A view of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy (an Atlantis site).
A view of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy (an Atlantis site).
A view of Rome (an Atlantis site) from the Tiber River.
A view of Rome (an Atlantis site) from the Tiber River.
Atlantis students in front of a landmark arch.
Atlantis students in front of a landmark arch on a program excursion (Rome, Italy, 2019).

Italy

Rome

$7,499

Overview

Rome is the capital and the largest city in Italy. It is one of the most ancient cities in the world – beautiful, and full of history and culture. Known as the Eternal City, Rome is one of the birthplaces of Western civilization and has accrued about 2,500 years of history since its founding in 753 BC. The historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers many locations to see, including Vatican City, an independent country, and the only country to be geographically situated within a city.

Destination Information

The City

Rome is considered a major gastronomic destination, and its cuisine is as legendary as its monuments – sampling the city’s classic dishes is just as quintessential a Roman experience as visiting the Colosseum! A program in Rome promises an exciting cultural and historical experience where students can interact with a truly unique medical climate.

Dates & Availability

  • Summer Break 2023

Dates

Price

Availability

May 13, 2023 - June 2, 2023 3 weeks

$7,499 from $370/month

limited

June 3, 2023 - June 23, 2023 3 weeks

$7,499 from $370/month

limited

June 24, 2023 - July 14, 2023 3 weeks

$7,499 from $370/month

limited

July 15, 2023 - August 4, 2023 3 weeks

$7,499 from $370/month

open

You may pay over time, fundraise, consider scholarships, and more. See more on the financing and aid page.

Dates may be subject to change, in rare cases, depending on hospital availability. Students may transfer to another program or receive a refund up until a pre-defined amount of before the start date. All fees include an initial $900 deposit, which is non-refundable. Accepted students or their parents are welcome to apply for financing through Uplift (up to 24-month terms, with a 4% to 36% fixed APR based on creditworthiness). Monthly payment amounts are for those paying via Uplift and are for illustration purposes only.

What’s Included

Atlantis programs include ~20h/week of shadowing, housing, some meals, transportation, health insurance, and more. Airfare is not included but can be very affordable.

Hospital Overview

Regina Elena Hospital

Regina Elena Hospital is the national cancer institute of Rome. The Institute has been operating in the most advanced areas of research and treatment of oncological diseases since 1933. Regina Elena is involved in national and international research, in biomolecular and instrumental diagnostics, in epidemiology as well early diagnostics, and it implements standard or innovative protocols for the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients. In surgery, the Institute was among the first to introduce laparoscopy and robotic surgery. Its mission is to achieve excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tumors through research in the fields of epidemiology, etiology, neoplastic transformation and progression, and experimental therapies.

San Camillo-Forlanini Hospital

The San Camillo-Forlanini hospital is a public hospital in Rome. The hospital is part of the regional health system and offers 9 different departments. The Forlanini hospital is the regional transplant center for kidney, liver, bone marrow, heart, pancreas, and pancreatic cells, and is also the regional blood center. The hospital hosts a variety of volunteer associations, which make up the Network of Solidarity. This network’s intention is to create a mode of collaboration between health professionals and volunteers. The hospital’s structure and departments are organized within 14 pavilions, with a total area of 238,000 square meters.

Spallanzani Hospital

The Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases is an infectious disease hospital in the city of Rome. Institute for Infectious Diseases takes its name from the Italian scientist who was one of the founders of experimental biology. The hospital was inaugurated in 1936 as a facility for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases. It has around 300 beds in 15 different pavilions. It is the Italian national reference center for Ebola patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spallanzani Institute was the first research center in Europe to isolate the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 and upload it to GenBank.

Alumni Favorite

Trastevere

Rome is full of some of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in the entire world. You’ll realize pretty quickly, though, that Rome has some hidden secrets that don’t always make their way to the tourist guides. If you’re looking for small winding streets, flowered terraces, and laundry lines overlooking the cobblestones below, the Trastevere neighborhood delivers. Keep your eye out for some unique restaurants, art shops, and vintage stores, and experience the more ‘underground’ side of Rome.

Atlantis students standing in front of a fountain.
Atlantis students standing in front of a fountain on a program excursion (Rome, Italy, 2019).

This program was the best thing I could have ever done. I was shown so many different specialties and feel I am so much more confident in going into medicine after this program.

Atlantis students in front of the pediatric hospital where they are shadowing.
Atlantis students in front of the pediatric hospital where they are shadowing (Rome, Italy, 2019).
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Excursions

Our excursions are designed to offer a deeper look into your host culture, for both the educational benefit and the pure enjoyment of exploring a new place with others who share your interests in travel and medicine. If you happen to make travel plans outside of your city for a weekend, and thus your travel plans conflict with the events your Site Manager has planned, we ask that you notify your Site Manager several days in advance so that they’re able to plan the excursion accordingly. Excursions range from historical tours to culinary and cultural explorations. Your Site Manager will inform you of the different excursions they have planned during your program orientation.

Atlantis students on a program excursion.
Atlantis students on a program excursion (Genoa, Italy, 2019).

Clinical Experience that Stands Out to Schools

Medical schools want 3 things: healthcare exposure, GPA/MCAT, and certain competencies. Uniquely, “360 Shadowing” gives you the best version of the 1st, frees you to focus on the 2nd, and cultivates/shows the 3rd to medical school admissions.

Two students walking out of a hospital wing.
Atlantis students in a hospital wing (Lisbon, Portugal, 2019).
Students tubing in the ocean in Greece.
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Watch the Atlantis Experience

Language Skills Not Required

Almost all alumni have not spoken the local language. English levels vary within the hospital, but no knowledge of the language is required for Atlantis to be valuable. There is English ability in enough places in the hospital for participants to benefit, as you can read in our testimonials. Moreover, a program in an English-speaking country would take away some of the value of Atlantis, particularly the intercultural perspective that Atlantis participants gain, in a world where many of your future patients in your career later on will not speak your language and will come from a different cultural background. Any possible language barrier you may encounter at Atlantis, even if slight, is also an opportunity to develop “resilience and adaptability,” one of the 15 AAMC core competencies for entering medical students.

Funding Your Future

The cost of Atlantis isn’t too dissimilar from the cost of many study abroad programs that you may find. And we’re here to help: from our extensive fundraising guide to flexible payment plans and financing options, we make the process simple and easy, allowing you to focus on what really matters.

An Atlantis student smiling while shadowing abroad.
An Atlantis student on an excursion experiencing culture while shadowing abroad (Athens, Greece, 2019).

Hear More Directly From Our Alumni

Hear more from them on their experiences during and after Atlantis.

An Atlantis student standing outside the hospital where she is shadowing.
An Atlantis student standing outside the hospital where she is shadowing (Barcelona, Spain, 2019).

Bring a Friend

Consider bringing a friend to the same program you’re applying to. Although the vast majority of Atlantis alumni have gone on programs without knowing someone in their cohort, bringing a friend allows your experience to be shared in a unique way, while still allowing you one of the benefits of Atlantis: meeting new pre-health friends from across the country. Consider sharing this idea with your friends.

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students walking and smiling.
Atlantis students exploring together on a program excursion (Athens, Greece, 2019).

Med School Interview:
Atlantis Alum vs. Typical Pre-med

Compare a possible medical school interview of an Atlantis alum with that of a typical applicant by looking at responses to common questions.

Greek ruins on a sunny day.

Gain the Exposure, Stats, and Competencies that Med Schools Want

  • The vast majority of alumni accepted into med/PA school said Atlantis “strongly” or “very strongly” impacted their admittance
  • 81% of alumni accepted into med/PA school said Atlantis impacted their passion for medicine
  • 93% of our pre-health alumni progressed on the AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students