Program Reviews

Hi, I’ m Elias, I am from Edinburgh in Scotland. I chose Cerca as part of my University elective. I am completing my Master’s, so I’ve been working in healthcare for a number of years now, but I thought this was a great opportunity. It’s quite rare, I think, to find a place where it has both a great clinical aspect as well as a great place and great people. But I think this is what really attracted me to this program. I’ve walked around the world in many different countries, I’ve done many electives overseas and, like I said, generally you find a nice place or a nice hospital. I think Athens is the perfect mix of both to be honest. It’s an amazing city, so much to do in your time off- great two weeks.

Hello, I am Megan Baxter, I am from Virginia and I go to the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. I chose Athens, Greece for my medical internship through an internship abroad because the experience it gave me and I’ve never travelled outside to the world nor had I seen the medical practices in Greece, so it was really interesting to see. I got to stay within a twenty minute metro ride and it was super fun. I have stayed with a couple of girls from other internships and it was really cool to see what they got to experience as well, and I know they loved it just as much as me.
Also, I got to see the Acropolis, I got to see all around Athens, try the amazing food and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone that hasn’t seen the world or whether it’s psychology or medical. They offer so much. You couldn’t have a better experience than this.

Hi, I’m Summer Traub and I am going to the University of Iowa. I did the dental internship here in Athens for three weeks. I got to work with an amazing dentist. He explained what he was doing as he was working with patients, which was very helpful to my learning.
I got to see a variety of things from basic cleanings to extractions and I also got to observe the different techniques that the dentist got to use. Here in Athens I loved getting to make personal connections with the dentist and the patients who I got to see who had multiple cases through my time here. Outside of the internship I loved getting to explore a new culture and the city and the islands that I got to travel at the weekends. The city is amazing, there’s so much to do. It’s a very safe place. If you plan into interning abroad I
definitely recommend going through Cerca. They have great accommodations even from the airport pickup to the apartment I was staying at and even to getting me used to the metro and the tram helping me to find my way to the clinic on the first day.

Hello, I am Megan Baxter, I am from Virginia and I go to the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. I chose Athens, Greece for my medical internship through an internship abroad because the experience it gave me and I’ve never travelled outside to the world nor had I seen the medical practices in Greece, so it was really interesting to see. I got to stay within a twenty minute metro ride and it was super fun. I have stayed with a couple of girls from other internships and it was really cool to see what they got to experience as well, and I know they loved it just as much as me.
Also, I got to see the Acropolis, I got to see all around Athens, try the amazing food and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone that hasn’t seen the world or whether it’s psychology or medical. They offer so much. You couldn’t have a better experience than this.

Hi, i am Tom , i am from London in the U.K . I currently study physics at Imperial and i am finishing off my degree. I am thinking of applying for medicine next year and continuing all my higher educations to become a doctor. I decided to join Cerca Abroad because it would give me the opportunity to, basically, have a look at all the different specialities that are on offer and see if I would be interested into working in any of them and as a doctor at all, because i want to be very thorough and take care of my decision. The highlights of the experience, I would say, I particularly enjoyed being in the operating rooms. Like, it is an amazing opportunity and experience in that they would literally allow you to watch any operations going in the operating rooms, which is something that not many students in the U.K have access to. So, you can literally ask if you can have access to the operating room and observe. The doctors are very friendly as well. They would talk to you , they would guide you through the surgery , even me as a physicist with my lack of medical knowledge, they would still talk me, giving me their time of day. Which i didn't expect at all. So, these were really good aspects of the experience and i had some really friendly , welcoming people on the way as well. They would make sure that i was introduced to the surgeons and stuff like that. So, yeah, i really enjoyed that aspect of the experience and in particular that. When it came to the coordination between myself, Dennis and George's and Cerca Abroad in general , i felt that it was pretty good in general, as we knew what we had to do. Like when we were picked up from the airport on time, like the keys, the sort of organization about our housing and stuff like that-the organization and that was all very smooth and seamless. So, you know, good job there i suppose. So, as well as the medical aspects of the internship , I really enjoyed getting to know Athens and Greece in general. As in like, the city is historic . It has the Parthenon in the center. You really feel the weight of the history . It has a very nice vibe as a city. I particularly enjoyed exploring the Plaka and Psiri touristic areas. The buildings are beautiful, you know. I used to enjoy walking around with the other interns, so we got off to know each other. So, yes!

Hi, my name is Casey, I come from Brooklyn, New York, and I am currently pre-dental so I decided to do this internship to get a look at what being in a dentist’s office feels like. I’m working with many people to see different techniques and see how different patient relationships are introduced. One of my favorites is to see the different techniques they use in Greece. Especially with the materials they use, make crowns and all the different ways that they implement their studies versus how the United States implements their way of learning their dentistry and using our patients. And I love Cerca Abroad- it was super easy- they picked me up from the airport, our accommodation was ready for us and there was always someone there at the counter to ask how you’re doing and anything that you need at the moment. Athens was gorgeous, we got a metro pass and went to see the whole city. Everything is within a 15 minute walk away or a 15’ train right away, so it was accessible and beautiful here. I would recommend this to anybody.

Hi, my name is Lydia, I am from Kentucky in the U.S. I decided to come here, to Greece, simply because I have not visited here before. I wanted to do psychology because my major in college was speech language psychology, so it’s related to behavior mindset and brain therapy, so I figured that working in a general psychology workplace would be really helpful for me. And it was. I worked teaching beneficiaries who had multiple disorders such as schizophrenia, ADHD, and multiple personality disorders, bipolar disorder etc. and we were able to implement activities and work with them, while I also learnt Greek and teach them English. It was a very good experience. I’ve never experienced something like this before.
As far as living in Greece, that has been even more life changing than anything I’ve experienced before. Living in a city- I come from Kentucky, which is a little more rural- so I’ve never taken the metro before. I usually have to drive my car everywhere- here I did walk- and that was a really learning experience, needing to get to work every day. Also, everyone around us was speaking a different language. It was interesting using our non- verbal communication like facial expressions and gestures to communicate with people around in public- even at work.
I was able to meet a lot of cool girls. My two roommates are from Texas and California and it was really nice to bond and go to work with them. We’ve developed really good relationships. They were helpful and easy to communicate with. It’s just been a phenomenal time. I’m going to miss it. I wish I could go back.

I got to participate in the activities of an EU funded program involving underwater drones (design & field testing). It was very cool to go to the port and launch drones and work with people from all over the world. The Autonomous Vehicle Research Center at the International Hellenic University, where I interned, has many projects to work on (Drones / Electromobility / Renewables / Industry 5.0 / Cybersecurity) and learn a lot. On top Thessaloniki is a very cool and lively city with many things to see and do.

I’ll start with my coordinators – they were always willing to advise myself and the other girls places to visit around Athens. My airport pickup was swift and my apartment was cute and the perfect size for me. It was about a 10 minute walk from the hospital and 15 minutes from the metro station. By far the best part was meeting the two other girls in the program, we instantly clicked and are planning to meet again in the next coming months! It was crazy that they were both from the west coast as well. As far as the program at the hospital went, I spent my days either in cardiology, radiology, surgery, hepatology, internal medicine, physical therapy or neurology. It was great to get a glimpse of the physician’s day to day procedures while learning some more Greek! Most of the doctors were super caring and welcoming. My favourite specialities were surgery and neurology; I could really see myself pursuing a career in neurology! I met the BEST doctors in neurology and the machines to diagnose the disorders were fascinating. I truly learned so much the last two days of the program, and I observed a case with a brain tumor and consulting neurosurgeon. Super cool. Overall, I had a really great time on the days as physicians were willing to teach and entertain conversation, plus the other girls I met were a huge bonus.

My main role during this internship was to observe, learn, and ask questions about dentistry. I was able to shadow a general dentist, oral surgeon, and prosthodontist at the clinic. Some examples of procedures included general cleanings, crowns/bridges/dentures, implants, root canals, and tooth extractions. I was also able to learn about new technologies within the field, including guided implant placements. Since I do not currently hold any professional dental certification, tasks were not able to be performed on the patients. However, I was able to help out with operatory setup/clean-up, and sterilization. I was able to witness a variety of dental procedures and understand how dentistry in Greece varies slightly from dentistry in Canada. All of this knowledge and experience has helped me to solidify my career aspirations within dentistry. Some specific skills include dental terminology, and interpersonal skills/patient-professional interactions. My favourite memory was being able to witness an abutment placement (for a dental implant). This was the most complicated case I had seen thus far, and my supervisors explained everything and answered questions, while performing this procedure. After completing my internship experience, I now feel on a personal level, more mature and responsible. Travelling on my own in a new country has been an eye-opening and welcome experience. Furthermore, I now feel more confident in my interactions with others. I gained a wealth of knowledge from my two weeks of shadowing and solidified that this path is what I want for my future career.