Atlantis

My Atlantis experience was one that I’ll never forget and one that helped me narrow down my search for the specialty I would be most interested in pursuing a career in! I spent two and a half weeks this past winter in Pavia, Italy where I had to opportunity to shadow Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, General Surgery, and Nephrology alongside 17 other like-minded and driven undergraduate students from across the country. This experience was so unique because no other program gives students the opportunity to shadow physicians in hospitals while also getting a chance to be fully immersed in a foreign country and getting the chance to explore what the culture of your host nation has to offer! One of my favorite things that Atlantis offered me was the relationships I formed with the other students on my trips. Many of us still keep in contact to this day and it’s so great being able to catch back up with them from time to time and see how they are doing both personally as well as with their journey towards a career in healthcare. Atlantis offered me so much and I’m thankful that I had a chance to complete not one but two trips and I want to encourage anyone looking for a similar experience to apply today!

The Atlantis Fellowship will open your eyes, your ears, and your heart. During my Atlantis Fellowship in Genova, Italy, I was able to observe incredible and advanced surgical procedures and create lasting relationships with doctors and friends. I recently became an alumni ambassador for Atlantis because I truly believe the Atlantis Fellowship experience can help many future doctors. My trip greatly helped confirm my goal of becoming a physician, and more specifically a surgeon. Although I have dreamed of becoming a doctor since I was a child, it was during my Atlantis Fellowship in Italy that my dream finally looked as if it could be a reality. Recently, I tore my ACL and both lateral and medial menisci. I chose local anesthesia and a femoral nerve block for the arthroscopic surgery so I could to stay awake and watch my surgery on a monitor. I watched as my surgeon removed my patellar tendon and grafted it as a new ACL. Surprisingly, this experience felt just like my time in Italy, except this time I was the patient on the table. After four weeks in Italy observing Orthopedic, Neuro, and Vascular surgery as well as Urology, I had the courage to watch a procedure done on myself and reminisce on my time in Genova. If I could go on an Atlantis Fellowship again, I certainly would. Atlantis provided me with a life-changing opportunity to experience healthcare in a foreign country and to be exposed to the rewarding, yet often difficult life of doctors and surgeons. The physicians I met will continue to be inspirations to me, as they were so kind, caring and hardworking. The Atlantis Fellowship is without a doubt a one-of-a-kind experience for those looking to become physicians or PAs.

Atlantis is truly an exceptional and unparalleled program. Being able to witness surgeons perform life-saving procedures is the greatest opportunity and something hard to find in the United States. My favorite experience was witnessing a surgeon remove an entire brain tumor he did not think he could resect all of. Atlantis is a very professional program, yet very fun at the same time. I met many good friends from around the country with whom I have kept in contact with. Being surrounded by students who share similar interests as you is incredible as they encourage you and can help you confirm your goals for the future.

I would also like to note that the Atlantis employees have remained so consistent and helpful even months after I returned from Italy. The members of the Atlantis team make the program what it is- wonderful.

The Atlantis Fellowship was something that really solidified my interest in the medical field. I always loved medicine, but I never knew exactly what field I was interested in. Atlantis helped me shadow over 4 different departments (including surgeries) in just 4 weeks. Other than the medical aspect of Atlantis, I was also able to experience a different culture first hand. Being in a different culture opened my mind up to so many more ideas and opportunities. Atlantis is truly the perfect medical experience for future health professionals that love to travel/explore new ideas.

Atlantis gave me such a valuable experience in my path to medicine. I shadowed for over 85 hours in 4 different departments (OBGYN, pediatrics, general surgery, and emergency department). The town of Szekesfehervar, Hungary is filled with kind, welcoming, and humble people and the hospital was no different. Atlantis always made a great effort to make all of the fellows feel safe, welcomed, and comfortable with the experience. The Site Managers were Hungarian natives and were absolutely fabulous to spend time with. The cultural experience that comes along with the hospital shadowing was challenging and rewarding. The program was the perfect combination of experiential learning, cultural immersion, and free time to travel and explore. I made lasting connections with the other fellows on my program, and that has given me such a valuable network of other pre-med students across the U.S. I'm so thankful that I learned so much about medicine, Hungary, and cultural competence through the Atlantis Fellowship!

I completed my shadowing in a hospital in Inca, Mallorca.
It was a very beneficial and inspiring experience.
I shadowed in the department of internal medicine during my first week and in the department of gastroenterology during the second week of the program.
I gained a lot of experience during the shadowing hours, where I completed around 40 hours of rounds, clinic hours, endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures, and surgeries.
The program opened my eyes into the world of healthcare and triggered my passion too become the best doctor I can be.
I was able to form many professional relations with hospital staff, and made friends with the Fellows that were in the same program with me. I also learned a lot about the culture of Mallorca during the weekly excursions.
The program is highly recommended for all pre-health students, and especially for people who are not sure if they want to pursue this job.