Atlantis Pre-PA Shadowing Programs: An Honest Review

Atlantis pre-health shadowing programs give pre-med and pre-PA students a structured way to travel abroad with local guides while building shadowing hours and meeting like-minded peers. Trips range from one to ten weeks and line up with summer and winter breaks, so you can earn somewhere between 50 and 200-plus shadowing hours, and there are even multi-country options.

The track record is impressive. Atlantis alumni have gone on to 40 of the top 50 medical schools and many top PA programs. For pre-PA applicants who love to travel, it is a way to gain a distinctive experience while seeing a new part of the world. This post is sponsored by Atlantis, and I want to be upfront about that, but the experience genuinely fits the kind of standout applicant story programs notice.

Here is the honest part. PA programs require many hours of often paid patient contact, and that has to come first. Shadowing is observation, not hands-on patient care, so an Atlantis trip does not replace your core PCE hours.

With that said, if your grades are strong and you already have a plan to earn the patient care hours programs want, Atlantis shadowing can be the perfect complement that helps you stand out. One alum, Marlayna, put it well: she could have worked at a hospital in New Jersey for hours, but she felt the Atlantis program would set her apart by giving her a unique experience to bring to graduate school. On CASPA, students like Karsyn categorized the trip as Healthcare Experience to fit that category.

Karsyn visited Rome for three weeks in the summer of 2019. She shadowed Monday through Thursday until the afternoon. Because Italy has not adopted the PA role, she shadowed three doctors with a surgical focus and saw cardiology, emergency, and internal medicine specialties. Seeing how a different healthcare system works gave her interesting talking points in interviews later.

Students arrive Saturday and use Sunday to get acclimated, find housing, and meet the group. Karsyn felt safe the whole time, even though starting something new in a new place was a little scary at first. Atlantis has staff on site to help with anything, so you do not need to speak the local language. She loved her housing, a large four-bedroom apartment shared with eight students. Nights and weekends were for exploring and cultural immersion, so there is fun built in too.

Atlantis is a study abroad program and costs about the same as other study abroad programs, but it packs a lot into a short time, roughly 60 hours of shadowing in three weeks. Programs start around $2,899, and the longer three-week programs run around $4,999, which is actually less than the average summer study abroad program. Very long programs cost more. [VERIFY] current Atlantis pricing.

Most programs are in Europe, including Italy, Spain, Croatia, Switzerland, and Portugal, with some US options and research-based programs available. Atlantis offers monthly payment plans and loan options, and their Financing and Aid page has more detail. Think of it as an investment in your future, and get creative. Birthdays and gifts can be a good time to let family know about your plans. Programs are small, usually 8 to 12 students, so they fill up fast, which means applying early matters.

If your grades are solid and your patient care hours are on track, an Atlantis trip can add a memorable, application-strengthening experience while letting you travel before the demands of PA school. The next step is to apply early so you can lock in finances, travel requirements, and your preferred city. Reach out to Atlantis to get more information and see if it is a good fit for you.