Health Professions Advising Office (HPAO)
University of Mississippi

Students

Student Spotlight

 

Elizabeth Whitaker: Atlantis Project

 

“Shadowing in Guadalajara has deepened my passion for medicine in ways that I had never anticipated. I spent 2.5 weeks in Guadalajara, Spain where I had the opportunity to shadow General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cardiothoracic Surgery, and Nephrology with four other driven and encouraging students that shared my goals and aspirations. Through the Atlantis fellowship, you are given the tools you need to be fully immersed in a different culture and an entirely different healthcare system. The doctors are willing to teach you and are dedicated to giving students the most beneficial experience possible. I was nervous about traveling to Spain because I have very little background in Spanish. The doctors in Guadalajara were more than willing to translate almost everything into English and spoke to me in English for most of the time I was there. The fact that they would speak to me in English throughout their busy days shows just how dedicated they were to the fellowship program and me getting the most out of my time in their hospital. I was able to scrub in on four surgeries to get as close as possible to the surgeon to watch each procedure. This allowed me to see more than would ever be possible in the United States at such a young age. The Atlantis fellowship really helped me to make the decision that a career in medicine is for me. I would recommend the Atlantis Fellowship to anyone that is interested in a career in medicine and wants to be fully immersed in the medical field.”

 

Justin McCray: Case-Western Reserve University School of Dentistry

 

“I would tell anybody interested in dentistry that it is a great profession. As a dental student, there are new adventures every single day, new battles that you will overcome, and also new opportunities. I would recommend to anybody interested in dentistry to shadow as much as possible. This is the only way that you can really know that dentistry is for you, and if you would enjoy the profession. Overall, I have truly enjoyed my experience as a dental student. It’s so crazy to think that I am actually a dental student, because I can remember being the pre-dent that was always on Instagram and YouTube watching “a day in the life of a dental student.” My best advice to you would be to believe that getting that acceptance letter is possible! I know this sounds crazy, but that’s the first step to achieving anything great in life is belief. Believe in yourself and go get what’s yours!”