Shadow Doctors 20+ Hrs/Week w/ #1 Pre-Health Provider

I completed 80 AAMC-compliant physician shadowing hours through the Atlantis Clinical Fellowship at Gennimatas General Hospital in Athens, Greece. My experience shadowing physicians in Athens, Greece, at Gennimatas Hospital was invaluable and gave me a fundamental understanding of what I hope to specialize in as a future physician. Through this experience, I not only embraced the ethical responsibility of learning from doctors through observation but also gained exposure to global healthcare. I learned how to overcome cultural communication barriers in my interactions with clinicians and recognized the subtle peculiarities of a foreign hospital. I built upon my critical thinking skills and utilized scientific inquiry as I followed along with surgical procedures and witnessed each unique doctor-patient interaction. I recently applied to medical schools in the United States through AMCAS, and I am currently completing several interviews for admission. When filling out my medical school applications, I described what I learned from my clinical fellowship with Atlantis and how it reinforced my passion for becoming a physician. This experience is a staple of my pre-med journey. From my clinical fellowship, I know a career in medicine is the only career path that I desire.

Had a great time, it was overall an awesome trip. The food was great. There were lots of attraction, historical sites, and places to go. The city is right near the water, so there are great views. The weather was also really great, it was hot all the time. people in the city all spoke english and were really friendly. The hospital shadowing aspect of the program was also really cool. The doctors were all friendly and eager to interact with us. We got opportunities to go to different departments of the hospital and observe many types of surgeries. The shadowing wasn't too long either, so once we finished, we were free for the rest of the day. Our site manager was really amazing and very helpful. We went on group excursions twice, which were also cool

I signed up for this program with a little prior shadowing experience and a fuzzy head about what I wanted to do in the future. My past experiences were primarily academic or research based and the little shadowing I did prior had pushed me away from pursuing a career in medicine. This experience completely turned that around. The ability to shadow in numerous departments as well as interact on a more personal level with the hospital staff showed me a different side of medicine and convinced me that working in a hospital is where I want to be. Its a much different experience than you get shadowing in the United States, not only are the health care institutions vastly different but so is the culture. And, on top of all that professional growth, you get to travel around Europe. I made some amazing memories with the most amazing group of girls. It's the perfect mix of work and play.

I have attended two Atlantis Fellowships now and have absolutely loved both of them. In the summer of 2018 I went to Székesfehérvár, Hungary for 4 weeks and gained 90 shadowing hours in the hospital there. I also got to experience the city and culture through our free time and weekly excursions. I was then given the opportunity to attend a Senior Fellowship in Thessaloniki, Greece during the summer of 2019 which was another amazing experience with Atlantis. I attended this fellowship for three weeks and gained 60+ shadowing hours in various specialties. One of the amazing things about this fellowship is that not only are you able to gain shadowing experience and grow academically, but you are also able to travel on the weekends and explore the city you are living in during the afternoons. Atlantis also has weekly excursions planned to show everyone the highlights of the city or country in which you are staying. I honestly think any pre med who can take advantage of this program should. It has been one of the highlights of my time in college and my summers!!

Shadowing physicians in a global health care setting was such an invaluable experience that has shaped and will continue to shape the kind of physician that I hope to someday be.
I have never travelled outside of the US before, and yet Atlantis prepared me so well for this fellowship that I felt no anxiety whatsoever about traveling alone in a foreign country. My Site Manager made it so that I always felt safe and so that I also got the most of my experience, both in the hospital and during excursions/exploring the city.
I learned so much of value while shadowing in the hospital. There is so much about global medicine that you can only experience; that you can’t be taught without firsthand experience. In Greece, I had the opportunity to see medicine practiced in manners both similar and different to that in the US, and it forced me to consider the pros and cons of both our healthcare systems. Furthermore, with the vast number of hours of shadowing you obtain, not only is it good for your resume, but it gives you a chance to decide if a career in medicine is really the right path for you. The shadowing isn’t easy; the language barrier and often long hours on your feet can be exhausting, but the life-changing learning experience is a reward well worth it.
This program isn’t just an opportunity to explore global medicine. It’s an opportunity to explore a new country through weekly excursions and group dinners and to make meaningful lifetime friendships with fellow pre-meds. It is an experience that you will reflect on for the rest of your life and will shape your future career in medicine.

I just completed my fellowship with Atlantis and it was one of the best experiences of my life! I was able to shadow in on some interesting surgeries and meet some amazing people. I loved getting to know the other fellows as well as the Atlantis staff and hospital staff during the three weeks I was in Thessaloniki! The site managers on this trip did everything in their power to make our experience incredible! I really enjoyed getting to live like a local in the city center in Thessaloniki; it is a beautiful place and the people are so nice! I definitely recommend it! In addition to a great hospital experience, we got to go on some really cool excursions and see some incredible places! I also enjoyed having the weekends free to travel! It was great being able to see more of the country on my own time! Overall, this was a really great experience!

At the beginning I was very skeptical. Really all the way until my very first day of shadowing I was nervous about the program. It was pretty expensive to be honest and it toon a lot of time and energy to prepare for the program. So I was worried that at the end of it all it wouldn’t be worth it. It was my first time ever traveling alone and out of the country. The first day of shadowing really opened my eyes to see how beautiful it can be when science and care really come together. Not only are Atlantis staff really helpful but also the doctors and nurses in the hospital. On days where it was slow and I felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of it, I could go to anyone and ask to change that and they would. I would do it all again if I could. It was such a beautiful experience and so worth everything I put into it. You meet such amazing people along the way and make incredible connections. There are sometimes where you light not click with everyone either in your group or out, but it builds your social skills and your team building skills which is so important for the field of medicine. After just a week you become known in the hospital if you do it all right and you have people who ask you to come to their departments. The hours seem long on paper but my four weeks flew by and I feel like I still didn’t see and learn everything I could have. Atlantis has a lot to offer if you take the time to make the most of your time overseas.

If you are looking for a great pre-medical experience and would also love to go abroad, I highly recommend this program. From shadowing, scrubbing in, and helping doctors you will gain so much knowledge and interest in medicine. Atlantis provides opportunities that you would not find in the USA and you will also meet the most amazing doctors, directors, and friends.

Greek food is amazing and the directors kept us well fed. We are supposed to buy our own groceries but our meals were so large I had enough left-overs for both lunch and dinner the next day! I literally did not buy groceries once in the whole month I was there.

Thessaloniki is a busier city right on the seaside. It is beautiful in its own way and close to many amazing things. During my stay, I was able to fly to Athens for a weekend, visit Mt. Olympus, Meteora, and many beaches. The only things I didn't like were: the constant smell of cigarettes (this is lessened in Athens), garbage in the port, and graffiti everywhere. If you are looking for a faster-paced city with mountainous views right on the ocean, Thessaloniki is the place for you.