Program Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with fellow AP members while in Lithuania. I would've never visited Lithuania, but was so glad I did! The project was more disorganized than I had hoped...

Pros:
I was able to meet SO MANY great people and now life long friends from all over the United States.
Spending time in direct patient contact was fantastic (surgery was my favorite!)
Being in an educational institution made for so many extra learning opportunities; being five feet from a surgical patient was incredible. I saw so many INCREDIBLE surgeries that I would've never seen in the United States (due to differing interventional choices)
The activities and meals that were planned were a great cultural experience. It was awesome to be able to travel through the country visiting historical sites and learning Lithuania's history.

Cons:
WAY TOO EXPENSIVE for three weeks. I'd rather pay to travel Europe than this. My group had 9 members, each paying at least $3000. I'm not sure where the money went, as the hotel was less than 65 euros per night, and we were double bunked. The activities (though incredibly fun, and definitely a PRO) couldn't have been that expensive either.
**Let me say** I would've rather have paid the physicians who agreed to have us work with them. They would have been much more motivated to teach, instead of having a bunch of American college students dogging them all day.
Super disorganized staff. The project leaders couldn't equally make up their mind when it came to deciding how to "govern" their students. Occasionally unprofessional when it came to relations with AP fellows. They also had not informed hospital staff, nor arranged physicians for us to work with. Most of the time, physicians were surprised we were even there.
Most spoke English (or broken English), but otherwise it was difficult to communicate. Walking around the city was easy enough.

All in all, I don't believe I would pay for this program in hindsight. The ease and convenience of having everything planned (including transportation, most meals, staying, and activities) was great if you've never traveled abroad before. I personally would rather travel with $3000 than pay for hospital time; if there was any way to pay the physicians from our program fee, I'd much rather attend a program that way.

The Atlantis Project fellowship was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. Right when you land you are immediately greeted with a smiling face by one of the site coordinators. From there you'e always on the go! In Greece we got to experience two different hospitals in the duration of 3 weeks. Everyday you get to rotate through different specialities and really get to be involved in what is going on in the hospitals. My favorite memory from the hospital aspect was getting to watch a neuro surgery during the second week! I boast about it to this day to people that I talk to! Not only do you get to have a crazy time seeing so many aspects of the medical field, but you also get to dive into the country's culture. Twice a week all the fellows and site coordinators get together to go on excursions that entail a lot of the history of that country. There's so many meals you get to experience with your other fellows, as well as, some "down time." We had a lot of fun exploring the Greek night life during the weekends and just getting to experience the country as a whole. I could talk hours about how great this program is! I honestly believe anyone who is interested in medicine should really experience this program!

The Atlantis Project isn't just a program that allows you to choose from an immense amount of specialties to shadow, but it also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of Spain. The Atlantis Project took us to places we would've never found on our own and most importantly, our safety was always a priority. The coordinators were also extremely professional and helpful! They showed us Spain like no other study abroad program would while still focusing on the medicine and our future careers as health professionals. I had the chance to network with two medical students, one going to Stanford and the other going to Harvard. They gave us a lot of helpful advice and we even got a chance to meet with them one-on-one. I've completed a substantial amount of programs, but this program is by far my favorite. I encourage everyone to apply!

I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand so this program was automatically great, the opportunity to shadow in a hospital made it even better. The Atlantis Project is great for undergraduate students who want the experience of going abroad while also shadowing physicians. I had originally applied to the fellowship because my university is small and the study abroad trips are outside of my major so the Atlantis Project’s pre-health opportunity was a great fit. All of the physicians were incredibly helpful and went the extra mile in explaining concepts and examination procedures. There are many staff members through the program that can answer questions immediately and they do a great job of checking in with you as you prepare everything for your trip to ensure that you don’t forget anything important. New Zealand was also beautiful and our site coordinator worked hard to help us with anything we needed and he took us on great excursions. Life-changing trip!

The 24 days I spent in Spain as a part of the Atlantis Project were hands down the best days of my life. You are surrounded with people you become so close with, so fast because you share common interests, aspirations, and drives. There is a perfect balance of shadowing in the hospital and exploring Spain. You will find yourself building lasting relationships and falling in love with the medical field at the same time. Being in another country and getting to immerse yourself in the culture is something I believe everyone should do at some point in their lives, but to get to do all while shadowing Physicians and prepare myself for my future made it that much more of an impacting experience. The Atlantis Project gives you an in depth look into medicine and a variety of different specialties, that you just can't find here in the U.S. The Atlantis Project has truly been a life changing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Atlantis Project provides a completely unique experience that makes study abroad worth it for pre-health majors. Most of us don’t have time to go abroad because they don’t offer the kinds of classes we need as part of the programs. Atlantis Project allows us to go abroad and get the experience a study abroad program gives while still helping us with our application for professional school. The program gives you ample opportunity to learn at the hospital and to learn about the culture outside of the hostpital. I was able to shadow a variety of physicians, that I was allowed to help pick, and see an amazing assortment of procedures and techniques. At the same time I also learned about Spanish culture and saw amazing things while there. Atlantis Project was the best month of my life and I wouldn’t change a minute of it.

Over the course of five weeks in Athens Greece I developed a new sense of adventure and interest in the ways in which medicine is similar and different across the globe. I not only spent a great deal of time being prepared for what it is really like to work and interact with doctors in a hospital, I learned empathy and compassion for those undergoing surgeries, treatments, and for the families that were being affected by illness. Along the way I met thirteen extraordinary individuals who will be life long friends and contacts as I continue on my path to be a doctor. I would not trade this experience for anything.

The Atlantis Project gives you the unique ability to completely enrich yourself in another country, from working there to volunteering there to experiencing the culture. Living in Cuenca for 3 weeks over the winter was an enriching edition to my college experience that I highly recommend to any pre-med student. Not only was I able to shadow physician from different specialties, I was able to meet patients and shadow in surgeries. I was a member of the ICU team for a few days, learning patient’s stories, an observer in nearly a dozen surgeries, ranging from cardiac to hernia repair, and interact on ER consults. Not only did these physicians challenge me to apply my own personal knowledge, asking me questions throughout the case(s), but they allowed me to build strong relationships with staff as they explained their journey through medical school and compared international medicine to that in America. I came back to the US with a great understanding of what it meant to be a global doctor, and a new look on different specialties I had not previously interacted with.

Additionally, this program allowed me to completely emerge myself in Spanish culture. From living with a host family in a hostel building to experiencing the vibrant holiday traditions, we were welcomed and embraced. The family welcomed us into their lives, inviting us to their family restaurant and flamenco lessons. More so, we were able to experience New Years Eve within Barcelona, and Three Kings Day, a traditional Spanish holiday, and learn more about the culture abroad. We were allowed to interact with locals and hear their stories as we were recommended to different restaurants, monuments and experiences.

Not only did this experience give me an international experience to share with everyone, this experience taught me so much about what medicine in a global mindset. Additionally, I made friends who I still talk to regularly as we encourage and support each other’s premedical careers.

Overall, the Atlantis Project was definitely a life-changing event, an event that I will never forget. Along with global healthcare exposure, I was also exposed to the beautiful culture of Greece. Putting yourself out there may be scary at first, but eventually you start to get a handle of things and appreciate the little things in life.

The Atlantis Project was an unforgettable adventure for me and I do think it is worth the experience. I was scrubbing in surgery almost every day and was out exploring Greece after I returned back to the hotel. I had the opportunity to observe and note specific skill sets from rounds and diagnosis discussions. I also shadowed and focused on a variety of cardiac and thoracic surgeries as well as doctors in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit, emergency room, anatomical pathology, radiology, cardiology, pneumonology, gastroenterology, and anesthesiology department. The doctors, nurses, and surgeons I've met encouraged me to push forward and continue to pursue medicine. Along with the exposure, I also made strong friendship bonds with people across the world. The three weeks in Athens, Greece has evolved my perspective and brightened my long journey towards the medical field. Not only was I able to travel alone, but I brought along my enthusiastic interest of medicine with me. Overall, I am forever grateful for this breathtaking opportunity and would not second guess my choice to shadow again with the Atlantis Project.

To see pictures and blog posts of my time in Greece, follow #TravelWithMay

I was placed in Albacete, which was a pleasant surprise. The living accommodations were amazing - the room was spacious, we had access to a plethora of facilities, and we were close to important buildings (hospital, mall, restaurants, nightlife). I learned a great deal about medicine during my time here as well - I shadowed a different specialty every 2-3 days, and the AP Program Coordinator tried his best to ensure that I could see the specialties I wanted to see. The language barrier was not an issue at all - although doctors had difficulty understanding my English, my Spanish was passable, and they responded in English that I could easily understand. Physicians went above and beyond in answering my questions and ensuring that I learned as much as I could. BASE5 was fun - I loved sitting down and having conversations with doctors in English. Other AP interns were great as well - I got really close with everyone there really quickly (as we had adequate time to hang out), and we still stay in touch back in the U.S. I was much younger than everyone there, but I felt like I had a family.