Join Atlantis: Pre-Health Shadowing 60+ Hrs w/ Top Doctors

This program is an amazing way to discover if medicine is truly for you. This program allows you to spend 20+ hours shadowing doctors in the hospital in different specialties such as surgery, gynecology, cardiology, radiology, emergency, nephrology, and many more. By studying medicine in a different country, you will learn about the differences in healthcare in the United States and foreign healthcare. Weekly excursions are provided to big attractions in the country which are a fun way to see the culture of the country as well as historical sites and tourist attractions. This trip was so extremely fun and the friendships I made on it are some that will last forever.

My Atlantis Fellowship changed my life! Atlantis provided me with the unique opportunity to shadow doctors and gain knowledge about international healthcare systems while exploring a new country and experiencing a different culture. I not only discovered a rich culture in a country I had never visited, but I also discovered a new confidence within myself and true desire to practice medicine. Because I am an Atlantis Fellow and I did experience a culture different from the United States, I feel that I am a more understanding person and I can be a doctor who is aware of and can appreciate the diversity of different cultures. Additionally, because I was encouraged to take the initiative and connect with each doctor I met, I now have a unique professional network that not only spans multiple disciplines but multiple countries! This trip was the best decision I ever made!!

Atlantis is what it claims to be, and does what it claims to do. This is a legitimate program that if you have the money and passion/curiosity then you should go for it. This program has value as a 3rd tier or 4th tier addition to your medical applications - it won't make or break you, but it is worth doing if it won't break the bank.

This was an amazing experience, primarily because of our excellent site manager. Be friendly with everyone, and those willing to give back will do so 10-fold. Doctors, locals, Atlantis staff, other fellows, etc. I found a second family and support network of peers in the states.

I would highly recommend using this program to get an insider's view on how the day-to-day of a medical professional in a foreign country works. This can give you a taste of what types of fundamental things to expect here in the U.S.A. medical field.

Where do I begin? I really have no words to describe to you how amazing this program was. Not only because of the 60+ hours of shadowing professional Italian doctors, but the memories and bonds that I made with the other fellows is what made this worthwhile. I met 14 of the greatest people you could ever meet and got to experience a foreign country with them; what could be better?

This program has impacted my life post program by giving me and upper edge when I start to apply for medical school. I hope and pray that they ask me all about this in the interview because I could go on and on and on about it. I learned so much from the hospital and from the country itself.

To future participants: GO FOR IT! Take the chance and get out of your comfort zone. Atlantis is an A grade program with A grade staff and managers that will help you along every step of the way.

Being a fellow with the Atlantis Project was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I learned so much and saw things up close that I would never have been able to see in the U.S. I. Was in the OR for real brain surgery! My roommate is now one of my best friends and a surgeon is a friend. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Nothing in the states compares this fellowship. And as a bonus, I was in Italy!! I got almost 90 shadowing hours in one month! That alone makes this fellowship worth every penny.

Through Atlantis I gained experience and was given an amazing opportunity to combine my two passions of travel and medicine. The staff at Atlantis are the most amazing people I have ever worked with, they truly care about the fellows that are accepted into the program and work so hard to ensure that fellows are safe at their locations as well as constantly trying to improve their programs so that students have the best experiences and opportunities. I was able to watch several surgeries, sit in on patient appointments, and see how immunological research is applied in hospitals. With the doctors that I shadowed I was able to see how much their work affected both them and their patient. They were all so passionate about their work and wanted me to learn and see as much as I could while I was there. I was blessed with an opportunity to be there when a patient found out that they were in remission and seeing all that the hospitals and doctors do only solidified my passion and pursue of medicine. I never would have been able to have these experiences and explore such a beautiful country if it were not for Atlantis. I would recommend anyone interested in medicine apply to Atlantis, you will not regret it.

Shadow Abroad in Athens, Greece!
Submitted by Miranda O'Connor - University of Mary Washington | December 07, 2017

My 4-week Atlantis Fellowship in Athens, Greece was by far the best experience I have ever been through. Atlantis allowed me to immerse myself into a culture I was unfamiliar with while also allowing me to shadow several doctors in many different specialties! During my time at Ippokrateio General Hospital in Athens, I rotated through Anesthesiology, General Surgery, ENT, and GI (while there was also Cardiothoracic surgery available!) All of the doctors I worked with were inviting and eager to help us learn, and were efficient at translating anything we were not able to understand. Furthermore, the living quarters offered to the fellows was stellar. I was in an apartment with 3 others, just 1 block from Syntagma Square, which is the center of Athens. It was extremely easy to navigate the area and easy to learn how to use the metro, tram, and bus systems.

As far as leadership went, my site managers were also very helpful and always available if you had any questions! It was nice to have the group meals multiple times a week to bond with others you did not reside with, and also to explore new places, or try new foods! My site managers were great at taking us to restaurants that offered authentic Greek cuisine to ensure we got the full experience!

Lastly, it was nice having each weekend to ourselves. Every weekend, my roommates and I made plans. Especially in Greece, or Europe in general, it is very easy to island hop, or travel to other countries fairly inexpensively. Athens was also nice because with the tram in Syntagma Square, we were only a 30 minute ride from the beach, which was a common destination many days after shadowing!

Overall, this was an amazing experience that was definitely worth it! From Atlantis, I gained clinical experience, cultural immersion, and also lasting friendships! (my roommate (from Greece) actually flew to my school last week and we still talk daily!) I would recommend this program to anyone interested in a career in medicine. If I can find the time, I hope to go on another Atlantis Fellowship!!

At first, I was a little skeptical of the whole experience since I hadn't heard of it before, and it wasn't affiliated directly with a well known university. However, Atlantis completely exceeded my expectations from the preparation before the trip, and relations during and after the trip. The staff at Atlantis is AMAZING. The fellowship was very meaningful also. You shadow doctors four days a week, for up to about 20 hours. Also, you are rotated in different specialities each week, therefore, you learn so much in a short amount of time. There is an excursion each week and it really helps get you acclimated to the culture and city that you are living in. I absolutely fell in love with Barcelona in the short 3 weeks that I spent there. For Pre-Health students, I know our time is very valuable, and this is definitely worth the time and money. I'm pre-PA and found this experience just as meaningful as the pre-med students. If you are even slightly considering Atlantis, choose this fellowship! You will not regret it.