Shadowing Abroad with Atlantis (Vigo,Spain)

In Summer 2022 I shadowed abroad in Vigo, Spain with Atlantis through the University of Florida and it was incredible ! After my first year of college , I decided that the business field did not capture everything I wanted so in 2020 I made the switch to the pre-med track. With Covid blooming I had a hard time finding shadowing opportunities due to safety and health concerns in hospitals. I resorted to virtual shadowing and learned all I could but I still wanted to have a in-person experience with physicians. My academic advisor brought to me the Atlantis shadow abroad in Spain and I jumped on the opportunity. In this experience I left the country for my first time and submerged myself in the Spanish culture. I always wanted to study abroad but it never worked with my schedule given all my pre-reqs. Atlantis allowed me to scratch that itch and be one-on-one to two-on-one with physicians in Spain. I went for four weeks and shadowed a different specialty every week ( ER, Neurology, ICU, Vascular Surgery) culminating a total of 96 hours. I got to see even more than those 4 specialties because the doctors would invite me to see more operations and consults. My experience opened my eyes to the various healthcare systems and has allowed me to better understand the different ways of approaching health.
I LOVED my location and where I got to live. For my first time out of the country I felt safe and secure Las I explored the city. I got to connect with prehealth students and also network with the physicians I met by getting their emails and keeping up contact. As I apply for medical schools now in the US this experience is consistently one I bring up in explaining my journey and love for medicine. I have grown tremendously in understanding of the duties and responsibility of a doctor because of this experience !