Shadow Doctors 20+ Hrs/Week w/ #1 Pre-Health Provider

2017 Fall semester was the worst semester of my sophomore year at UNCO. I love my school, but I was not living to my fullest potential for my pre-med major. I was losing motivation when I hit one of the hardest courses ( organic chemistry ). I felt sick that whole time. Then I saw a poster that my professor was taking a group up to Spain with the Atlantis program and I didn’t even sleep on it. I immediately went to her office and told her that I needed to go on this trip. Now it’s been a couple months since we got back and I had the most amazing time where I was able to soul search and really think about why I wanted to be a doctor.

I am not the student that has the inspirational story on why I chose to take the path of becoming a doctor. I am a hard worker and believe that if you are healthy and able that it is your duty to help others. Being at the hospital in Ferrol, Spain really gave me the opportunity to talk to patients and observe the team dynamic of surgeons.

I am bilingual and I encourge any bilingual or minority to go on these trips. I felt accepted and was able to put negative thoughts aside so I can truly experience the life of doctors. There are many differences between Spain and the U.S. Spain isn’t as fast paced as the U.S. but it really lets you to see what people look like when they love their job. First week, I got to shadow surgeons and it was so much better than your typical cadaver lab! You get to see living organs and really appreciate how they work together to keep someone alive. I learned that there are many surgeons that are shy like me. Second week I cried of happiness and sadness working with the pediatrician and talking to children from 14 to 3 years old. Watching newborn babies getting check ups and also comforting scared or sick toddlers gave me a rollercoaster of emotions that I had to keep in check.

I had never left the country before. I haven’t even moved out of my parents house! So this trip gave me the opportunity to be myself; learn how to be aware and also look out for my peers. I didn’t feel in danger. I believe that no matter where you are something bad could happen but I did not experience that. When I got back home I felt like myself only ten times better. It made it easier to ignore some negativity around me because I am pursuing my dream to connect with my community and not have to fear what others think of me.

I am so thankful for this program.

I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Ponferrada, Spain for my atlantis fellowship for 3 weeks. It was my first time traveling alone and my first time going to Europe. As soon as I landed in Madrid I quickly became close with all the people in my group and we all began our journey to Ponferrada together. The hospital was small and all of the doctors were hands on and even the ones who didn't speak great english made an effort to break the language barrier. I was given some incredible opportunities to watch surgeries unclose in the OR, seeing 7 surgeries in 3 days. The group excursions on Friday's were so much fun and gave us time to explore little parts of Spain and I was able to travel every weekend to places like Portugal and the northern coast of Spain. By the end of my fellowship my confidence of Spain and traveling had grown and I ended my trip in Barcelona for a few days by myself.

Overall my experience with the Atlantis Project was truly life changing. The four weeks I spent in Madrid flew by much faster than I anticipated, and I was able to make friends that I know will continue to support me for the rest of my life. Being in a different country is very intimidating, but all of the Atlantis staff and all the hospital staff were extremely friendly and supportive. The doctors I shadowed were excellent teachers, and they would teach me little bits about Spain's culture and lifestyle, in addition to teaching me about medicine within the hospital.

I definitely left this program feeling much more confident in moving forward with my journey to medical school, and I truly feel like I have more of a direction with my career choices. This program taught me so much about what lies outside of the US, and I could probably talk about my experience program for hours if it came up in a medical school interview. Overall this was truly a life changing program and I highly recommend it to all students pursuing something in the medical field.

Wow was this trip amazing! I spent 4 weeks in the prettiest little city on the coast of Spain, shadowing at a hospital which grew my medical knowledge massively. In those few short weeks I learned about public healthcare, gained insight on doctor-patient relationships, and furthered my confidence in the medical career path. Not only that, but I gained a best friend, loads of memories from traveling to Barcelona and Madrid, and a perspective on a culture unlike that here in the states. And of course, the food was out of this world! I got to explore my passions for medicine and travel, as well as culture, architecture, and adventure. My group had a hike through a gorgeous nature park, a tour of the coast of Ferrol, as well as a visit to Santiago de Compostela.
Would recommend this to any Pre-medical professionals who love traveling!

My personal experience with Atlantis is easily one of the best experiences in my life. It allowed me to grow and become more knowledgeable of the medical field. It allowed me to see first hand the day to day life of a doctor/surgeon in the hospital. And it allowed me to build professional relationships that I will always treasure. The doctors I encountered were so generous with their time and knowledge. They were eager to teach and show me cool and new things that I hadn't before. I was able to watch surgeries, endoscopies, and experience rotations and clinicals from the perspective of a doctor. Overall Atlantis helped motivate me to continue to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. I'm excited to continue my studies and strive to be successful. When i'm feeling unmotivated, I will definitely look back on this experience to help motivate me to continue to strive. When i'm applying to medical school, this experience will definitely be one of the highlights in my journey.