Internships in Thessaloniki, Greece

Hi, my name is Monica and I am from Florida. I currently go to school at Florida Larkin University and hope to be a veterinarian one day. I chose this program because I love travelling and I hadn’t been to Greece before, so I wanted to experience Greece and all that it had to offer. I also love animals, so this program has taught me lots of skills and the experience of communicating with people even though I don’t speak Greek. The doctors here are very nice and always translate things for me and help me understand what’s going on and why they are treating those animals in certain ways. I also want to say how amazing the Cerca Abroad company is for helping me through all these experiences and finding different things to do while in Athens and exploring the culture and sightseeing and everything.

Hi, my name is Paula, I am from Chile and I study in the US. I study Neuroscience. I chose the medical internship because I wanted to go to medical school and become a surgeon, so it was very interesting to see orthopedic surgeons at work and get a hands-on experience too. Some of the interesting things that I saw were a knee replacement and an Achilles tendon surgery. Coordination was really good, everyone was really nice and life in Athens is amazing, the food is great, and the people are really nice.

Hello, my name is Laura, I am from Virginia and attend the Virginia Military Institute. I wanted to come to this program because I am interested in being a surgeon and here at this hospital, I am allowed to explore all the different specialties I would want to go into. Being in Greece I got to see the beautiful city of Athens and travel around. I got to see some of the islands. So, an overall great experience, just getting to see surgeries and travel. I would like to thank Cerca for having such a wonderful program.

Hi, my name is Megan, I am from Kentucky and attend Morehead State University. I chose this program because I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field and I thought Greece is an amazing place that I’ve always wanted to see, so why not see some of it here. I’ve loved my experience at the hospital, especially in general surgery, and getting to see different surgeries that I never would have seen—especially when I shadowed a neurologist. Everyone here is so helpful and explains everything really well and works with me through the language barrier. Athens itself is a beautiful city. I enjoyed getting to see the Parthenon at the Acropolis, the museums, and all the ancient ruins. The coordinators are so helpful and they are there for you no matter what you need. It was an amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything else. I definitely recommend it to others.

Hi, my name is Michael and I am a Canadian student coming from the University of British Columbia. I chose to do this internship because my goal is to become a doctor. When I first came I wanted to be a cardiologist, but after spending some time here I realized I am more interested in Neurosurgery. Athens is a beautiful place and I have had a lot of travelling and experiences and I got to do and see so many things. The food here is like none other. I got to see a lot of Greek islands and it has been absolutely beautiful. I would recommend this program to anyone. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure. The people from Cerca were awesome; they would take care of everything including the housing and transport. They were very easy to work with and made me feel safe and comfortable the whole time. I will be forever grateful.

Hello, my name is Devin-Danielle and I am a rising junior at the illustrious North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, in North Carolina, in the United States. I chose this internship because I am particularly passionate about wildlife conservation and biology and this opportunity provided me with the perfect experience for hands-on learning. So, one thing that I’ve found interesting was using these cameras to check the population density of wolves, bears, and other native species in the area. Apart from this, we track the paths of these animals and we also collect DNA of bears by going to their scratching posts and collecting hairs. Overall, I am pretty pleased with the coordination of my experience and I really enjoyed my time here. Thanks.

Hi. My name is Sophia and I am from Arizona. I chose a medical internship to explore different possibilities in the medical field and to kind of shadow and gain experience in a hospital. Something very exciting here was looking at different specialties. My favourite was Orthopedics, which was the highlight of this trip. The coordination was really good. It was very easy getting around. It was all very simple. Athens was gorgeous, it’s a very interesting place, so I would come back.

Hi, my name is Taylor, I am from Connecticut, I go to Colgate University in upstate New York. I chose to do this program to become a physician in the future. My experience with Athens so far has been wonderful. The people are incredibly friendly and even help you explore the city. My experience with Cerca has also been wonderful. They were even super helpful throughout the city, the hospital, and with the doctors here.

Hello, my name is Tayyibah and I am from the University of Bradford, I am twenty years old. I chose the medical program for the experience because I wanted to take a look at something different overall and the medical placement was a good experience for me. The people and the doctors were nice and helpful. Overall, I believe that I’ve had a great experience. The staff are helpful, nice and kind. So, during my medical placement I’ve seen a lot of different surgeries. Medically, it was a different experience for me overall. Athens itself is a beautiful city. The people are nice and helpful and there are a lot of tourist attractions as well.

Hi, my name is Sophie, I am from Washington, U.S., and I go to Washington State University. I chose to do this internship because I wanted to have a hands-on experience in the area of medicine and I just wanted to see how it works in another country. I got to see some really cool surgeries and I also saw some interesting work with stray animals. I am very happy with the coordination of this internship by Cerca Abroad, they would always answer questions, there was always someone to answer them, there was a lot of support. I really enjoyed my stay in Thessaloniki, it was really fun to see some very cool restaurants and also go to the beaches and there were things to see outside.

Hi, my name is Eesha and I come from San Diego, California, in the United States. I decided to join this Greek medical program just to explore other specialties in medicine and figure out which would interest me the most. One of my highlights was scrubbing into a carpal tunnel surgery, which in America I would never have been able to do for another five or six years, so that was really cool. The coordination was super easy, and they were able to send taxi and information responses quite fast. My favorite thing about Athens is the food and shopping.

Hello, I am Ashley, I am from Kansas City, Kansas, at Kansas State University for my undergraduate. I decided to go through this program to get more experience with small animals because at Kansas State I do a lot of agricultural and environment animals and this just gave me the chance to experience working with small animals, what this is all about. I’ve had a lot of good experiences here, I’ve been able to see a lot of surgeries and physical exams on animals and see in a lot of different animals what’s normal and abnormal. The vets here have been really nice, they’re really good about making sure I know what’s going on. Here in Athens it’s been great. Even during the winter time for me it’s pretty warm and not that difficult to walk around and just see the sights because just by walking around you can get to see a lot of things. Cerca Abroad has been really good about making sure I was comfortable wherever I was going, from providing the apartment to the vet clinic and how to get there and everything. So, it’s been a good overall experience.

I am incredibly grateful for my time in Valencia. Both my time with my host family and the staff at my placement allowed me to immerse myself in the Spanish language and culture while teaching me life and career skills that cannot be learned in a classroom. Rotating between nursing and the OR enabled observation of patient processing and medical decision-making from start to finish, pre-op to post-op.

Hi, my name is Viktor, I am from Reykjavík, Iceland. I study at Reykjavík University. I am here in Athens for a program that has allowed me to observe surgeries at two hospitals in Greece. So first I was at Gennimatas Hospital and now I am at the Metropolitan General. During my time here I have seen approximately thirty-five surgeries. Greece is amazing and Athens is wonderful. I have had a fantastic time here. The culture and everything are very warm. Fully amazing. The team of Cerca Abroad has been incredibly helpful, providing me with all the information I needed throughout what’s happening in the city and where to go. I’ve had an amazing time. Thank you very much.

Hi, my name is Marin, I am from Pennsylvania in the States but I go to school in Arizona, at the University of Arizona where I am a science undergraduate. I wanted to do this program because I wanted to put myself in a position that was very different from what I am used to in the States and find a new way of learning. Everything about this program has been super helpful. Everyone that has met me here during my stay has made sure I was comfortable, made sure I knew where I was going, and was always there if I needed something. I’ve been very happy with this experience. I got to see so many things that I wouldn’t be able to see at my university’s programs, as that would be hands-on procedures. I got all the questions I needed answered from the people that have been working in the field for decades. It has been very enjoyable and I would do this program again.

The thing I enjoyed the most is that I got to meet so many people from various parts of the world who I deeply connected with, and shared some life changing experiences with. As for my professional development, I was able to gain more confidence and become more comfortable while talking with people. I would 100% do this again and I would advise anyone who wants to do this internship to do it.

My host mom was great! She was very welcoming and took an interest in what I was doing and how I was feeling! She made it easier to be away from home for so long. The part I enjoyed most about this internship was the opportunity to work alongside the staff at the school farm and experience how animal care and agricultural education are approached in another country. I enjoyed building relationships with my coworkers, host family, and classmates, and learning how to communicate despite the language barrier. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone and helped me become more confident, independent, and adaptable. Professionally, the internship gave me valuable hands-on experience in an international setting and reinforced my passion for pursuing a career in Animal Science. Personally, it taught me to be more open-minded, appreciate different cultures and ways of life, and trust my ability to handle new challenges. This experience has given me skills and confidence that I will carry with me throughout my education and future career.

This internship has truly given me the necessary tools to become more competent in my field. I feel as though I have developed both personally and professionally through the experience gained during my time in Spain. Stepping out of my comfort zone and interacting with experts on a daily basis or simply meeting new people and creating bonds were some key takeaways I will carry with me.

Hi, my name is Sarah Sewing, I am from Atlanta, Georgia and I am a third year on Missouri State University. I am a premed and I have absolutely enjoyed being in Athens, Greece. The entire Cerca Abroad team and program has been amazing. They helped me out so much and I had the opportunity to scrab in in surgeries which is so cool, definitely something I wouldn’t have the chance to do in the States. So I really enjoyed this program.

Hi, my name is Margaret North. I am a junior at Missouri State; I am on the pre-medicine on studying biology. I absolutely love being in Greece so far. I’ve been here for a week now and I still have a week left. The Circa organization is phenomenal. They are there for anything you need them, they are responsive and they’ll never let you down. The hospital is phenomenal. All the doctors I’ve been able to shadow were incredible and answered all the questions I needed to. I got to explore other specialties that I don’t think I would or had the chance to explore, so that’s been great.