Gap Medics: Pre-medicine programs

I had a great time!! I got loads of amazing experience and made some great friends. I was able to view surgeries such as C-Sections and help out with minor tasks. Would definatly recommend it to anyone.

India was a fantastic opportunity. After raising all the money to get there through bake sales and alike I really made the most of the experience. I was able to shadow doctors in 4 different hospital departments, watch 16 different surgical procedures including 2 open heart surgeries and experience a fantastic culture. I would throughly recommend this experience to anyone interested in medicine or any other of the services that gap medics offer. It was the best thing I ever decided to do.

Fantastic experience of medicine in another culture. Great doctors and support staff. Loved it! Liked the day to day work in the hospital - rotation around the departments meant I got to see a big variety.

Without a doubt my time spent volunteering in the small hospital in Iringa, tanzania was one of the highlights of my life so far.
I learned so many valuable lessons that broadened my horizons in a holistic sense. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to take a trip to a new and exciting country

I was in Iringa, Tanzania for about four weeks and loved just about every minute of it. I learnt so many things and had so many great experiences. It was hard at times, seeing the things the people over there have to deal with on a day to day basis. but the support and friendship offered to us by the staff and other students was invaluable. I wouldn't do it any other way.

If you are looking for a trip of a lifetime then look no further. This trip has truly opened my eyes, not only in the field of medicine but in the world as a whole.

The medical experience I gained over in Tanzania was a focal point of my interviews for medical school this year. However I was glad I had time before my interviews to consolidate my thoughts as when I first got home I couldn’t stop talking about everything I had seen!

You will experience first hand the reality of a lack resources in health care as well as a variety of tropical diseases. You really are involved from day one and there is such a variety of medical issues to discover, from the intriguing science behind some cases to the ethics of how cases are dealt with. As well as actually seeing patients on ward rounds you will have the chance to be lectured by the doctors on a variety of medical conditions. The intimate groups of teaching are a fantastic way to learn more about individual diseases. I saw and learnt more than I could ever have imagined.

Outside hospital hours, you stay in lovely accommodation in Iringa. The house is well equipped for your stay and there is a wide variety of food to eat. Akiba the chef is fantastic at cooking a variety of local cuisine, allowing you to feel you have tasted Tanzania and also cooking food from your homeland to stop you missing home! The staff out in Iringa are so welcoming and friendly and are great at providing you with all the information you need as well as always being there to chat when you need to.

I would rate this trip as one of the best experiences of my life. If there is anything that I would advise it is that perhaps you need to be emotionally prepared for this experience. You see some things that are very difficult and that will stay with you for the rest of your life but that in my opinion will open your eyes to the world of medicine and inspire you do something in the future.

This really is the trip of a lifetime!

The four weeks i spent in Iringa, Tanzania this summer just gone has been the most memorable, educational and confronting experience of my life.
Everything from the food, to the other students, to the African doctors we were shadowing was fantastic, although intense at times. With the wide variety of disease, injuries and surgeries there was always something new to see and learn as well as a few lectures a week from one of the doctors.
Seeing and learning about the general society of Iringa, outside the hospital, is also something that i will never forget. We were given enough free time to make the most of the local craft stalls, safaris and various other tourist attractions
It would not have been nearly as rewarding without the support and friendship we found in the staff at gapmedics and for that i thanks them. This was my first trip overseas, so a litle daunting, but they were with me every step of the way.
I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for the trip of a lifetime!

This experience has given me a tremendous insight into the lives as a doctor. I am more than certain that medicine is the career for me now!! I will always remember what doctor Hope has said: Don;t just be any doctor, be a good doctor.