Anyone heard of the Atlantis Project

[Nick The Camel]

As the title says , anyone heard of this and what're your opinions on it ?
If you haven't heard of it here's a link to their website:
https://www.atlantis-project.org


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[Astra]

but why

 

[libertyyne]

Sound likes voluntourism.

 

[JustAPhD]

So you pay all that money to shadow foreign doctors in foreign healthcare systems all to apply to be a doctor in the States? Ok.

Call it for what it is: an excuse to travel.

 

[Med Ed]

As the title says , anyone heard of this and what're your opinions on it ?
If you haven't heard of it here's a link to their website:
https://www.atlantis-project.org

It would take James Cameron to find my opinion on it.

 

[Nick The Camel]

But it looks like a relatively easy shadowing opportunity to obtain that you could BS into working in your favor


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[Med Ed]

But it looks like a relatively easy shadowing opportunity to obtain that you could BS into working in your favor

In my world $1,200 + airfare to shadow a doctor in Greece for a week = one more application in the trash. It's not even clever.

 

[Astra]

But it looks like a relatively easy shadowing opportunity to obtain that you could BS into working in your favor


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How much are you getting paid?

 

[Catalystik]

But it looks like a relatively easy shadowing opportunity to obtain that you could BS into working in your favor

I doubt it would work in your favor, if you want to attend a US med school.

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Why would I go shadow a doctor in a foreign country and pay to do it? I don't plan to practice there, how they work doesn't matter to me.
Also it is so weird and awkward that pre-meds are wearing white coats like they are doctors or something..

 

[Frogger27]

I volunteered through AP

Pro:
Travel
Opportunity to be in OR during surgery that would most likely not be allowed in U.S.
can improve Spanish

Con:
Cost
Extremely unorganized
It will not be something that stands out on your app
Cost
Cost

Overall:
If you have the money and want to travel, then go. If your goal is to improve a medical school app or yourself as a candidate in any way, this is not the right program

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Opportunity to be in OR during surgery that would most likely not be allowed in U.S.

What did you do in the OR?

 

[Frogger27]

Why would I go shadow a doctor in a foreign country and pay to do it? I don't plan to practice there, how they work doesn't matter to me.
Also it is so weird and awkward that pre-meds are wearing white coats like they are doctors or something..

Yeah we got to wear white coats like we are doctors.. It was actually quite comical. Also, we would just walk into the hospital and say "we are American medical students" and they would allow us to go in the OR and what not. (Not many regulations over there).

 

[Frogger27]

What did you do in the OR?

Stand and watch.. It wasn't one of those experiences like I'm some countries where you are actively involved with no idea what to do. I did get to be in the room for a neurosurgery which was wild

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Stand and watch

You can do that in any OR in the US. We had plenty of shadows. They usually stood next to anesthesia and looked over the drapes to get a good view.

 

[Frogger27]

You can do that in any OR in the US. We had plenty of shadows. They usually stood next to anesthesia and looked over the drapes to get a good view.

Yeah for a lot of the surgeries I did not have to stand next to the anesthesia.. I was right up next to the physician (sometimes they would let you stand right next to them and would explain as they were operating).

My point was there is just a ton less regulation over there in Europe as compared to US

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah for a lot of the surgeries I did not have to stand next to the anesthesia.. I was right up next to the physician (sometimes they would let you stand right next to them and would explain as they were operating).

My point was there is just a ton less regulation over there in Europe as compared to US

They let you stand up at the field? Where you scrubbed in?

 

[Frogger27]

They let you stand up at the field? Where you scrubbed in?

Yes and yes

 

[asw95]

Yeah I've heard of it b/c someone I went to highschool with started a GoFundMe to raise $5,000 for this "once in a lifetime opportunity" and talked about how competitive it is to secure an acceptance and how vital this was to their future goals. 90% of the pictures of they posted consisted of traveling Spain, attending concerts, and drinking a lot with the other 10% were them wearing white coats in a foreign hospital (spare me ).

So in my opinion it just sounds like an excuse to travel Europe and pick up some marginally worthwhile healthcare experience along the way, I'd save your money for apps/ mcat practice, or literally anything else. Shadowing doctors in the US is free and the experience is more applicable, unless you plan on practicing in a foreign country and you can travel Europe for cheaper. The person from my highschool wasn't exactly well off so it's sad seeing them probably make financial sacrifices and badger family and friends for money thinking a program like this is a ground breaking healthcare experience and could be a one way ticket into medical school. So take it for what it is and if you do decide to go for the love of god don't call it an internship and a "medical fellowship" like they did.

 

[Lawpy]

As the title says , anyone heard of this and what're your opinions on it ?
If you haven't heard of it here's a link to their website:
https://www.atlantis-project.org


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

But it looks like a relatively easy shadowing opportunity to obtain that you could BS into working in your favor


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

if you want to be a doctor in US, you should focus your shadowing and volunteering experiences in US. shadowing and volunteering abroad would be fine if it's free and you already have extensive US shadowing/volunteering (so a nice comparative view on healthcare)

 

[NotYou20]

Just go on a damn vacation like a normal person

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yes and yes

Oh okay. At least you were scrubbed in. I've seen that happen here, but I usually don't like it because it's just one more person I have to watch.

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Yeah we got to wear white coats like we are doctors.. It was actually quite comical. Also, we would just walk into the hospital and say "we are American medical students" and they would allow us to go in the OR and what not. (Not many regulations over there).

Isn't that being dishonest though since you aren't really American medical students?

 

[Frogger27]

Isn't that being dishonest though since you aren't really American medical students?

We would say to them that we were pre medical students, but Because of how different the medical education systems are (they go to med school after 18), they didn't really understand it any differently and would introduce us as American medical students.

I wouldnt consider it being dishonest as it was more of just what the European physicians referred to us collectively as. We were only shadowing.. If we were actually performing/assisting in surgeries I would have felt like we were deceiving them

 

[Frogger27]

But in summary, this program is a money grab for naive pre meds.

And yes, I was one of those 5 years ago.

Overall, I would not recommend it. If you really want to go abroad, you can find other programs/go on your free time that would be more rewarding

 

[stevenxie]

I went on the AP to New Zealand this past summer. Half of it was because I wanted to travel and experience another culture, and half of it was to see how the healthcare system there worked. It was an amazing experience, even though it was quite expensive.
I talked about my trip in 3/6 of my interviews, also mentioning it in one of the MMI questions.
Would not recommend it though.

 

[To be MD]

As the title says , anyone heard of this and what're your opinions on it ?
If you haven't heard of it here's a link to their website:
https://www.atlantis-project.org


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I think the Atlantis Project is great for what it is: an intensive study abroad program for pre-health students.

LizzyM wrote on this last month in a different thread, but the benefit of shadowing in another country is that the future doctors of America (premeds) get to see firsthand how other healthcare systems operate.

If you're in a med school interview and you are asked about the ACA, for example, how much better of an answer will you be able to give if you have experience both in healthcare in the US and abroad.

Yes, the program is not cheap... but it is just as expensive as any other study abroad program. And, since premeds don't have the luxury of being able to take OrgoII in two weeks in Venice, etc., I don't see anything wrong with deciding to take the same money it would take to do a few credits abroad and, instead, shadow in Spain, Italy, Greece, or whatever.

If you don't have the money to do it, then its best not to. But, if you have the money and the desire to experience foreign healthcare systems and shadow specialties that you might not have access to here, then go ahead and consider it.

I doubt it would work in your favor, if you want to attend a US med school.

The two people that I know who have done the program are enrolled at Stanford and HMS. Their apps were absurdly good regardless, but it definitely did not count against them.