Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Freshman or Above
Location: Europe, Italy, Spain
GPA: 2.75

Program Overview

This Clinical Fellowship, which focuses on providing AAMC-compliant physician shadowing in an international setting, will take place over 4 weeks in Summer term.  In partnership with Atlantis, Fellows are afforded the opportunity to experience global healthcare with a group of other pre-health students, shadowing doctors in a different specialty each week for at least 20 hours per week.

Students will be assigned a site in Spain or Italy after commitment, based on group-size and available locations. In the past, students have shadowed in facilities in Rome or Mantova Italy, and Burgos Spain. Students will be asked to indicate a preference for location, but they should be open to either site to get the most out of the program. 

Students will shadow four days per week, generally between 9am – 2pm, although the hours will change depending on the day and hospital activity.  One weekday per week is reserved for an Atlantis-organized group excursion of cultural, regional, or historical interest. Students will shadow in various medical fields inside the hospital – some surgical but more often non-surgical. The internship is observational only, in accordance with AAMC and GASP guidelines (clinical skills are not practiced). In addition to the shadowing hours, students may have service-learning opportunities, depending on the site (for example, English teaching, assistance in pediatric or geriatric wards, etc.).

Shadowing opportunities for UO students are available in several small to medium-sized cities in Spain. Spanish language proficiency is welcome but not required.

Internship assignments vary. While internships help develop technical abilities, they provide more fundamental life skills. Interns will get an introduction to the professional world and the opportunity to gain career-ready competencies in critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and global and intercultural fluency.

Qualifications:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work independently
  • Flexibility to take on multiple job responsibilities, including entry-level tasks
  • Ability to take initiative, work independently, and deal with ambiguity
  • Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work on a team
  • Strong attention to accuracy, details, and organizational skills

What is GlobalWorks?

GlobalWorks internships are personalized internship programs that bring you out of the country, and into the workplace. We connect academic study with real-world experiences by providing full-time international internship opportunities to UO students in various career fields. Working with local professional internship providers in locations around the world, we provide individualized placements for UO students. Students earn UO credits and life-changing work experience in a different culture. Immerse yourself in a new city, earn UO course credits, and gain professional experience with a GlobalWorks internship.

Internship Sectors:

  • STEM + Healthcare

Dates and Deadlines

 
Term Year Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Summer 2025 01/15/2025 07/12/2025 08/08/2025

Apply to the UO GlobalWorks program by completing the online application. You can open an application to view all the materials you’ll need before you submit. Late applications may be accepted based on position availability, but note that for some terms and locations, the program can be very competitive. After provisional acceptance by the UO, students will need to interview with our third-party provider for final acceptance.

This program is less than 90 days. Students with a US passport will be traveling to Italy or Spain do not require a travel visa for this program, and GlobalWorks is unable to assist US citizens in obtaining a visa.

If you are not a US Citizen: Notify your GlobalWorks Advisor. Students who are not US citizens should contact the consulate in their country of residence about visa requirements, no matter the duration of the program of study.


Applying for a GlobalWorks International Internship is pretty simple if you follow these steps. Once you are accepted, GlobalWorks typically guarantees placement in your preferred location and sector(s). The approval and interview process takes roughly 3-4 months from when you apply to when you are notified of your internship placement.

1. UO APPLICATION

Apply to the UO GlobalWorks program by completing the online application. You can open an application to view all the materials you’ll need before you submit. Late applications may be accepted based on position availability.

What You’ll Need:

  • Online application form
  • Cover letter
  • Resume
  • Contact info for one reference (for scholarship applicants)

2. INTERVIEW + ACCEPTANCE

Once you’ve applied, you will receive an email from a GlobalWorks program coordinator at the UO if you have submitted all application materials. You will typically meet or interview with our third-party provider for your location. The goal of the interview with the provider is for them to ensure they can accept you, and to give them a sense of your interests and career goals so they can place you with the company that will provide the best fit. If offered acceptance, you will then confirm your acceptance by signing a deposit agreement form after carefully reading through the cancellation policy. Although we can typically guarantee placement in students’ preferred location and career field, students don’t know their specific placement when they sign the deposit and cancellation agreement.

3. PRE-DEPARTURE

Once you’ve been accepted, you will complete onboarding documentation and forms within the GEO portal and will attend a UO pre-departure orientation. Your site-specific provider may also have a portal or onboarding documents. If you do not already have a passport, make sure to apply for one ASAP. Some locations may require a visa, please check with your program coordinator if you are unsure.

You may also need to schedule health evaluation appointments. You can now make travel arrangements as well.

You don’t need to register for the two required courses (we will register you).

4. INTERNSHIP INTERVIEWS

Your internship provider will work to match you with businesses or organizations within your career field. You will then interview with host companies that the provider has matched you with. You usually don’t get to choose a company from multiple choices; you will interview with one at a time. The majority of students will have one to three interviews before being placed.

5. INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT

You will be notified of your final internship placement! Students are typically placed with their internship a month or two before departure, individual timelines may vary.

Hear from Our Students

Two college-aged girls taking a .5 selfie in scrubs.

Pre-Med Shadowing in Italy


As a first-generation student, this has been an amazing opportunity that has curated memories I will never forget! Shadowing doctors from different branches has broadened my perspectives of the… read more
A young woman stands in front of an ornate building

I felt welcomed, included, and valued


While in Spain, I had the opportunity to shadow physicians in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurology, Cardiology, and the ICU. Each week I was assigned a new specialty, and each week the entire team… read more

Discount for Pell Recipients

To expand access to study abroad, GEO is offering a $500 discount for this program to UO students who currently have the Pell Grant as part of their federal financial aid (FAFSA).

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.