By Alexa Szatkowski, Atlantis alumna from a summer 2022 program
“You’re a pre-health student, studying abroad won’t be possible.” That was my advisor’s response in our first meeting during my freshman year in college. Those words broke my eager heart that wanted to experience the world, but it made sense. How was I supposed to be a well-rounded student that passed classes, led extracurricular activities, and still needed to fit clinical exposure into her schedule while studying abroad? The answer, at least for me, was Atlantis.
Atlantis offers pre-health (primarily pre-med and pre-PA) students the opportunity to shadow in a healthcare setting in another country during school breaks (usually the summer). I learned about Atlantis from a friend who took her Atlantis trip to Barcelona, Spain. She talked about what she had learned, where she went, and the memories she made. I was hooked from the moment she started talking. The combination of not having found time for clinical experience and my desire to study abroad made the decision to apply a no-brainer.
At the Core of my Experience: the Hospital
In June 2022, I had the chance to shadow through Atlantis in an Italian city called Genoa. You may know it for its delicious hard salami, but I know it for its beautiful blue waters and renowned pediatric hospital. I spent three weeks rotating between the Emergency Room, Neurosurgery, and Cardiosurgery departments at Instituto Giannina Gaslini. In each department, I gained a new perspective on healthcare, patient care, and a physician’s life. (One of the advantages of Atlantis shadowing over U.S. shadowing is the built-in speciality breadth, as they describe here.)
In the ER, I learned about the physician-first method, where once patients were triaged they immediately saw a pediatrician in an exam room to begin the treatment process. My biggest lesson from that week was how to ease patients and families with a language barrier. I heard everything from Italian, French, German, Ukrainian, and English and watched how to tackle this barrier to fully assist a patient.
With Neurosurgery, I had the opportunity to have an up-close look in the O.R. Without putting the patient in danger, the surgeons would walk us through what they were doing, point out neuroanatomy, and explain the risks and benefits of each surgery. I spent my final week at Gaslini with Cardiosurgery. Although I only saw one surgery that week, the surgeon sat with us each day to answer questions, explain different procedures, and gave us many points to remember in our careers. This page helpfully describes how Atlantis works.
Beyond the hospital
Each Atlantis program includes activities outside of the hospital, as well as free time. Outside of the impact each Gaslini employee left on me, Atlantis trips allow you to experience your host country too. Every evening, my group would meet at the beach or city center to explore and share the events of our day. Those were some of my favorite moments because we learned from each other’s experiences too. During the weekends, we traveled to Recco, Camogli, and Nice, France; then, Santa Margharita, Portofino, and Cinque Terre. Our time away from shadowing was essential because we immersed ourselves in a new culture and grew outside the hospital.
My General View for Those Thinking About Shadowing Abroad
I would recommend every pre-health student (whether pre-med or pre-PA or even nursing) to shadow abroad with Atlantis, no question. Their program offers you experiences that you can lean on in your career (that shadowing in your backyard wouldn’t allow). From shadowing, I learned to look at every aspect of a patient before deciding how to treat, and from exploring, I learned how to slow down and take in the moment. I constantly reflect on my time in Italy and am grateful for the opportunity as it enhanced my perspective as a future healthcare professional.
