Atlantis (Pre-Health Summer) Reviews

Where do I begin? I really have no words to describe to you how amazing this program was. Not only because of the 60+ hours of shadowing professional Italian doctors, but the memories and bonds that I made with the other fellows is what made this worthwhile. I met 14 of the greatest people you could ever meet and got to experience a foreign country with them; what could be better?

This program has impacted my life post program by giving me and upper edge when I start to apply for medical school. I hope and pray that they ask me all about this in the interview because I could go on and on and on about it. I learned so much from the hospital and from the country itself.

To future participants: GO FOR IT! Take the chance and get out of your comfort zone. Atlantis is an A grade program with A grade staff and managers that will help you along every step of the way.

Being a fellow with the Atlantis Project was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I learned so much and saw things up close that I would never have been able to see in the U.S. I. Was in the OR for real brain surgery! My roommate is now one of my best friends and a surgeon is a friend. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Nothing in the states compares this fellowship. And as a bonus, I was in Italy!! I got almost 90 shadowing hours in one month! That alone makes this fellowship worth every penny.

I had originally planned to attend the Harvard Pre-College Summer Program this past summer; however financial restrictions left me unable to attend. I stumbled upon The Atlantis Fellowship online and immediately applied without thinking I would actually be accepted. The interview went very well, and the Atlantis team kept touch with me after providing me and my family with adequate information to make the decision to move on with the fellowship - all of our questions were answered and traveling across the world by myself seemed much less scary.

Throughout the fellowship, I never stopped learning, whether it be in the hospital, around the town of Tomelloso, or on excursions. The hospital staff were extremely open to teaching, and my passion for medicine was greatly heightened. I learned about many procedures and medications, and I was even able to practice stitches on a cloth! The town and excursions allowed me to absorb the culture of Spain. Because of Atlantis, I feel more prepared in beginning my medical career and I hope to attend another fellowship in the future.

Through Atlantis I gained experience and was given an amazing opportunity to combine my two passions of travel and medicine. The staff at Atlantis are the most amazing people I have ever worked with, they truly care about the fellows that are accepted into the program and work so hard to ensure that fellows are safe at their locations as well as constantly trying to improve their programs so that students have the best experiences and opportunities. I was able to watch several surgeries, sit in on patient appointments, and see how immunological research is applied in hospitals. With the doctors that I shadowed I was able to see how much their work affected both them and their patient. They were all so passionate about their work and wanted me to learn and see as much as I could while I was there. I was blessed with an opportunity to be there when a patient found out that they were in remission and seeing all that the hospitals and doctors do only solidified my passion and pursue of medicine. I never would have been able to have these experiences and explore such a beautiful country if it were not for Atlantis. I would recommend anyone interested in medicine apply to Atlantis, you will not regret it.

Shadow Abroad in Athens, Greece!
Submitted by Miranda O'Connor - University of Mary Washington | December 07, 2017

My 4-week Atlantis Fellowship in Athens, Greece was by far the best experience I have ever been through. Atlantis allowed me to immerse myself into a culture I was unfamiliar with while also allowing me to shadow several doctors in many different specialties! During my time at Ippokrateio General Hospital in Athens, I rotated through Anesthesiology, General Surgery, ENT, and GI (while there was also Cardiothoracic surgery available!) All of the doctors I worked with were inviting and eager to help us learn, and were efficient at translating anything we were not able to understand. Furthermore, the living quarters offered to the fellows was stellar. I was in an apartment with 3 others, just 1 block from Syntagma Square, which is the center of Athens. It was extremely easy to navigate the area and easy to learn how to use the metro, tram, and bus systems.

As far as leadership went, my site managers were also very helpful and always available if you had any questions! It was nice to have the group meals multiple times a week to bond with others you did not reside with, and also to explore new places, or try new foods! My site managers were great at taking us to restaurants that offered authentic Greek cuisine to ensure we got the full experience!

Lastly, it was nice having each weekend to ourselves. Every weekend, my roommates and I made plans. Especially in Greece, or Europe in general, it is very easy to island hop, or travel to other countries fairly inexpensively. Athens was also nice because with the tram in Syntagma Square, we were only a 30 minute ride from the beach, which was a common destination many days after shadowing!

Overall, this was an amazing experience that was definitely worth it! From Atlantis, I gained clinical experience, cultural immersion, and also lasting friendships! (my roommate (from Greece) actually flew to my school last week and we still talk daily!) I would recommend this program to anyone interested in a career in medicine. If I can find the time, I hope to go on another Atlantis Fellowship!!

At first, I was a little skeptical of the whole experience since I hadn't heard of it before, and it wasn't affiliated directly with a well known university. However, Atlantis completely exceeded my expectations from the preparation before the trip, and relations during and after the trip. The staff at Atlantis is AMAZING. The fellowship was very meaningful also. You shadow doctors four days a week, for up to about 20 hours. Also, you are rotated in different specialities each week, therefore, you learn so much in a short amount of time. There is an excursion each week and it really helps get you acclimated to the culture and city that you are living in. I absolutely fell in love with Barcelona in the short 3 weeks that I spent there. For Pre-Health students, I know our time is very valuable, and this is definitely worth the time and money. I'm pre-PA and found this experience just as meaningful as the pre-med students. If you are even slightly considering Atlantis, choose this fellowship! You will not regret it.

My time in Trieste, Italy with the Atlantis was definitely one for the books. Before departure the Atlantis staff made sure we were prepared and had all the information we needed for our arrival there. They sent weekly email updates and reminders and held a pre-departure conference call. When I arrived at the airport my site coordinators were there to help us get to the residence hall. The residence was a nice and safe place for us to stay, although our rooms were a bit cold at first. Everything was organized from our first day to the last one; to and from the hospital, the group dinners and the excursions. The hospital staff were also very nice and welcoming. Trieste was a new site when I interned so there was a small, somewhat expected hiccup in one department where the staff was not quite sure of our [students from US] role there but this was not a big deal. Overall my experience was one that I will always remember and look back upon with a smile. I loved Trieste, the people I met and the time I spent there. I highly recommend the Atlantis project to premed students.

Being apart of Atlantis was one of the best the decisions of my life. I spent 2 weeks in Horta, Portugal where I was able to shadow in the departments of cardiology, radiology, emergency room, and general surgery. The best part of this experience was being able to interact directly with the doctors and learn from them. In addition, the other fellow and I were able to go on a hike, visit an aquarium, visit an neighboring island, and explore the island of Horta which allowed us to learn more the Portuguese culture.

On this trip to Spain to shadow medical doctors in a hospital, I gained a sense of self-awareness as well as cultural appreciation. I was humbled and forced to recognize that my view of the world and health and healthcare is only as wide as my experiences. It was easy for me, at first, to compare what I was used to seeing and doing in the United States to what was done in Spain, but it didn’t help anyone to compare what was in Spain to what I was used to. I decided to pay attention to how things were done in Spain and to learn about their culture and way of life. I learned not to compare and judge, but to investigate and appreciate the culture I was in, and by doing so, I gained a tolerance of difference as well.
I moved around through the specialties and was able to see so much more than expected. I shadowed in neurology, gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, and hospital pharmacy. Although I am not interested in pursuing pharmacy as a future career, it was interesting to see how a hospital pharmacy operates. Additionally, within the pharmacy department, I spent a few days learning how the pharmacists research new drugs that are not yet in their system and determine if they are okay to be prescribed by the doctors in the hospital. I got one-on-one experience with the pharmacist learning how to use a medical database and properly perform my own research on any medical related subject through the PubMed database. This experience itself was extremely valuable to me and is something that I will likely use in my future, both in school and my work in the medical field.
The shadowing experience at the hospital was extremely impactful. I was able to see multiple surgeries and operations, simple check-ups and consultations, as well as the research and investigating done by the doctors like examining MRIs or ultra-sound data. The information that I learned from the doctors and everything that I was able to watch and see in the hospital has helped me to better understand patient-doctor interactions, discussing medical professions, discussing the pros and cons of government-run healthcare, describing how a hospital works, and aided me in determining the areas of medicine I am, and am not, interested in pursuing. Every doctor there impacted me in one way or another, and a handful made lasting impressions. I am thankful for all of the doctors that took the time to stop what they were doing and explain to me exactly what they were doing and why it was being done. This made my shadowing experience worthwhile and helped me to better understand and gain more knowledge in that area.
The Atlantis Project gave me exposure to many themes associated with modern medicine. Compassion, global health, the importance of a patient-centered workplace... all of these concepts can be directly experienced while on hospital rounds; the lessons learned about such topics are directly applicable to questions I may be asked throughout the medical school application process. The social components I encountered in the hospital in Alcázar de San Juan have led to me embracing this medical journey. Moreover, the chance to shadow physicians of multiple specialties, from multiple nationalities, and operating under a different healthcare system served to truly enhance my view of medicine. I have truly been “forever touched” by this experience, the people I have met, the knowledge that I have gained, and places I have seen and I will carry this with me throughout my entire life. This was an experience of a lifetime.

A 3-week shadow abroad internship in Athens, Greece changed my view on international healthcare and strengthen my passion for medicine. It was an amazing experience that allowed me to learn about a different health care system and culture by shadowing doctors there. I got over 70 shadowing hours and I got to explore the country! The program can range between 3-9 weeks, the beauty about that is that you get to choose the number of weeks you want the program to last. I was in two different hospitals in Athens, at the private hospital I shadowed the ICU director for 2 weeks and at the public hospital I rotated through many different specialities ranging from cardiothoracic to neurosurgery. If you have the opportunity to participate in this program, 100% take it! Once in a lifetime chance.