Program Reviews

Hello, my name is Eleni, I am in a medical internship here at the Metropolitan General Hospital in Athens Greece. I am a premed major in Boston Massachusetts and I’m here doing this internship in order to build my resume for medical school and to get an interesting experience here in Greece, also because my roots are here in Greece- I am heritagely Greek. So I chose Greece to come here and experience a different side of medicine. The company here did a great job of orientating us to come to the hospital and meet other students from the U.S. and other parts of the world, as well as meeting the people here inside, the hospital and other people who work there, like in the O.R. and other specialty areas.

Hey I am Anna, I am from Brentwood, South Carolina and I go to Clemson University and I am studying biology there. I chose the medical internship because I wanted to get more experience with doctors and like following around, and this was the perfect thing to do and it was in Greece so I chose it. My highlights from the trips were definitely seeing surgery, I love orthopedics and now I am thinking about going into it. My favorite parts about Greece were definitely the nightlife and the sights were really cool and I loved just getting around and exploring the city

Hi, my name is Mallory, I am from South Florida. I wanted to do a medical internship as I wanted to gain some more hands-on experience and also see how things operate outside the U.S., in other countries. The coordination of the program was really good, the people were very nice, it was safe and nicely accommodated. Our program was really nice. It was nice to have roommates; it was a lot of fun. A highlight from my medical internship was definitely seeing a facelift, I’m really into plastics, and we were able to decide kind of where we wanted to go.

I really liked Athens, it’s overwhelming at first but you kind of get the hang of it. Makes you feel very independent. My favorite thing here was going to Santorini; it was incredibly enjoyable.

Hi, my name is Samarah Alam and I am from Virginia. I am a student at the University of Central Florida. I wanted to do this medical internship because I love the medical field and I really want to get into the medical field as medical life is and really get to see all the different specialties and the different doctors and surgeons and all that.

I think a major highlight of this internship is getting to know on a personal level the relationships with the surgeons getting to discover all the surgeries and really getting the feel of what it’s like to be a doctor or a surgeon.

The program was everything that we needed and more. They took us up from the airport, they were always in contact with us and helped us with everything out so smoothly.

I think my favorite part about Greece is just, everywhere you go is something even more beautiful than the last thing you saw. It’s amazing. Everybody is nice here. The food is delicious and there are so many islands that are so easy to get to and they’re even prettier.

Hi, my name is Jahvani and I am a fourth-year pre-med student. This has been the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. I chose this program just to gain some more exposure and try to understand a medical system outside and away from my own country.

The opportunities I have been given here are so great. I’ve got to see incredible surgeries and meet some great people. Everybody here has been so nice, the coordination has been incredible whatever we need they are really a text away, so if you feel unsafe, don’t. It’s been super safe here.

My favorite part about Greece has been the food and there’s also so much time to explore the area, and so much to do. So, you’re in for a good time. I definitely recommend it.

Hello, my name is Audrey Narhi. I am a second-year University student from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. I chose the medical internship because I really wanted to experience a healthcare system outside of the U.S. I really wanted to relate it back to the U.S. so in my future career I can really have a broader understanding of healthcare in general.

My favorite part about the medical internship was definitely working with the University here. I really loved seeing facilitators in a different setting other than in the U.S. I am a nursing student so I took that very personally. The doctor was very nice in explaining everything. Coordination wise I felt very comfortable and coming into this. When I got off the plane I was very nervous but I had a driver there waiting for me and then when I got to my very nice apartment I was happily greeted and I really felt at home quicker than I thought I would.

Athens, Greece in general, is absolutely beautiful. The medical internship gives you enough time to really explore the city and outside the city- take day/weekend trips. So, there’s a very nice balance of doing your solo traveling, meeting people to travel with as well as gaining experience for your career. So I would highly recommend it. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Cameron Gibson from the United States. I go to Morgan State University. I originate from Kentucky. I’ve chosen this internship because I have been training here with a different program, but I wanted to experience Athens myself. I’ve had a really great time here, the people are awesome, the food is very good. My internship itself has been a lot of fun. I learnt a lot. I got to do a lot of amazing things with Dr Dimitri. I got to see some awesome surgeries; it’s just overall a great experience. My accommodation has been great, I really enjoyed my apartment. I think I couldn’t have picked a better program.

Hi, my name is Angie Juha I am from Palestine; I am studying in the European University of Cyprus, this is my fourth year. I came to Cerca Abroad for the second year because I recommend it so much and it helped me so much to get more experience, hands- on practice, my Greek language since I am studying in Cyprus, and I just felt like it was really helpful for my future. Especially since I’ll be coming soon again and this experience has been different from last year because I’m used to everything that happened and I know my way around. The coordinators are very helpful and, yes, that’s it! Thank you Cerca Abroad.

Hello, my name is Peter and I am from Hong Kong. I study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong medical school. And I am Lisa and I’m also studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong I am also here for medical studies.

We came here for this medical internship because we wanted to learn more about medicine in general and to get a better grasp on medicine and the surgical aspects of medicine. Also, to look at the different cultures and different hospitals in Greece and look at the differences between Greece and Hong Kong. For me, Peter, I wanted to look at the different specialties and get to choose between different career choices, like to see what it is like for different specialties and I think it was good to see the difference between the healthcare system in Hong Kong and Greece. So, some of the major highlights of this experience would be seeing cardio treatment for the first time and as long as entering into the operation room, we would be able to see things which we wouldn’t have been able in Hong Kong, such as the OGDs, the formation of fistulas was also quite interesting and we’ve seen one finished and one in progress of being done.

And for me, Lisa, I liked the lab because it is really interesting to see how the cavity is inserted into the body and see the difference it’s making. So this is a precious chance to see surgeries. I would never have the chance in Hong Kong. As for the accommodation, it was very nice. The apartment was large, it was clean and it was very convenient to come from the apartment to the hospital. It was like a twenty-minute journey I think. There were a lot of supermarkets nearby. There was very good support from all the staff and also the hospital staff. Any questions we had would be answered very quickly and we were very happy to visit.

As for Athens in general I think it’s one of the most beautiful cities and we have been to different tourist spots and I took a lot of pictures there. Everything good is generally quite regular and we’ve found good food when we would go into the restaurants were really great when we have stayed in Athens. Everything was just fine.

Hi there, I’m Kelly, I am from Sydney, Australia and I chose to do this medical internship because I wanted to better my medical knowledge and be able to experience the hospital environment to a closer and more detailed extent. As I am an undergraduate medical student in Australia Sydney, this experience helped me be able to get to know the hospital environment a lot better as well.

So, some of the highlights of the trip include being able to really see the vast experiences of the doctors are having in this hospital. We were able to go to clinics in one week- and that would include things like neurology, cardiology- and we were even able to visit the emergency room for a couple of cases as well. It was really interesting. Apart from that, we were also able to have a lot of time in the OR, in surgeries as well. The surgeons there were very lovely and very wonderful. In particular, yesterday we had a vascular surgeon who was able to show us the case and talk us through everything that was going on, and show us on the screen and on imaging where each particular vein. So it was all a really great experience. Other than that we’ve had amazing experiences with other specialties as well. For example orthopedics, plastics and also general surgery. So, overall it was a really great experience to be able to see all these different specialties and how they interact with each other. Also how they were able to welcome patients and better their care and give them the best possible outcomes.

In terms of the communication by this team, it was really wonderful in helping me with all my questions. Before the trip I was unsure about some certain things and I didn’t hesitate at all to send them emails and questions and they were very lovely and quick at responding. So, if you have any hesitations about coming on this trip, just send them an email, ask them any questions and they will be very quick to respond and they will be really great. In terms of doing the trip they were also very lovely with all the organization. From with the first day there, they will actually take you to the hospital themselves and even from the airport, they had a driver who is able to pick you up. So, there’s no concern about safety at all and also Athens is a very safe place. So overall I really enjoyed this trip.

Athens itself is beautiful, in Australia right now it’s actually winter, so it was good to escape to Athens where it’s very bright and sunny- it was really great. So, if it's winter where you are, then definitely come over during the summer, and overall, also, being able to meet these lovely interns- there’s heaps of other interns that you can make friends with during the internship as well. I made some really close friends from all different parts of the world, especially the US and the UK - but also from various other countries- and we became really close over the course of the trip so I would highly recommend it.