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Students from �����԰ are expanding their medical horizons this summer through an intensive “Maymester” Global Healthcare Immersions course that I teach through the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. The three-week course, hosted in partnership with Atlantis by Cea Capa Education Abroad, places pre-health students directly in clinical environments around the world. This year, the program ran in Coimbra, Portugal, which is one of Europe’s historic centers of medicine and learning. Participants of the program also visited Porto and Aveiro, Portugal, on weekly excursions.

Designed for students pursuing careers in medicine and related health professions, the course combines study abroad experiences with structured clinical shadowing — an opportunity that is increasingly difficult for pre-med students to secure in the United States. In the United States, access to shadowing opportunities is often limited by geography, personal connections, and socioeconomic factors. Research has highlighted how students from more affluent or well-connected backgrounds are significantly more likely to secure clinical shadowing experiences, creating inequities in early medical preparation (Sims, 2023). A recent analysis, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Holt, 2025), calls for more structured and inclusive approaches to clinical exposure in medical education pathways, emphasizing the need to broaden access for all aspiring physicians.

Programs like Norwich’s Global Healthcare Immersions Maymester help address this gap by embedding shadowing directly into the curriculum and ensuring all participating students receive substantial clinical exposure, regardless of personal networks or prior access.

Over the course of the program, students will complete more than 60 hours of physician shadowing in hospitals and clinical settings, observing a range of specialties and healthcare practices including orthopedic surgeries, pediatrics, nuclear medicine, cardiology, and more. These experiences allow students to move beyond textbook learning and gain firsthand insight into patient care, clinical decision-making, and the day-to-day realities of medical practice. This exposure is especially valuable for helping students refine their interests and better understand the expectations and responsibilities of a medical career.

“Studying abroad in Coimbra has given me a unique chance to see how healthcare works differently in another country. We’ve had the opportunity to explore over 12 specialties which has really deepened my understanding of medicine and patient care, while also helping me to get a better idea of which field I want to pursue,” says Amanda Doherty '28, a .

“Many of our students know they want to pursue medicine, but they are still exploring which direction within the field feels like the right fit,” says Professor Barrett. “This experience gives them structured exposure to multiple specialties in a way that is immersive and meaningful.” 

Beyond clinical learning, the study abroad experience provides cultural immersion, allowing students to engage with Portuguese healthcare systems and communities while living and studying abroad. This dual focus — global education paired with hands-on clinical experience — reflects �����԰’s commitment to hands-on learning.

For many participants, the program represents a pivotal step toward medical school preparation, offering both the clinical hours and the clarity of purpose needed to navigate the competitive admissions process. As Professor Barrett notes, “They return not only with shadowing hours, but with confidence, direction, and a much deeper understanding of what it means to enter medicine.”

References:

Holt, Danielle B., and Eric A. Elster. "Rethinking shadowing for aspiring physicians." New England Journal of Medicine 392.13 (2025): 1249-1251.

Sims, Lillian R., et al. "Finding their Way: How socially disconnected undergraduates approach pathways into the medical profession." SSM-Qualitative Research in Health 4 (2023): 100305.