Overseas Doctor Shadowing Opportunity

Matt Ross Start Date: Feb 5, 2019 - End Date: May 29, 2019
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Barbastro, Spain
  • Vilnius, Lithuania

My Travel Story

by: Matt Ross Start Date: Feb 5, 2019 - End Date: May 29, 2019
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Leadership/Training Program
  • Study/Degree Abroad
My name is Matthew Ross and I am a student at Penn State University pursuing a degree in Biology with the intention of going to medical school. I am enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program at Penn State and it is my plan to become a Medical Officer in the U.S. Air Force. To make myself more competitive for medical schools, I've been actively looking to find ways to get involved in finding ways to shadow doctors as well as volunteer. I have the opportunity to go overseas this summer with a program called the Atlantis Fellowship where I will be visiting three countries and shadowing various doctors in hospitals.  While most students applying to medical school might be able to say that they shadowed doctors or volunteered in hospitals, I don't know how many will be able to say that they shadowed doctors in three countries over the summer for 20+ hours per week. I'm passionate about this trip because I'm passionate about going to medical school and I think this opportunity will help me with making decisions about my future. It's my goal to not only serve my country but to hopefully be saving the men and women who have also vowed to protect our country. To achieve this I need to not only work hard in school but find ways that are unique and stand out as much as possible to get accepted into medical school. Not only will this make me shine a little more than other students, but this will be a cultural experience to help me view more of the world, see their medical practices and facilities, and be able to get firsthand experience with doctors with all kinds of different backgrounds. This is one of the major reasons why I'm choosing a three-country fellowship versus a one country fellowship. This will not only open me to different perspectives but will give me a different experience than the average student. I will be spending 2 weeks in each of these countries Rijeka, Croatia; Crete, Greece; and Calatayud, Spain.


If you want to read more about where I will be going and the information related to each hospital, I wrote out some interesting facts about each below:


The first hospital we will be working in is the Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka in Croatia. This is the central hospital institution of this region of the Republic of Croatia and is a regional hospital for three countries. It provides medical care for approximately 600,000 locals and more than three million outpatient clinics visits per year. It has around 1,200 beds and hosts medical specialties ranging from clinical pharmacology to sanitary engineering. They also practice a wide range of specialties in internal and family medicine, OB/GYN, cardiology, gastroenterology, and oncology.


The second hospital we will work in is the General University Hospital of Heraklion in Crete. It has 750 beds and one of the largest public hospitals in Greece. It serves around 50,000 patients annually through its Care Clinics and 170,000 through outpatient services. The hospital is proud of its "wide variety of surgical procedures, including [transplants] and the most up-to-date laparoscopic techniques, are performed in its operating rooms" and that it is "in the forefront in implementing Management Information Systems."


The final hospital we will work in is the Hospital Ernest Lluch in Calatayud, Spain. It opened on May 27th, 1985 and has 122 beds. It has Special Care Units, a Neonatal hospital, an Oncology unit, Emergency services, a Radiology department, lab services, obstetrics, and a dialysis center. The hospital has a reputation for efficiency and closeness with its patients.


I'm hoping that with the different sized hospitals, the different cultural exposure, and the multitude of specialties of each hospital, I will be able to solidify my passion for medicine, have a better idea of where I may want to concentrate with my studies and be able to make a difference in these countries. Any little bit you can contribute will make a huge difference to me. $1 from 100 people helps in more ways than you would think. So anything is appreciated.
  • Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Barbastro, Spain
  • Vilnius, Lithuania

Updates

1

  • Acceptance Email

    Acceptance Email
    My official acceptance into the Atlantis Fellowship