Clinical Shadowing Abroad
College of Health Professions and Sciences
This summer program allows students to shadow physicians and healthcare providers in Europe (Italy and Spain) and study abroad at the same time. The experience is offered through a partnership between the College of Health Professions and Sciences and Atlantis, a global healthcare education organization. Through this partnership, UCF students receive a reduced cost (15% discount) on program fees. This opportunity is open for all UCF students.
The program includes clinical shadowing in hospitals in Italy and/or Spain, and enrollment in IHS4952 course “Clinical Shadowing Abroad for Health Professions” during Summer A or Summer B.
Program Information
These programs are available:
Clinical Shadowing Abroad Program
- Offered in one city in Italy or Spain
- Offered during Summer A or Summer B
Clinical Shadowing Abroad Program
- Offered in two cities: one city in Italy and the other city in Spain
- Offered during Summer A or Summer B
Highlights
- Observe surgeries and complex procedures
- Learn about international healthcare systems and interact with healthcare teams
- Approximately 20 hours of clinical shadowing per week, in a different department each week
- Clinical shadowing in small groups with student-doctor ratio of 1:1 or 2:1
- Housing
- 1 group excursion per week
- Daily breakfast and 2 weekly group dinners
- Local transportation to the hospital
- Site manager available in the city and on-call during your program
Program Costs
What Our Students Have to Say
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to all UCF students in all majors!
Application and Selection Process
Students must complete the application form below by Feb. 17, 2025.
Once you complete the application, you will be notified of the status of your application and the next steps in program selection, and course enrollment.
For more information, contact Suha Saleh: suha.saleh@ucf.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, once you are conditionally accepted to the program, you will be provided with additional follow up information to select your program of choice, including city, dates, and length of program.
Yes. The program is designed that students can shadow physicians from different specialties and departments in the hospital. Typically, you spend a week per specialty. Once you apply and get to the stage to select your program of choice, you will be asked about your interest in specialty.
The housing is arranged by Atlantis. They will keep the housing accommodations convenient to both the location of the hospital and the city center. The housing can vary depending on what is available in each city. The number of roommates that you will have depends on the size of the group. Roommates will always be Atlantis program participants and will always be someone of the same gender.
No, you do not need to wait until you completed the prerequisite course. You can still apply for the program. The program manager will check on your successful completion of the prerequisite course after the end of Spring semester. The prerequisite course must be completed before the start of the clinical shadowing program.
The program is planned to be offered every summer. The program information will be shared with students next year when applications start.
Yes, you can still participate in the program in the summer semester after graduation. You will need to apply as non-degree seeking student to allow your enrollment in the course (IHS4952) “Clinical Shadowing Abroad for Health Professions” that is associated with the program. The program manager will help you in the non-degree seeking application during spring semester.
The program fee depends on the selected city and country, and length of the program (1, 3 or 6 weeks). After you submit your application, you will be provided with the link with information about available shadowing sites with available dates and cost.
The program fee covers housing, most meals, local transportation to the shadowing sites, and cultural excursions. Airline tickets and related expenses as well as personal and miscellaneous expenses are not included in the program fee.
You will need to pay the deposit once you are accepted to the program by Atlantis, and then pay the remaining of the program fee before departure. You can discuss payment options with Atlantis after you submit your application.
Yes. You can visit the UCF Study Abroad website UCF Abroad Scholarships and Finances for more information about the available scholarships and financial aid. You are encouraged to contact SFAStudyAbroad@ucf.edu for questions regarding study abroad financial aid.
The Bright Futures Scholarship covers the cost of the course (IHS4952) if it is part of your major but does not cover the program fee. The course counts as a restricted elective credit for majors within the College of Health Professions and Sciences which includes Health Sciences, BS, Kinesiology, BS, Communication Sciences and Disorders BS/BA, and Social Work, BSW. The study abroad scholarships through UCF abroad might be used to cover the program fee. For information about the available scholarships and financial aid, please visit the UCF Study Abroad website UCF Abroad Scholarships and Finances.
No. The clinical shadowing experience will take place in the shadowing site, but the course content will be delivered online. You will complete an average of 20 shadowing hours/week in the shadowing site.
If you select a 3-week or 6-week program, you will be enrolled in 3 credits in the course. While for a 1- week program, you will be enrolled in 1 credit in the course. The course counts as a restricted elective credit for majors within the College of Health Professions and Sciences which includes Health Sciences, BS, Kinesiology, BS, Communication Sciences and Disorders BS/BA, and Social Work, BSW.
You can enroll in other courses during the summer; however, you should not enroll in courses that require in person attendance during your clinical shadowing abroad program.
