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Whether you are currently studying another subject like biomedical sciences or already have a degree, you are pretty sure you want to take the plunge into medicine. With one of the most competitive applicant pools in the country, do you have the work experience you need to affirm your decision to apply? And how do you plan on making your application shine?
At Gap Medics, we know that a global education can make all the difference to a student’s development, both as an individual and an applicant (just ask any of our 8,000+ program alumni). Whether you seek insight for your medical school interviews or confidence in your career choice, our university work experience program will place you right in the heart of an international hospital or clinic to observe real doctors at work.
Our medicine program is open all year, and you can attend for as many weeks as you like (we recommend two). Programs begin on Sundays and end on Saturdays, leaving ample time for you to arrive at and depart from your destination.
“I honestly struggle to find a single negative thing to say regarding my Gap Medics placement. It was an absolutely incredible experience that I would strongly recommend to anyone considering it.
“While on placement, I gained a great deal of clinical knowledge from my mentors. This experience provided me with valuable insight into conditions that are not commonly seen back home.
“Even in my early stages as a medical student, it is already clear that the knowledge and skills I have acquired through Gap Medics will be extremely valuable in my career as a health professional.
“This placement was one of the most enjoyable things that I have ever done and is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Croatia has a universal healthcare system with top-notch facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, and highly trained specialists. Croatians often suffer from the cardiovascular, metabolic, and degenerative diseases commonly encountered in the Western world, so popular departments for placement include everything from cytology to vascular and thoracic surgery.
The variety of specialist department placements available in Croatia contributes to its reputation as one of our top destinations for students hoping to shadow in clinical environments similar to those in Australia.
The Dominican Republic has one of the best healthcare systems in the Caribbean and is graced with a year-round tropical climate. Unfortunately, the warm weather also comes with a high incidence of mosquito-borne illnesses, like dengue and malaria. In addition, a high rate of motor vehicle accidents contributes to busy trauma centres throughout the country. Accordingly, popular departments at our Dominican partner hospitals include both the emergency and inpatient departments.
In addition to our career-centred programs in Santo Domingo, we offer a community health project facilitated by our non-profit partner hospital.
You will be placed in a Gap Medics partner hospital or clinic the Monday after your arrival, and you will spend weekdays shadowing your dedicated mentor in healthcare. We partner with busy facilities around the world that offer a variety of specialist departments for students to explore. Our partner hospitals undergo a rigorous vetting process before they are able to host our students, ensuring an unbeatable standard of quality when it comes to the educational value and academic rigour of our program.
Each week, we will place you in a department carefully selected by us to ensure you receive the most relevant and comprehensive observational opportunities. Whether you happen to be a prospective paediatrician or hopeful haematologist, simply indicate your interests on your application and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Your department mentor will be a professional clinician working in medicine. They will help you get the most from your experience by providing clear guidance and supervision as you learn to break down barriers in the patient wards and observe surgeries in the operating theatres. We work very closely with our partner hospitals to ensure that our mentors are fully qualified and understand the educational aims of our program.
You will also attend global health tutorials throughout your placement. Our hospital mentors host these informal sessions at the Gap Medics house, focussing on the local cultural, social, and economic factors that will help you understand and interpret what you see in the hospital each day.
Dr Kozina works in the busy internal medicine department at our 500-bed partner hospital in Pula, Croatia.
As the Head Assistant of Clinical Cytology, Dr Kozina spends her days very close to the microscope. A typical day shadowing Dr Kozina could see you observing her as she evaluates body specimens for the detection of cancer, pre-cancerous changes, and other benign conditions. You may also watch as she performs fine needle aspirations (FNA), a very important method of sampling superficial or deep-seated lesions. As a mentor, Dr Kozina loves to teach students and wants to inspire you! She is also very happy to answer any questions you have about the world of medicine.
We believe that all members of our staff have a responsibility to protect and care for our students, and our greatest pride is the relaxed family environment that we create to help foster your education and exploration. In addition to chefs, housekeepers, night managers, and security teams, Gap Medics houses also employ dedicated placement coordinators to help support and guide you throughout your medicine program.
Your placement coordinators will brief you at the Gap Medics house, accompany you to the hospital, and introduce you to your mentors. As experts on our destinations and offerings, these friendly individuals also love to advise our students on local travel opportunities and facilitate exciting and inclusive on-site activities – so if you fancy a game of volleyball, a traditional barbecue, or a table-football tournament, they will have you covered.
Monika is our placement coordinator for Pula and can usually be found buzzing around the corridors of our busy partner hospitals and clinics. Hands-on, enthusiastic, and dedicated, Monika will make you feel at home at the hospital in record time. To help settle you in, she will brief you on what to expect while on placement and introduce you to your mentors. Monika wants to make sure you’re comfortable at the hospital, so she works closely with your mentors, monitoring how you’re doing on a daily basis - and making sure you relax after your shift!
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