Plaza Mayor in Valladolid, Spain (an Atlantis site).
Plaza Mayor in Valladolid, Spain (an Atlantis site).
Streetview in Valladolid, Spain (an Atlantis site)
Streetview in Valladolid, Spain (an Atlantis site)
Medina del campo in valladolid.
Medina del Campo in Valladolid (an Atlantis site).

Spain

Valladolid

$5,999

Overview

Valladolid is the largest city in the region of Castilla y León in northwestern Spain, with a population of 420,000 people. The city is situated in between two rivers, Pisuerga and Esgueva. It was the capital of Spain on several occasions, and it is the city where Christopher Columbus spent the last days of his life. Nowadays Valladoild is a major economic center in Spain, and car manufacturing is the most important industry in the city. Located about one hour from Madrid (by high speed train) and two hours from Portugal, Valladolid is an ideal area for supplemental travel.

Destination Information

The City

Valladolid has numerous fantastic historical buildings, such as the Cavalry Academy, the Cathedral, and the Plaza Mayor, the main square that condenses history and commerce.

Although talking about the beach of Valladolid may seem crazy because it is hundreds of kilometers away from the coast, it is a reality because the city has an excellent river beach bathed by the waters of the Pisuerga River.

Valladolid is also a gateway to the Ribera del Duero region, world-famous for its wine culture and wineries.

Dates & Availability

  • Summer Break 2023

Dates

Price

Availability

June 3, 2023 - June 23, 2023 3 weeks

$5,999 from $286/month

closed

June 24, 2023 - July 14, 2023 3 weeks

$5,999 from $286/month

closed

July 15, 2023 - August 4, 2023 3 weeks

$5,999 from $286/month

limited

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 if traveling abroad, and more. Airfare is not included but can be very affordable.

Hospital Overview

The University Rio Hortega Hospital is a public hospital situated in the south part of Valladolid in the Castilla y León region in Spain. This hospital was established in 1953. The new modern building where the hospital is operating now was opened in 2008 and it currently serves a population of 215,000 people, it has more than 600 beds and 15 ORs. Its state-of-the-art technology makes the University Rio Hortega Hospital one of the most advanced in both Spain and in Europe. Atlantis participants will gain a diverse shadowing experience in this well-equipped hospital in Spain.

Alumni Favorite

River Beach in The City

The river beach in the city center of Valladolid is the place to be on a sunny afternoon: you can play sports, go kayaking, or just relax by the Pisuerga river with your new friends.

Students paddle boarding on the river beach.
Atlantis students paddle boarding on the river beach (Valladolid, Spain, 2019).

This program definitely fueled my motivation to become a doctor.

Students in front of a sculpture.
Atlantis tudents in front of a sculpture outside of the Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega (Valladolid, Spain, 2018).
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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