Medical / Dental / Nurse / Physio Shadowing in Greece

Hi, my name is Carly, and I am a pre-med student in biology in Missouri.

I wanted to do this medical internship because I was always told that if I ever had the opportunity that I should study abroad. And so I really wanted to take that opportunity and found this program in Greece, I was really excited to get to explore, not only the medical system in Greece, but also the area itself- Athens.

I’ve had a lot of fun. I did a lot of different things. I got to see the cath lab, cardiology, and I also got to watch many surgeries. Yesterday I got to watch a plastic surgery and even an elbow reconstruction, which I really enjoyed, and I got to formally get relationship with the surgeon. So I really enjoyed seeing different specialties and getting to experience things that maybe I haven’t before.

Really enjoyed getting to explore Athens. Meet some people, new friends. I got to explore the islands and I learnt how to get around. I learnt a little bit of Greek. So, I really recommend studying abroad and this has been a great experience.

Hi, I am Yogyana Santana-Salais, I am from Texas, and I did the dental internship in Athens. I chose this internship because there’s not really many options to do this internship throughout the world and that was a great opportunity and was in Greece. So, throughout my internship I was able to see a lot of dental procedures I learnt a lot from the dentists I shadowed, and I was able to see a few other specialties. See more in depth of the different specialties that are in dentistry.

It was good to have Samantha to communicate with, if we had any issues with the apartment or if we had any questions throughout our internship. Cerca Abroad was very helpful and fast with dealing with any problems. I had a great time in Athens. I loved the chance to visit a few islands. Greece is just an amazing country to visit. So, yes.

So, my name is Michael Klintworth, born and raised in South Africa. I am currently studying medicine in the United States. I came to this internship in Athens, particularly for the medical internship. One major reason is my passion for medicine and the ability to grow, which cannot have been captivated or increased in the States, as it probably was here. We were supposed in the internship to stand in a corner and watch and observe and they will teach you from the side but the doctor has been a lot of the time shadowing and help me get a hands on experience, working with the patient, to the point where I have had the privilege of being involved with an ACL repair and a few other great surgeries most people wouldn’t have been able to experience like I have- this has been absolutely great.

The overall internship, besides medical, is fantastic. They’re very helpful, very willing to come and spend hours with you concerning what you need.

That aside, being in Athens is absolutely amazing. The history and culture here are fantastic. The food is great, really is. The best part is the tomatoes “gemista”. The tourist sites are amazing, in particular the Parthenon is fantastic. The museums as well. Absolutely great. I’m not sure I would want to do this again anywhere else. Fantastic.

Hi, my name is Max Fry, I am from State Oregon in the U.S. and I am a premed student. I chose to come to Athens on this internship to learn more just about how medicine is practiced in Europe. Got to see how healthcare operates on a global scale. Also, to learn more about medicine in general. Get used to the specialties and really learn as much as I can about healthcare and how patients are treated around the world.

I think for me the most interesting thing that I saw in the hospital was the operating room. I think that seeing some of the robotic surgeries and seeing the new technology in medicine was very interesting. I also saw some plastic surgeries, which is very interesting to watch such as breast implants, lumbar sections- very interesting. One really rare thing I have never seen before, that was new to me, was that I got to see an open spine surgery from the thoracic spine down to the lumbar spine. I had never seen a real spine before, so seeing in person and in action was really crazy and very eye opening. I think that also, seeing the cardiology department was very interesting. Seeing all the different cases of heart, different conditions that the patients had, has been very interesting to me. I had a great time in the hospital learning as much as I can.

I think as far as Athens goes, I’m loving the city, absolutely beautiful, there are so many tourist attractions and different things you can do with the other interns or just with people like Dimi all the way. So, yes, it’s really a life changing experience. Absolutely gorgeous and yes, I’ve had an amazing time.

Hi, my name is Traci Kozawa, I am physiotherapy major at San Diego State and I am from Los Angeles, California. I chose this internship along with my fellow classmates as a requirement for school. I wanted to do something pertaining to my major setting abroad, so I found this program. I was able to do something more catered towards my career path.

So this hospital has been great. I’ve been at the physiotherapy department. It has been a really cool experience compared to the US, I also have experienced going up to the OR and see orthopedic surgeries, which was very cool, to see how it works on the back end, instead of seeing just physiotherapy.

The Cerca team has been great, very responsive, I knew I could text them whenever I needed anything and I had a great time in Athens, first time in Europe, lots to see, lots to do- I’ve been enjoying it.

Hi, I am Paul, I am a graduate student from Western University back in Canada. I graduated this year and I came here to work as an intern at the Metropolitan General Hospital. I came here to intern because I wasn’t really sure about why I wanted to become a doctor or the specialties I was really interested in. I think this really helped to get a perspective on what kind of specialties I am really interested in, what different specialties do and how these doctors live on their lives. I think this really helped me out in learning why I want to become a doctor and the specialty I want to follow.

I am Giorgio and I am from Italy. I am a 3rd year medical student at the university of Sassari in Sardinia and I choose this experience in Metropolitan General Hospital to combine my theoretical knowledge with practice. In particular the field of surgery. This experience was very valuable, from clinic to surgery. In particular in the clinic I was instructed to perform an electromyography and how to read an electrocardiogram and above all to take care of the patient. In surgery, on the other hand, I could appreciate the use of DaVinci, which is a modern surgical system but also cardio, neurosurgical, orthopedical, urology but also plastic surgery. Here doctors are very organized and they allow you to ask questions and they are very helpful. Athens is a big city full of life and fun and I could appreciate it with my colleagues when I finished my shift at Metropolitan General Hospital. The quality of this program is very high and very organized and they allowed me to ask many questions

I am a fourth-year public health science major on a pre-med track as I want to get a more experience on the medical field, specific for surgery as I know since I was 15-16 years old that I just wanted to e a surgeon. Just the thrill of being in the OR excites me. And it's been a pleasure, especially since I've seen so many different specialties. Anywhere from in physiology, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, general surgery, orthopedic surgery. I've seen so many different kinds of surgery since I've been here. It's been so interesting to see all these different things. Because it's different from just like learning something in a book. I'm actually seeing it in real life, which is a lot better than just reading about it. I'm a very visual person. It just puts everything in perspective of different connections in the body. And the doctors are really helpful and helped me in answering any questions or identifying different areas of the body. And I highly recommend this internship anyone wanting to go to medical school. Because it really helps you see what you like, what you don't like. So I highly recommend that. And Athens is such a great city. There's quite a few things to see here. We're close to so many different islands. And the weather is just amazing. And the hospital is looking at such a great area. And I'm only two metros stops away, which is really nice. And I've made so many close friends since I've been here with the other interns. And our connections are true. People come all over the world. So I really highly recommend this program to anyone. And I have such a great experience. It's been a pleasure.