touch with!
A day looked something like: waking up early, eating a hearty breakfast, taking a Malaria pill :), busing 30 min to Tosamaganga hospital, shadowing a doctor per week and asking them questions as they explain to us what they are asking patients and how they are being treated, an hour-ish lecture on a disease by a doctor from the hospital, busing back to Iringa to either get lunch in town or back home to make your own, and then free time for the rest of the day! We often went to Neema's Cafe to use the internet and eat, shopped around town, or visited local orphanages. There were weekly soccer (fine, football) matches with the students and staff, and weekly mouth-watering barbeques! I went on two excursions, to Ruaha National Park on a safari and to Zanzibar island - honestly, the perfect vacations!
By far the best month of my life thus far, and always a great experience for me to bring up during interviews. A great opportunity to learn and have a great time!

I went to India, as it is somewhere Ive always wanted to go but always thought I would never go alone. However, you make your decision, if you choose Jodphur in India, I can tell you right now it wont be one you'll regret.

A bundle of nerves as i got off my plane, I was instantly greeted by Deya, the manager in India and from that moment on I knew I was in safe hands.

The house is gorgeous. You are not short of space if you want any alone time and there is plenty of room to mess about it and relax together as a group. The town itself has the amazing market in the clock tower, which you could spend every afternoon of your stay in and have a different experience, the palace, the fort, the dozens of delicious restaurants, the gardens and the temples... its safe to say youre never short of stuff to do- and guided with solid advice the whole way by the staff!

we spent monday to friday 10-1 on placement in the hospital under the guidance of lovely mentors. The hospital is busy, full of life and extremely different to those under the NHS! Each mentor was different, each with an extensive knowledge on their topic and eager to teach you and answer any questions you have. the more the better!!! The hospital is completely mental to be honest, but it works well and the staff are welcoming and friendly and the patients in awe! You will not feel uneasy or in anyones way here, you may just feel like a celebrity for the time you spend there! each afternoon you are given a clinical session on a specific topic, which gives you the insight in to a condition and how it is tested and treated. these are very useful too and get the brain working in a clinical way! If youre not there, you are free to head to surgery, where you can witness anything from 1-10 surgerys in a couple of hours!yet again you will be guided through the process and all questions answered.

After this, the day is your own. i did yoga in the house for my stay and it was a great finish to a busy hospital day and a good tough work out! ruby is a well known teacher in Jodphur and as felxible as a pretzel!

The food in the house was good, it was varied enough and the staff are always keen to hear sugestions and be taught any recipes you know!

My time in India was honestly one of the best times of my life, each housemate was unique and lovely and I know I have made some true friends. My experience was unquestionably priceless! from what i learned in the hospital to the time i spent with the locals on camel safaris and on trips around town with a few of the doctors, India was everything I wanted it to be and more. The colours, the lifestyle, the food and the people have formed a bundle of memories i never want to forget.

If you want a life changing experience as well as an amazing medical placement where you will experience and learn more than a year in medical school as well as jumping into a culture that is so different and so fantastic to witness, choose India. It will not fail to meet any level of expectations, infact, I have no doubt, It will exceed them all!

It's hard to put into words how valuable I found my month with Gap Medics, so I will explain a bit about myself first. I am the type of person who is usually never satisfied with the services and items that I purchase, I always feel like I have wasted my money and could have done without it. I am happy to say I don't feel at all like this trip was a waste, in fact if I did not have to go back to England I could have quite happily stayed there for longer.

From the start the Gap Medics staff were fantastic, they worked so hard for all of the students and made us feel really welcome. It made things so much more comfortable for me, as I had never traveled on my own to a new country before. The hospital placements were interesting and I was shown how to perform many clinical skills (e.g. the percussion technique) and observe a range of surgeries. This has expanded my clinical knowledge and has been really useful in medical interviews I had after returning from my trip. The social life was fantastic as everyone was interested in medicine and were enthusiastic about exploring Thailand. Safety was never a worry as we were looked after really well by the staff.

If you want to have a fantastic experience and learn about medicine at the same time, really consider using Gap Medics. You wont regret it. 11/10

i wasn't sure whether i could survive in an actual hospital because of the gore and sad stories, but i wanted to do medicine, so i went on this trip to get an experience of an actual working hospital. i saw operations (up close), wards, charts of patients that are very lucky to be alive, etc. the doctors we were with explained (in english) each case so that we could understand what they did and why. additionally the staff are really really amzing and nice people, we were cared for by jaime and meow, (if they are there you can be sure you are in good hands). Also the extra attractions like tiger kingdom (getting to hold actual tigers!) are seriously cool! and the night life is fun (if you are old and responsible enough)