Medical Shadowing in Greece

My name is Katerina and I am a student from Ontario, Canada. I chose the medical internship simply because I wanted to learn more about all the different parts and workings of the hospital as well as different positions in healthcare. I’ve really loved my time at the hospital, especially shadowing a surgery. I got to see a lot of very interesting procedures and I got to learn a lot. The doctors were excellent teachers. So, it’s very interesting and informative. Coordination-wise it was very clear, communicated amazingly. They were awesome at accommodating me and my needs, which was also very nice. Athens overall was awesome. It’s such a cool city. The people are so sweet and so nice. They love to see people from abroad. It was a great time.

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Hi, my name is Luke, I am from New York, USA. I currently attend New York Institute of Technology. I chose to intern abroad in Athens because I wanted to spend some time away from home, see what it’s like to intern abroad, and because I don’t have the roommate experience back at college. I assumed it would be nice to live with people who are around my age who have the same interests as me and also to get to travel, which I haven’t done much in my life. So, my overall experience throughout my internship was very positive. I got to spend two weeks in surgery, which was very cool. I got to see tons of orthopedic surgeries, which is where my interests lie, and I am currently finishing my rotations which has been very cool. I got to see tons of things. I saw the blood lab yesterday, I saw dialysis today. Athens is very cool. Tons of food I got to try. So much history to be learned. Many places I got to see, like the Acropolis. I’ve seen Santorini—that was a cool island. I got to see the Olympic Stadium, that was very cool. I still have yet to visit the Acropolis Museum, which I plan to visit tomorrow. My favorite food to try here was the gyros. It was very good. The souvlaki was also very good. The coordination with Cerca Abroad was also very well put together. Everyone was on top of everything. Whenever I have had any concerns, they addressed them; they were right on top of them and made sure to take care of them. Nothing bad to say about it.

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Hi, I am Olivia, I am from Georgia in the United States and I study at the University of Georgia. I chose the medical internship because I am pre-nursing and I wanted to get an idea of the specialty and what I am going to get into. This internship has done an amazing job in exposing me to all the different kinds of medicine. I feel that the team has done a really good job at giving me all the information that I needed to know about getting around Athens, getting to work, and how to enjoy the city, which is really amazing. I enjoyed my time here. The culture and the people are very welcoming.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Hi, I am Hayden Gropp, I am from Colorado in the USA. I am in this program because I was interested into anesthesiology and this is one of the programs that they offered. I have been in surgeries and doing different clinics around. Everyone in Cerca has been great in helping out and with any questions I’ve had. I am enjoying Athens a lot. There’s a lot of different places to go visit and I would recommend coming here if you want to be in surgeries all the time.

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Hello, my name is Solomon, I am from Dallas, Texas. I picked this program because I wanted to gain a global experience, see similarities and differences on how healthcare works around the world and compared to the US. So I’ve never been in Greece and this is a country I’ve always had in my bucket list. So far it’s been good. I’ve only been here for a couple of days, so I’ve learnt some things I wouldn’t have been able in the US. I have enjoyed the fact that the doctors I have been with so far have provided step by step explanations of what they are doing in the moment. Reception has been great. I wouldn’t have to wait for response from Dennis or for anybody across the Circa Abroad team. I really do appreciate it. I wouldn’t have so far any complaints, so yes.

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Hi, my name is Cayley Harris and I am from Alabama. I go to school at the University of Alabama. I chose this program to be able to compare the differences between a private hospital in Greece and a private or even public hospitals in the US, just to see what is different and how everyone work together in a hospital. Also, being in a foreign country and being able to adjust to learn new things. I’ve been here for four weeks. This is my fourth week here. I got to be in cardiology and surgery and this week I was in MOR scans. I think it was fun and interesting to learn different stuff here compared to the US. I’ve been able to go around Athens and explore the city. So this internship in a foreign country is in your list, I would say do it.

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