Program Reviews

I spent two weeks at the Gap Medics house in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in August of 2014. Some staff met a group of us at the airport and took us back to the house. They were all friendly and helpful throughout my stay, which really made the experience great.

The Gap Medics house was just fantastic in my opinion. Small apartments and the larger house surround the gardens (with cosy seating areas), a large sheltered outdoor eating area, and the swimming pool. The staff are always available to answer any questions you may have, or help you with something. My only criticism of the service at the house is the food. Although, the cooks were lovely and friendly ladies, the food just was not to my liking - too oily! But I think most people liked the food so it could have just been me. With that said, it doesn't cost much to eat out at a restaurant in central Chiang Mai but you will have to get a group of people to share the taxi bill to get there and back. I did this a lot, with a few other people.

I have mostly praises for the experience I gained at the dental clinic and hospital. The dentist and dental nurses were all friendly and happily allowed you to observe all the procedures. At the clinic, another student and I got to assist the dentist with moisture control during some procedures.The only drawback being that the staff at the dental clinic speak very limited English, so you really have to be observant and note things done and perhaps look it up in a book later or on the internet! But the experience is still very useful.

The best experience was at the dental department of the hospital in Chiang Mai. The three dentists spoke English very well, so were able to explain what they were doing during procedures. They prepared a few activities for us as well. We got to remove the carious region of an extracted tooth using an air turbine handpiece with bur tip and do an amalgam filling; carve a wax model of an incisor to the correct dimensions and morphology; practise suturing; and practise the 'surgeon's knot' to improve manual dexterity.

I would recommend going on the Hill Tribe trip on the weekend. Just amazing!! Riding elephants through the jungle and white water rafting. You get to know everyone on the trip a lot more too. I really loved getting to know so many people from around the globe and exploring the city in my free time. It's a fantastic experience.

I spent 3 weeks with Gap medics in Thailand last summer. It was a great experience, I throughly enjoyed everyday I was there and I learned a lot from my stay. I've always wanted to study medicine and thought this was the perfect way to gain vital work experience as well as being given the opportunity to travel somewhere i'd never been before.

The placements are well organised, interesting and helpful. I was able to watch various procedures, as well as visit different hospitals and shadow different doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. I feel the experience fuelled my passion for medicine and gave me a real insight into the career.

The Gap Medics house in Thailand is great. The staff are really friendly and are always nearby ready to help. The rooms are basic but nice. Each has their own bathroom, I shared a room with 2 other girls and became good friends with them over the placement. The facilities at the house are great, the pool is perfect after a day at the hospital. Breakfast and dinner is provided at the house and the food is amazing! The cooks are really nice too!

The only downside to the house is it is far from the centre so it can be difficult to get into town sometimes. however, the staff are always happy to help you book a taxi with drivers that they know and trust. Another benefit of staying the 3 weeks is after 2, you complete classes and have more free time in the afternoon to explore!

Overall, I would recommend gap medics to anyone whose thinking of going, it's a great experience and you meet loads of new people.

The house was amazing as were the people! Everyone was so helpful and friendly and the cooking was amazing!! I felt well catered for being vegetarian! Only down side was sometimes had long time to wait between births and there was nothing else for us to do in the meantime but other than that I totally loved and would recommend to anyone!

Gap medics is awful. They emailed me the week that my final deposit was due telling me that my placement had changed from chaing mai (tourist area) to phitsanulok (rural and nothing to do). They assrured me that the house would be beautiful and just like the other houses. We were the first group at the new house and it was less than perfect. The power kept going out the plumbing didn't work for days there was no food / chef and we were luck to get toast or cereal (maybe cold eggs on a good day). There was also no security gaurd and the "amazing social area" looked like a few tables set up behind a garage. The placements were a mess and the days consisted of waiting around for a mentor to show up just to tell us there was nothing to do. The mentor would try to find other doctors for us to observe but none were confident enough I n their English or able to take on our large group of students. We had 8 students to 1 mentor, which was gap medics fault not the hospitals, but made it impossible to learn anything. I would avoid phitsanulok at all costs atleast until they get everything organized and running.

I always wanted to be a doctor, but I knew I had to do something in order to reassure that it would be the best occupation for me. That is when I decided to do some research for a program that would submerge me into the medical world in a way in which I had never seen it before. I stumbled across the program Gap Medics, and after doing a lot of research, decided it was the perfect program for me!

From the beginning, the staff at Gap Medics were always only a phone call or email away. They would constantly check up on me and assure I had everything prepared prior to arrival. It was really reassuring knowing that I was going to be taken care of before, during, and after my time with Gap Medics.

The minute I got off the plane, I was greeted by the friendliest of faces from the Gap Medics team and I knew I was in great hands. After a good night's sleep in a well accommodating hotel, we embarked on our long bus journey to the town of Iringa. Though a long ride, it was a great introduction to Africa and was never boring.

Finally in the town of Iringa, we were welcomed by a whole team of staff and fellow participants. We were shown our accommodations and I could not have been more impressed! Bright, spacious, and clean bathrooms and bedrooms are scattered across the property that really feel like your home away from home. The common house is equipped with a full kitchen and family room as well! Not to mention, the property is very safe with full security and barriers.

Now on to the best part of Gap Medics, the placement! It was truly amazing being placed in different parts of the hospital each week. I was able to witness and participate in things I never thought possible. For instance, my second week there I watched an above the knee amputation....best day of my life! I even got to help put casts on broken arms, administer shots, and help assist in surgeries! It was the best experience I could've asked for and really showed me what it is like to be a doctor.

In addition to the medical placements, I was able to volunteer at a local orphanage for a week. This was another life-changing experience. Being able to help out in any way was truly rewarding.

Though you can't always have all work and no play and Tanzania has a lot to offer! We frequently visited the shops, markets, and restaurants in Iringa after our work day or during the weekends. If you are wondering if you should do the safari they provide, my answer is YES. It was one of the best experiences of my life. The weekend trip gives you everything you could ever want out of an authentic safari; not to mention the lodge you stay at is absolutely gorgeous.

I recommend this program to everyone. I was there for a month and it was the best month of my life. It truly offered learning experiences you just can't get in the States.

This program completely exceeded my expectations. Upon arrival you automatically feel welcomed. Within little time I felt like I had known everyone my entire life and we truly did feel like a family. The staff and mentors were so kind and helpful. There was never a dull or boring moment. The food was terrific and we definitely looked forward to meal times. I learned more in the 3 weeks I was there than I have ever learned in that amount of time. I would have never been able to experience and witness the great things I did in the hospital without Gapmedics. I was nervous 3 weeks would be too long and I would get homesick, but leaving was hard because I wanted to stay in Tanzania longer and so did everyone in the program. This program is educational, fun, and so worth the cost.

My entire trip was jam packed with things to do- educationally and leisurely. The medical experience was incredible, and I met some amazing friends on the resort and within the community.

Monday-Friday, I spent my days at Chiang Mai's Hospital of Neurology (the placement of my choice) which was incredible. Each day I spent in a different ward (ie. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Surgery, etc.) and I was able to learn about the different procedures while bonding with the staff and patients. In the evenings, we had clinical sessions and Thai lessons. In our down time, we explored the local temples and went Bungy Jumping (that was scary, but so much fun!)

The GapMedics staff was very welcoming and helpful. They engaged in games with us during our down time, and even guided us throughout the city to show us the local stores and attractions.

One experience stood out to me the most:
On my last night there, I got on a red taxi to the airport. With red taxi's, they are cheaper but anyone can flag down the driver and get aboard at the driver's discretion. At the time, three people had got on after I did. One of the people that got on was a teacher, and was able to speak some English. After speaking with her, I realized I would not make it to the airport in time to make my flight if they were dropped off first as planned. The local spoke with the driver and requested to be dropped off immediately and paid the driver so that I would be able to make it to the airport in time. I couldn't help but cry after experiencing such kindness from strangers I had just met.

I'm going to miss the whole experience- the program, community and friends that I made. I would recommend it to anyone!

This program was one of the most influential experiences in regards to gaining clinical experience for medical school. Gap Medics provided me a chance to see healthcare in a setting that is dramatically different from the one I've experienced back at home (United States). The surgeries that you'll see and the way that healthcare is delivered is one of the most eye-opening experiences. It is definitely a chance to step outside your comfort zone and gain insight to medicine practiced in other parts of the world. Additionally, the people that you meet in the program adds to the wonderful experience of connecting with peers from other parts of the world with radically different backgrounds.

I spent 3 weeks at the gap medics house in Tanzania and can say with confidence that they were some of the best 3 weeks of my life. I meet amazing students from around the world and learned A LOT about medicine in the short time I spent at the hospital. The doctors were great and the Gap Medics staff was more than welcoming. The food was wonderful, orientation very thorough, always things going on (fun things!) and informative seminars. These 3 weeks helped guide me in the right direction and am now entering a physician assistant program in the Fall. Thanks Gap Medics for the amazing opportunity!

I have been to Thailand in 2014, and it is a truly amazing experience. Part of the reason is you don't get such opportunities to 'be a staff' in fields related to healthcare. I enjoyed everyday of the trip. Not only you are allowed to visit the deepest part of their system, also to meet some fantastic or even life long friends. The staffs were so nice and they were so helpful in everything. It is just amazing.