Shadow Doctors in Greece w/ #1 Pre-Health Provider

The Atlantis Fellowship was a unique opportunity to shadow and learn about the healthcare system of another country while in undergrad. I was extremely impressed by the staff and how helpful they were to make sure each fellow had the best experience. They prepared us with pre-departure meetings and on-site orientations, which allowed us to be very successful in shadowing. I was able to shadow in many specialties and view 18 surgeries in the OR! Outside of the hospital, I explored Athens and several Greek islands. I highly recommend this for any serious pre-med students who also love to travel and learn about other cultures.

The Atlantis Program is a very safe, fun, and exciting way to travel and get experience shadowing for pre-med students. It is the ultimate opportunity for undergraduate students to gain essential experience for applying to medical school and for personal growth in general. The site managers were amazing, the pre-departure information was very helpful, and the Atlantis post enrollment team was very very helpful throughout the entire pre-departure process. The food and atmosphere was phenomenal, and I would go back in a heartbeat. I would highly recommend this program to any undergraduate/ pre-med student, or anyone looking to travel abroad and gain valuable experience while doing so. The people I met were amazing, and it was for sure a life-changing experience.

I had an amazing time shadowing in Greece. I learned more than i thought I would and I saw more than I thought I would. Doing this program validated my love for medicine and helped me realize that it is what I want to do for the rest of my life. When I arrived in Greece, I wasn’t quite sure of what I was expecting, but I know by the end of the trip, this program far exceeded those expectations and then some. I would recommend this to everyone.

We got to shadow doctors and stand right over their shoulders as they performed surgeries. The doctors were also so helpful and ready to teach us. We would shadow about 5-6 hours a day and then we would go and experience the area around us and learn more about the culture. It was amazing! From about 8am to 2pm we would see various surgeries from brain to blood vessel to ortho. There were many options. After that, we would eat the food of the area and go to the places that made Patras, Greece famous. The experiences were unforgettable. I would 100% suggest anyone do this program!

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!!

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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.

This was the best time of my life. I loved my time in Greece and the things that I got to do. It was an amazing experience. I had the best time I got to see many different types of heart surgeries and hernia removals and liver removals. I also got to experience many different types of the greek culture and see the city. I got to also spend a lot of time in the ICU which was super cool because I got to see so many different things there. Mostly everything is provided to you as well. A place to stay, breakfast every day, dinner 4 times a week and excursions once a week. As well as transportation.

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!

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My trip with the Atlantis Project to Athens, Greece was one of the most life changing and eye opening experiences of my life so far. I am so lucky to have spent five weeks immersed in Greek culture, language, customs and history. I not only learned so much about what it is like to work in a hospital, I learned a lot about myself and grew exponentially as a person. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to see a global view of healthcare.

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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

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