Observation & Research Internship Placements in Scotland

I am a pre-vet student that was interested in gaining experience in veterinary medicine that would help boost my resume for vet school application. At first glance the Veterinary Medicine Research and Observation Program looked like everything that I could have asked for. My family and I looked up reviews like these and only saw one that was of any concern. Adelante “explained” to me that this review had no factual base. Please don’t let them do this to you about my review.
Before leaving for Scotland I received a document that outlined my responsibilities. It stated, “During your visit, you will have the opportunity to see and participate in animal research at the Welcome Trust Critical Care Laboratory for Large Animals. You will have the opportunity to observe the care of horses and other large farm animals and observe modern techniques being used in clinical case management in the large and small animals undergoing major surgery and visit with our research teams and staff and other animal care clinics.” Unfortunately, the only one of these responsibilities that we were allowed to participate in was to observe modern techniques being used in clinical case management. Even more limiting was the fact that our supervisor in-country stuck us solely in the anesthesia department with little hopes of exploring other departments. This lead to a very boring experience spent standing around in one place.
The first two weeks were very educational as we worked alongside knowledgeable fourth year students and learned a lot of valuable new information. The next four weeks were a nauseating repetition of the same introductory information as new fourth year students came to anesthesia for the first time. I did my best to contact our in-country and out-of-country supervisors to speak with them about other opportunities to see something other than anesthesia. Our in-country supervisor was very inaccessible by phone and email and our out-of-country supervisor put us into contact with another clinic but we were never allowed to go and visit it.
As it may now be clear, we were unable to make contact with anyone who could tell us where to go, what to do, or what was new to see. This frustration ran over into the foretold responsibility to participate in research. Of the fourteen days that were outlined to us by our in-country supervisor as opportunities to research only two of them were actually semi-productive research days. These two days only came about because I did the investigating MYSELF to find the research center and show up there IN HOPES that I may be able to speak with someone face-to-face. When I contacted Adelante to see what if anything we could do to not miss any more of these research days than we already had and how to better access our in-country supervisor their response was, “The ‘research days’ on the schedule you received are new to us” and “in past placements, ‘research days’ were never a part of the program.” This simply does not match up with the list of responsibilities that ADELATE gave us; it CLEARY STATES that we would get the opportunity to research!!!!!! Adelante suggested that we camp outside our in-country supervisor’s office or to ask reception where he was. What good would sitting outside his office all day do other that force us to miss observation of surgeries in the hospital next door?
Fortunately, I did enjoy getting to know the residents in anesthesia because they were incredibly nice and did their best to make our experience enjoyable. I also enjoyed all of the tourist activities that we got to do on the weekends.

When I first arrived to Edinburgh, the first thing that stroke me was how friendly and supportive the citizens were. It immediately built up the excitement I had to spending 6 weeks in the city. On top of that, the accommodation that we were assigned to couldn't have been more convenient: right off the Royal Mile; the historic heart of Edinburgh that is filled with tons of things to see and do. The landlord was also extremely helpful in terms of recommending which tours we could trust. The observation program was phenomenal: the other interns had different levels of experience and came from diverse background so it was great to share our insights and perspectives on distinct experiments that we conducted.

Additionally, since I wasn't yet familiar with the process of data analysis, the professors were very helpful in guiding us through the softwares to accurately conduct experiments, collect the data and then analyze it with specific guidelines.

Traveling around Edinburgh was quite easy and I highly recommend purchasing a bus card (Ridacard) as it significantly facilitated the daily journeys and allowed me to explore around Edinburgh. There's also a bus station that has daily trips to other cities such as Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee for decent prices.

There were tons of activities to keep me busy in the city after our days at the lab; from film festivals to free museums to dance classes...... Meeting people is then not so difficult and you can quickly feel like you belong to the city.

If you are a person that likes to walk around beautiful scenery, explore hidden gardens in addition to loving research: what are you waiting for? This is your chance to improve your skills and challenge yourself socially! Oh and keep in mind that wee means little :)

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect headed into this program, but I definitely got everything out of it that I was looking for. The central living location was awesome for exploring around Edinburgh & our landlord was incredibly friendly and accommodating. The internship itself blew me away and was exactly the sort of experience I was looking for. All the interns and I had a lot of independence in planning our schedule at the University and working with the staff to create our own unique plan. Being we all came from different amounts of research backgrounds, it was nice that the professors tailored each of our experiences to be more specifically suited for our individual needs while still covering a range of the research process (running participants, coding data, learning new software, developing study ideas, etc.). Being in Edinburgh as well was phenomenal because there were plenty of easy ways to travel allowing me to visit the highlands, Glencoe, Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye, Manchester, and I even took a weekend trip to Venice. I would definitely recommend this program to any individual who loves a high level of independence and is looking to further enhance their research abilities-- you will not be disappointed!

I had a great experience in Scotland through the Research and Observation Program Adelante offers. Living accommodations were great, the apartment provided was clean and fully furnished. It was centrally located just off of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh where there were plenty of things to do, both for tourists and the locals. My internship gave me tasks which challenged me, but helped to broaden my perspective outside of American viewpoints. The Adelante staff was easily accessible if there was ever a question or concern. They were helpful and dedicated to making the experience as good as possible.

Edinburgh is such a wonderful town! Everywhere you look just speaks history and beauty. The people are wonderful and friendly, never once did I feel unsafe. The internship was a little out of my study realm, however, my co-workers and boss were wonderful to work with and made my experience that much better. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who is considering it! It was such an amazing summer and I am so sad to be leaving!

Getting to live in Edinburgh for six weeks was a wonderful opportunity. I learned a lot through the veterinary observation program, and I got to explore a country I had never visited before. The locals were really friendly, and the city itself felt pretty safe. Overall, I wish the veterinary program had been more involved, or maybe shortened to four weeks, but I had a great time.

I enjoyed my time in the UK as well as at The Royal School of Veterinary Studies. During the week, we took about a 30 minute bus ride to the hospital. Then we would observe surgery and help the anesthesiologists for about 5 or more hours a day. Professor Clutton, the program administrator, emphasized experiencing the culture. So on the weekends or when we would get an extra day off, I took trips to places such as Pitlochry, Loch Lomond, Glasgow, St. Andrews, and London. There is plenty of things to experience in the UK! This is an experience you definitely won't regret.

I had the best of times studying abroad in Scotland. I met and helped out students and professors studying and researching psychology like myself. From them I learned about all kinds of research being done in their university and in the UK.
Outside of work I had plenty of time to explore the gorgeous Scottish highlands and borders! I have never seen such majestic greenery and had such soft delicious scones before. I also had a great time exploring the interesting sights of both New Town and Old Town with good friends I made while living in Scotland.
Overall a memorable time I will always cherish!