Shadow Doctors 20+ Hours/Week Across Europe

This was a great program for reinforcing one’s desire to be in the medical field. Anything from a physician, to a orthopedic surgeon, to an anesthesiologist; there are many opportunities to get to know someone in these fields and other fields and get their perspective on how they completed their schooling, if and why they enjoy what they do, and to ultimately get a different point of view of medicine than one’s own in their country of residence. It also an experience that allows a person to grow in a different environment - whether with the group members from different cities and backgrounds to the new and unfamiliar country and its’ customs to being exposed to a day-to-day life of a medical professional within a hospital setting. Great time.

Atlantis is hands down one of the best things I have ever done. I loved the places I visited, the doctors I shadowed, the medical and cultural knowledge I gained, the life-long friendships I developed, and so much more. I have definitely grown as a person and student and learned so much about medicine through my fellowship! I also learned how to overcome language barriers with other people which will help in the medical field when I have patients without the same language. It was great to see other cultures and as a World Traveler, I was able to compare the health care systems and cultures of different countries not just to the United States but to each other as well! I am so grateful for Atlantis and I definitely think it helps to prepare fellows to be the best and most well-rounded health care professionals they can be.

Going on a fellowship to Zagreb, Croatia for 3 weeks was one of the best decisions in my professional career! I have gained priceless skills and professional connections while on this fellowship from the doctors/surgeons during shadowing hours to the colleagues that I met during the fellowship. This experience has enlightened me in culture diversity, adapting to new environments, confirming that I am going to become a surgeon by watching surgeries everyday during my first rotation in ENT, and how different other countries health care systems are/how they operate. During the free time on the weekends my colleagues and I decided to travel to Split and Budapest and this enhanced the fellowship immensely by being able to experience the old towns by the sea and seeing a whole different culture in Budapest than from Zagreb. I highly encourage you to travel to near by cities or countries during this free time on the weekends and to apply to Atlantis to complete their fellowship program! It was the best decision in my professional career and I would do it all over again if I could.

This experience was unbelievable. The amount of in depth preparation by Atlantis was outstanding. When I left America to come on this fellowship, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would either be a regular shadowing gig with some traveling, or I thought it would be life changing. It was the latter. Literally from day one of shadowing to the last day of shadowing I enjoyed every second of it. All of the doctors were super helpful and they genuinely seemed glad to have us there. I learned so much and now I honestly have a lot more ideas as to what kind of physician I want to be in the future. The traveling is an awesome part as well though. I got to experience European healthcare along with European culture. My name is Robert Castle I would recommend Atlantis to anyone!

Atlantis gave me such a valuable experience in my path to medicine. I shadowed for over 85 hours in 4 different departments (OBGYN, pediatrics, general surgery, and emergency department). The town of Szekesfehervar, Hungary is filled with kind, welcoming, and humble people and the hospital was no different. Atlantis always made a great effort to make all of the fellows feel safe, welcomed, and comfortable with the experience. The Site Managers were Hungarian natives and were absolutely fabulous to spend time with. The cultural experience that comes along with the hospital shadowing was challenging and rewarding. The program was the perfect combination of experiential learning, cultural immersion, and free time to travel and explore. I made lasting connections with the other fellows on my program, and that has given me such a valuable network of other pre-med students across the U.S. I'm so thankful that I learned so much about medicine, Hungary, and cultural competence through the Atlantis Fellowship!

My program was 4-weeks in Lisbon, Portugal.
4 weeks full of shadowing at the largest hospital in the entire country (so we got the coolest cases from all over Portugal and even Africa!) from the following specialties: plastic surgery, vascular surgery, psychiatry, and orthopedic surgery.
4 weeks full of traveling on the weekends with fellows that I can confidently say they are lifelong friends now. I went up and down the coast of Portugal, experienced a culture unlike any other during the World Cup, and went surfing for the first time.
4 weeks living in seriously a BEAUTIFUL apartment. Surrounded by all the fellows. We each had our own studio apartment that was brand new. Pool, rooftop deck, workout room, conveniently located, etc.
There's so much more to say about this program that I can't put into a paragraph, but sign up for Atlantis to gain a wider perspective on medicine and learn things you honestly can't get in your university classroom. and for an irreplaceable summer!

Atlantis provided me with an opportunity to expand my knowledge and appreciation for healthcare. It was my second time going overseas and my first time experiencing a different kind of medical system. While it was challenging in the beginning, I gained a lot from the experience. At first it was nerve wracking trying to determine what language and cultural barriers would be in place that would inhibit my learning. After the first few days, all nerves were set aside because the language and culture (while different) just provided a new way of observing healthcare. When I could not understand what was happening with my ears, I would use my eyes to observe body language, facial expressions, etc. in order to figure out what was happening. Later on the doctor would explain what happened. I learned how to effectively observe a situation and deduce relationships and emotions from them. I would recommend this experience to anyone interested in medicine and/or has an interest in cultural competency. Atlantis allowed me to observe and interact with a culture that was otherwise unknown to me. It helped me gain a better understanding and appreciation for the many unique lifestyles in the world.

My Atlantis fellowship was so valuable. It gave me an opportunity to witness first hand medicine in a new culture and learn from doctors there. Medicine in every culture is different so understanding the differences in medical practice was so interesting. I gained an understanding of the hospital and foundation as a whole. Living in another country was so empowering and helped me with personal development. I was sad to leave our fellowship and would go back if I had the chance.