Clinical Shadowing and Volunteering in Greece this summer

I honestly think going to Ireland was the best decision I ever made. At first, I was nervous to even apply, but then my close friend gave me some good advice: "If not now, when?" So, I took my time and applied just to try, and I am so happy I did. I remember sitting at JFK Airport before leaving for a flight to SGK, Thessaloniki Greece and I had no idea how amazing the next 3 weeks of my life would be.
Our program director was so supportive, making sure we knew the ins and outs of the city before letting us loose, and he was always very diligent to make time for one of us if anything arose. The shadowing at the university hospital was amazing. our tour guides on field trips were charismatic, reciting poetry at times and truly immersing us in hidden spots all over Greece.

I went to Greece for 2weeks with Philotimo for my medical internship program.
I met new people, I got to observe many surgeries and patient consultations. I have experienced Greek culture, and so much more! the volunteering part at the children's shelter was a very human touch experience. That is when I realized that I wanted to become a doctor. I would recommend this program to any pre-health student because it’s a great way to get a feel for medicine and different specialties, study abroad, and make great connections!

Philotimo's team, the professors, and the hospital staff made everything so great. Stavros is so much fun and cares about the students, so organized, He's amazing! I had the opportunity to travel from my country, Lebanon following my heart as I want to become a doctor. The Philotimo internship helped me so much to realize that being a doctor is not easy but is such a rewarding profession. The doctors in Greece are so friendly and explain all the procedures during the operation. Stavros's group meals and stories are unforgettable. I really enjoy this unique experience.

All of this knowledge and experience has helped me to solidify my career aspirations within medicine. Some specific skills include medical terminology, and interpersonal skills/patient-professional interactions. The professors and doctors explained everything and answered questions while performing this procedure. After completing my internship experience, I now feel on a personal level, more mature and responsible. Traveling on my own in a new country has been an eye-opening and welcome experience. Furthermore, I now feel more confident in my interactions with others. I gained a wealth of knowledge from my two weeks of shadowing and solidified that this path is what I want for my future career.

I’ve never experienced something like this before.
As far as living in Greece, has been even more life-changing than anything I’ve experienced before. Living in a city- I come from New Jersey, which is a little more rural- so I’ve never taken the metro before. I usually have to drive my car everywhere- here I did walk- and that was a real learning experience. It was interesting using our non-verbal communication like facial expressions and gestures to communicate with people around in public- even at the hospital even though everybody speaks English.
I was able to meet a lot of cool girls. My two roommates are from Florida and California and it was nice to bond and go to work with them. We’ve developed really good relationships. They were helpful and easy to communicate with.

I see the world and making some changes seems amazing in my eyes and this opportunity with Philotimo Med Abroad seemed like the perfect place to start.
Whilst there are so many organizations out there I chose Philotimoi as they were an affordable and professional organization that offered a great experience to 17+ years old which was perfect for me based on my age at the time.
My reasoning for choosing Greece is that it is an amazing country which I've had a connection with since a young age. For anyone who's a first-time volunteer and shadowing like I was, this is a perfect destination to go to and organization to go with.

I’ve just got home from spending 3 weeks in Greece. I spent my time doing the childcare/shadowing internship program (Shelter and uni. hospital) while at this placement you’ll be giving them all your attention and comforting them creating or participating in activities created by you or your mentors. I can’t describe the feeling it gives you to take care of them. they’re so precious and every single one of them will have a special place in my heart always. Shadowing at the University hospital was an experience like no other. I got to observe many cases in the emergency room and at the pediatric clinic.
It’s a really rewarding thing to do but it is very emotional.

I can’t thank Stavros enough for all his help, For every problem and question I had he got sorted, and his replies were also very fast too.

While I was staying at the accommodation there was never a time I felt unsafe and I’d like to thank all the staff and Kostas the taxi drivers for that, they do make your time extra special. I’d like to come back to Larissa one day.

I’ve just arrived back from my trip to Larissa with Philotimo, and my overall experience was amazing. The staff at the shelter made me feel at home (coordinators, taxi drivers, and Stavros) and would always go the extra mile for us the volunteers.
The atmosphere with the other students is amazing and everyone always has such a good time !!
Traveling to Greece was such an amazing experience and I’m so glad I did it with planning my gap year. One of the best benefits of traveling with plan my gap year was the safety the workers provided, you never go anywhere on your own and you always feel 100% safe.