Study Abroad
Medical Volunteer Abroad, A Pre-Med’s View: 5 Best Sites to Explore Options
About Ryan
Ryan Hodge graduated from North Central College in May of 2021 as a biology major and Spanish minor on the pre-medicine track. After his sophomore year, he participated in the Atlantis Summer 2019 shadowing program in Tarragona, Spain.
If you are exploring a career in healthcare, no matter the field or area, you should have some volunteer experience. Healthcare professionals work every day to serve others and prioritize their patients’ health. In order for schools, programs, and employers to know you have a passion to serve others as a living, they need to know you enjoy helping people. It is not only something special to put on your resume, but you also find volunteer services are an opportunity to grow personally as well.
However, finding the right program or organization to volunteer for can be a difficult task. There are so many to choose from, and it can often feel overwhelming. Additionally, if you are like me, traveling is also another passion you want to explore. Luckily, there are medical volunteer programs that exist and can help you combine your wanderlust with your interest in service. Compiled below is a list of some of the best sites that I used to ultimately make my own decision on where to volunteer abroad!
Top 5 Sites to Explore
Go Overseas
This site is a great place to start, as it reviews and provides a list of the top 10 best medical volunteer programs to participate in. For me, what I find helpful is that it breaks down the best volunteer abroad programs based on your interests – such as rural health or health research. Additionally, this resource has been updated since the pandemic, and includes information on whether or not proof of vaccines and/or COVID tests are required upon entry.
Go Abroad
Similarly to Go Overseas, this site includes an additional list of volunteer abroad programs for pre-medical students. There is little overlap between the two sites, so together they provide you a wide range of sites to start with! What makes this site an excellent jumping off point is the fact that it provides a brief overview of each program mentioned so that you do not have to go to each site unless you are interested in learning more. This can save you time as you find what program is best for you.
PlanMyGapYear
(PMGY) is a volunteer abroad platform that offers impactful volunteer projects not only for pre-medicine students in their gap year, but also pre-health students more broadly in the areas of medicine, childcare, teaching, and wildlife. According to their website, PMGY provides a safe, structured, and social platform with volunteer travel opportunities available from 1-40 weeks in Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America. They have been around for more than 10 years and have many positive student reviews on their site so it definitely may be worth checking out.
Your University Advisor or Study Abroad Office
Perhaps your most useful resource to check is your own university. Pre-professional advisors or study abroad offices are full of people who know which programs might be best for you. Additionally, they will know from other students’ experiences whether or not the program you are interested in is reliable and safe. When spending money to travel to a foreign country, I highly recommend getting second opinions before you take the leap.
Atlantis 360 Shadowing
Although not a true and genuine volunteer experience, Atlantis offers students an opportunity to experience a unique clinical experience that most students are seeking when they are looking to volunteer. Atlantis allowed me to shadow physicians of several different specialties in Tarragona, Spain. During my three-week trip, I shadowed orthopedic surgeons, general surgeons, internists, and ER physicians. This experience exposed me to cases I want to see in my career eventually and thus solidified the idea that I want to be a physician. I experienced a different healthcare system which will allow me to be well-rounded and understand the different pros and cons of different healthcare systems.
Takeaway
There are multiple options available to pre-med students to volunteer abroad and gain experience relevant to their academic and professional futures. At the end of the day, medical schools are looking for three main things: healthcare exposure, high academic performance, and specific competencies that can be found here. Volunteering abroad is a wonderful way to make you a more competitive applicant. Additionally, there are other extracurricular opportunities that can also strengthen your application, such as Atlantis shadowing programs over school breaks. Ultimately, you should choose the program that best fits you and your interests, and enjoy the opportunity to personally develop as well as contribute to those around you.
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
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