Medical Internships in Athens
Medical internships in Athens offer valuable learning experiences in public and private hospitals and clinics with state-of-the-art technology and modern healthcare practices. Interns shadow and assist local medical professionals and rotate through a range of medical departments to gain practical knowledge and broad experience in European healthcare.
Internship Highlights:
- Learn about modern healthcare from qualified professionals in genuine environments.
- Gain sought-after professional skills & experience in a range of departments.
- Experience the popular attractions and lifestyle in Athens and wider Greece.
Type of host organizations:
- General hospitals
- Specialist hospitals
- Day clinics
Internship details
Medical internships in Athens offer valuable learning experiences in public and private hospitals and clinics, with state-of-the-art technology and modern healthcare practices. Interns shadow and assist local medical professionals and rotate through a range of medical departments to gain practical knowledge and broad experience in European healthcare.
In addition to these Medical internships in Athens, Intern Abroad HQ also offers Medical internships in Thessaloniki. Spaces are limited on both programs, so applicants are strongly encouraged to confirm participation in advance for their preferred internship location.
This is an in-country internship, with accommodation provided.
As an intern, you’ll work closely with experienced medical professionals, such as doctors, surgeons and nurses, to gain genuine understanding of healthcare in action. Internships are fantastic learning environments to gain experience from trained medical staff as they go about their daily duties, across various departments or specialist areas.
Many medical professionals within Greece have studied and/or spent time working abroad (such as in the US or UK). Professionals have excellent English proficiency and interns are unlikely to experience language barriers with their supervisors or within medical teams.
As these internships are educational in nature, interns should not expect to work “hands on” with patients. Your supervisor will always take your current level of experience and abilities into consideration, along with your areas of medical interest, when engaging with you to support and customize your internship experience.
Medical interns will have a rotation roster to diversify the experience and gain understanding across numerous departments. These can include:
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Dialysis
- Emergency Room
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Hematopathology
- Intensive Care Unit
- Nuclear Medicine
- Orofacial Surgery
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Oncology
- Pathologic Anatomy
- Plastic surgery
- Pneumology
- Radiology
Interns are able to request an internship schedule that includes particular departments of interest (e.g. orthopedic surgery, cardiology, hematology, etc.). Although requests are always subject to availability, your supervisors within the medical team will do their utmost to ensure your experience is related closely to your studies and goals as a future professional.
In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.
Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.
Typical Schedule
-
8am-5pm, five days per week. Occasionally your supervisor may invite you to optionally observe a procedure during a weekend, should it be relevant to your interests and internship experience.
Career Benefits
Medical interns learn from a qualified and experienced supervisor, and can be involved in:
-
Shadowing and assisting local doctors, nurses and medical specialists in Athens.
-
Observing healthcare across a range of medical departments.
-
Learning from experienced local medical professionals, using contemporary techniques and state-of-the-art technology.
Professional development opportunities:
-
Observe medical consultations, treatments and surgeries.
-
Experience how a modern state-of-the-art hospital works.
-
Learn how the medical system works in Greece.
-
Network with experienced doctors & medical professionals.
-
Gain experience across multiple medical specialties.
-
Gain practical skills and boost your employability, with guidance from Intern Abroad HQ’s Experiential Learning Curriculum to support your learning and cultural intelligence.
Greece photo gallery
What recent interns said about their experience
In this internship role I shadowed multiple doctors in clinical rotations and in the operating theatre. I was involved with opening surgery packs, scrubbing in and ensuring that the sterile field didn't break. The internship has helped me immensely in my career to become a doctor. I have been able to see many different surgery’s, learn what I like and I don’t like, and see different clinical rotations. I have learned more medical terms than I knew before coming to the internship. One thing that I would suggest to someone about to begin an internship is to keep an open mind about everything and to remember it’s a different cultural setting. Communication is the key to successful human interaction.
I loved the diverse specialties and cases I was able to observe in the hospital. The doctors all tried their best to explain what they were doing and answered all of our questions. As an aspiring doctor, I don't think there is any kind of program in the states that offers the knowledge and experience I was able to gain in Greece.
I enjoyed the learning experience from this internship. The doctor I worked under was very nice and welcoming so I was appreciative of the warm environment. I learned a lot in the clinical setting that will follow me into my education in healthcare and that helped give me insight into real world problems.
This internship has broadened my view on international medicine. I enjoyed immersing myself in a new culture and was warmly welcomed. The accommodation was great and I loved being in an environment with the locals instead of a touristy area.
I have learned so much in such a short time on my internship which has been absolutely amazing.In future I want to be a nurse practitioner, so will need a variety of skills in a variety of settings. I will also need a broad range of knowledge and I feel as though this internship has been a great step in furthering my skills. Seeing nurses and doctors doing their work has allowed me to visualize my own career. Shadowing and observing nurses, doctors, surgeons and other medical staff in their average work day, while being provided explanations of procedures and scenarios has provided a unique opportunity to better develop my clinical skills and knowledge. I did not think I would be in surgery 5 days in a row, however, it gave me an opportunity to see things I never would in the U.S.
The enrichment that I’ve experienced throughout my Medical internship in Greece is thanks to the many days I got to observe medical professionals do their jobs. Ending my medical internship in Greece I feel so much more empowered in my future career goals than ever before. My internship contributed toward the achievement of my long-term goals through a multitude of factors including experiencing the medical field through real world experiences. This was done by observing surgeries and interacting with patients in more service heavy departments such as physiotherapy, catheter laboratories, chemotherapy, dialysis units, neurology, and cardiology. I was able to observe surgical procedures such as total knee replacement, hip replacement, two fistula surgeries, reconstruction of spine with severe scoliosis, glossectomy, gluteal augmentation, total mastectomy, lymph node removal, and laparoscopic nephrectomy. Throughout my time in the hospital, I was not only able to learn under the supervision of many experienced medical professionals, but I was able to interact with many patients from different backgrounds. Shadowing doctors that not only helped patients within Athens, but also tourists that came from different backgrounds, showed me that the goal of medicine is the same throughout the world, but each area has certain techniques pertaining to their culture and community.
To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.
Academic credit available for all internships
Gain course credit from your college or university and meet your academic requirements when completing an internship abroad or remote internship program with Intern Abroad HQ.
Learn about course creditProgram fees
It’s free to apply for this internship. Once we have reviewed your suitability and accepted you onto this program, you’ll need to pay a deposit of US$499 to confirm your place. The remaining balance of your Program Fee (less your initial US$499 deposit payment) will be due no less than 60 days before your internship start date.
Duration |
Program Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks | $2,229 Equivalent to $159 /day |
| 3 weeks | $2,699 Equivalent to $128 /day |
| 4 weeks | $3,219 Equivalent to $114 /day |
| 5 weeks | $3,689 Equivalent to $105 /day |
| 6 weeks | $4,174 Equivalent to $99 /day |
| 8 weeks | $5,034 Equivalent to $89 /day |
| 10 weeks | $5,869 Equivalent to $83 /day |
| 12 weeks | $6,649 Equivalent to $79 /day |
- Airport pick-up
- Accommodation
- 24/7 in-country support
- Program orientation
- Dedicated support before, during, and after your internship
- In-country guidance for social and tourist activities
- Sourcing and securing your internship placement
- Personalization of your internship plan
- Coaching from your supervisor
- Documented portfolio of your experiential learnings
- Academic credit facilitation
- International reference letter
- Certificate of Internship Completion
- All meals
- All in-country transportation
- Visa (if required), flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check
- Transfer back to the airport at the end of your internship program
- Personal spending money for snacks, drinks, public transport, laundry, and leisure activities during your free time.
- A deposit of $499 (approximately 499) is required to secure your internship
- Balance of your Program Fee is due 60 days before your internship start date.
- All payments attract a 5% transaction fee to cover international banking fees and currency charges.
- Terms and Conditions apply.
Arrival and Orientation
Internships in Athens begin every Monday. Exceptions may be made to this when start dates are shifted to avoid public holiday disruptions or closed when the program has already reached capacity. Note that there are typically less placements available during August, due to the summer vacation period in Greece. Interns may choose to spend a minimum of 2 weeks, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.
Airport pick up and accommodation are included in the Program Fee. The accommodation is covered from the Sunday night before the Monday start date - interns are required to arrive no later than the Sunday before their Monday start date, as all orientations are held on Mondays. Upon arrival, interns will be met, greeted, and transferred to the accommodation. Accommodation is covered from the Sunday night before the Monday start date.
The typical port of entry is the Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, the largest international airport in Greece (ATH). In order to receive the airport pick up service which is included in the Program Fee, interns are required to arrive on the Sunday before their Monday start date, between 9am and 6pm. An extra charge applies to any airport pickups outside this timeframe. If you are planning to spend time independently in Greece prior to your internship and will not require an international airport pick up, we can discuss alternative arrival logistics with you.
The last night of the accommodation is the Friday night of the final week, leaving interns free to depart on Saturday. Extra nights of accommodation can be arranged in advance, if requested, and are subject to availability.
Orientation covers important details for your internship, including introductions, information about culture, customs, rules, expectations, safety, language lessons, cultural excursions, and more. Your specific internship placement orientation will follow the general orientation, as you’ll be shown how to travel to and from your internship and be introduced to the team you’ll be joining.
Please note that all participants are advised not to book flights until they have first registered to confirm their internship placement.
Check what’s required to visit Greece
Check out the widget below to find out what the Covid-19 restrictions and visa requirements are for Greece, based on your country of residence.
Accommodation and WiFi
Interns are accommodated in clean and comfortable, fully furnished apartments or selected hotel / hostel rooms. Bedding and furnishings are provided, as well as common areas such as lounge, kitchen and laundry facilities. Standard amenities include whiteware (i.e. washing machine, stovetop, fridge, microwave) and clean linen (i.e. bed sheets, pillows, towels). Accommodation includes 24Mbps internet / WiFi access.
In most cases, between two to six guests can be accommodated per apartment so interns should be prepared to share living arrangements. Each guest will have a single or double bed. Rooming arrangements are same-sex, unless specific requests are made to share mixed-gender accommodation. For private accommodation, alternative living arrangements can be requested and arranged in advance, for an additional “upgrade” fee.
Upon the confirmation of specific internship details for each participant, accommodation arrangements are made, taking into consideration the location of internship placements, to ensure that any commute time is as convenient as possible.
Due to the layout of the city’s urban and residential areas, it is normal to expect an approximate commute (to / from an internship placement) of around 30 minutes. Interns should budget approximately 30 Euro per month for transportation (about US$35). The Athens Metro system makes it easy to get around the city and explore. All accommodation for the internship programs is located close to public transportation and large shopping areas.
Please note that the accommodation pictured in the photo gallery of this webpage is provided as an example. Since we work with more than one apartment, the exact accommodation that you’re assigned may differ from the photos. However, you can expect a similar standard and similar amenities, to what is shown here.
Meals
Internships on this program do not include meals, as affordable supermarkets are easily accessible. Greece has a thriving coffee culture which is delightful to partake in (there is also WiFi in almost all coffee shops and restaurants). Try Ellinikos (a favorite style of coffee) along with Freddo Espresso / Cappucino and Frappe.
For eating out, interns may budget approximately 3 - 5 Euro for a light breakfast (about US$5 - 7) and 5 - 10 Euro for a simple lunch (about US$5 - 12). There are ample dining options ranging from budget to high end. Greek cuisine offers a range of incredible dishes to experience, including well known classics such as Moussaka and Souvlaki. The Mediterranean diet features meat (cow, chicken, lamb), pasta, rice, pulses, vegetables, and a variety of fish and seafood. When in doubt, skip straight to dessert and order Galaktoboureko (with ice cream)!
Activities and tourism
During the internship program, weekends are available for free time and leisure activities. There is no shortage of wonderful things to see and do! Local coordinators can assist with the booking of safe and reliable activities at discounted prices, so be sure to ask them for advice about how to make the best arrangements to maximise your time and budget (you can do so once registered for your internship or during the orientation). Note that some excursions require a minimum participation of between two or four other people, so it’s wise to enquire in advance.
Bear in mind that Greek Viticulture & Agriculture interns will be based in the region of Chania, in Crete, Greece. The locations for Viticulture & Agriculture internship placements are rural and not touristy. Medical internships in Greece are based in Athens.
Whether you want to explore the endless beaches, cruise around the Greek islands, or visit cultural and historical attractions, there is something for everyone. Popular highlights that you won’t want to miss include:
-
Acropolis of Athens: The most famous feature of this ancient citadel is the beautiful Parthenon but the site also includes other impressive structures. Situated high above the sprawling city and visible from many points, the Acropolis is an icon of Athens. The touristic areas of Plaka and Monastiraki are located within the surrounding foothills. Go walking through the alleys to lose yourself among the stores, taverns, flea markets, and cafes. Check out the Acropolis Museum, located on the road which leads up toward the Parthenon. Conveniently, there is a metro station (“Akropoli metro station”) directly across from the Museum, making this attraction as easy site to visit from other places within Athens city.
-
Full-day island cruise: A trip to Greece isn’t complete without getting out on the water. Spend a full day doing just that and visit the islands of Aegina, Hydra and Poros. Each offers the opportunity to explore, swim, shop and relax. The island cruise includes onboard dining (a rich buffet lunch) and entertainment. Be sure to pace yourself and bring your friends!
-
Full-day excursion to Isthmus, The Great Theatre of Epidaurus, Mycenae and Nafplio: Walk across the Corinthian Isthmus, visit the largest Ancient Greek theatre and the Asclepius Medicine sanctuary. See Mycenae where the Trojan War started and relax and swim at Nafplio.
-
Full-day excursion to Delphi and Galaxidi: Delphi is known as home to the oracle of Apollo, where predictions and guidance were sought from city-states and individuals alike. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s museum also hosts a rich collection of ancient artifacts. Part of the municipality Delphi, Galaxidi is a beautiful town famous for its gorgeous seafront (bring your swimsuit), fresh seafood, traditional architecture and more.
-
Half-day excursion to Poseidon’s Temple and swimming at Sounio: This afternoon excursion only takes about half a day, so it’s a great weekend activity to combine with a relaxed morning. Poseidon’s Temple is located south of Athens, at Cape Sounio. Here, the remaining pillars of the temple still overlook gorgeous ocean and sunset views, where the sandy beach below is perfect for swimming.
-
Full-day excursion to Meteora Monasteries: This full day excursion takes you to see the Meteora Monasteries, which are infamous for being precipitously built and “suspended in the air” (as meant by “Meteora”) atop immense natural rock pillars. The journey from Athens takes about four hours. Once there, you can walk up and explore the three monasteries of Great Meteoro, Varlaam and Holy Trinity. Marvel at the effort, dedication and faith required to undertake such a challenging feat of engineering, architecture and passion. After lunch, the excursion returns to Athens.
-
Full-day excursion to Vouraikos Gorge, Cave Lakes and Kalavryta: Take a scenic train journey through the Vouraikos Gorge and onto the beautiful Cave Lakes, a unique underground cave system that contains fourteen lakes across three different levels. Carry onto the picturesque town of Kalavryta, a popular winter destination (due to the nearby ski center). Kalavryta offers historical attractions such as the Monastery of Mega Spileo, Monastery of Agia Lavra, and the Municipal Museum of the Holocaust of Kalavryta.
-
Half-day Trekking at Mount Parnitha National Park: Located just an hour out of the city center, the park’s proximity to Athens is idea for an escape into nature (and retreat from the summer heat). The departure time is late morning and returns in the early evening. The two-hour trek is relaxed but still offers great views (keep your eyes open to spot red deer as well). The trek is followed by a break at Mpafi Refuge, where you can have a coffee and lunch. Return via a cable-car ride that transports you back to the foothills of Mount Parnitha.
-
Full-day Forest Horse Ride and Cycling excursion: After all the cultural and historical sightseeing that Greece has to offer, getting active and soaking up its nature is a must. This excursion includes horseback riding and cycling through the dense forests surrounding Mount Parnonas National Park. The trails provide beautiful views of the surrounding landscapes, as well as water springs and waterfalls along the Evrotas River.
Essential country information
| Capital | Athens |
| Population | 10.75 million |
| Languages | Greek |
| Currency | Euro (€ - EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 |
Weather and climate:
With its Mediterranean climate, Athens is one of the warmest capital cities in Europe. The summers are long, hot and dry and the winters are mild. The best time to visit Athens for the hot weather is from mid June to mid September. The hottest month is July, in which the temperature may peak around 92°F / 33°C. Heatwaves in Greece may occur but they are usually not prolonged (that coast moderates temperatures with coastal breezes). The cooler months are November through March. During this period, it rarely gets any colder than 42°F / 5°C in Athens (February is the coldest month). Rainfall in Greece varies throughout the year, although the summer months are drier in comparison. December is usually the wettest month of the year. Outside of Athens, the climate of Greece remains primarily Mediterranean. However, due to its mountainous regions, there is a range of microclimates and local variations. Snow regularly falls in the high mountains. Medical internships in Greece are based in Athens. Greek Viticulture & Agriculture interns will be based in the region of Chania, in Crete.
Other internships you may be interested in
-
Global Health Internships in Cordoba -
Healthcare Internships in Costa Rica -
Physician Associate Internships in Athens -
Medical Internships in Thessaloniki -
Medical Internships in Guatemala -
Human Biology & Med Lab Internships in Morocco -
Medical Internships in Morocco -
Midwifery Internships in Cusco -
Physician Associate Internships in Cusco -
Public Health Internships in Cape Town -
Medical Internships in Barcelona -
Medical Internships in Madrid -
Medical Internships in Valencia -
Orthopedic Medicine Internships in Valencia -
Physician Associate Internships in Valencia -
Emergency Medicine Internships in Arusha -
Medical Internships in Arusha -
Midwifery Internships in Arusha -
Neonatal Care & Children's Health Internships in Arusha -
Nursing Internships in Arusha -
Obstetric Medicine & Gynecology Internships in Arusha -
Ophthalmology Internships in Arusha -
Orthopedic Surgery Internships in Arusha -
Pharmacy Internships in Arusha -
Physician Associate Internships in Arusha -
Radiology Internships in Arusha -
Emergency Services Internships in Zanzibar -
Internal Medicine & Surgery Internships in Zanzibar -
Pediatrics Internships in Zanzibar -
Pharmacy Internships in Zanzibar
