Global Pre-Meds Reviews 344

i spent a week in Poland last August and i had the time of my life! I met so many kind and genuine people and i'm so glad that i've done this experience. i would suggest gap medics to anyone!

My experience at Gap Medics was one I wil never forget! The fact that I got the chance to observe in a hospital how doctors get things done, was something that I will be forever appreciative for as it has helped me with my decision of what to do in the future.

There isn’t an aspect In which gap medic aren’t amazing. I came with certain expectations and everything blew me away. Loved warsaw soo much!

Having spent approximately 2000 pounds in total for our daughter to travel to Poland for 1 week to receive “at least 23 hours of hospital time” as promised in the Gapmedics information and website, we were extremely disappointed to find out that Gapmedics reduced the number of hours promised without notification or compensation. You should be aware that the number of clinical hours they promise is not guaranteed and that no alternative arrangements will be made if for any reason this number of hours is not provided. Gapmedics urge families to book early and we had booked this trip more than 1 year ahead so there should have been enough time to make arrangements that would have allowed the number of hours promised to be provided.

Gapmedics say that they promise "an experience of what medicine is like" but please be aware before you book that this will not encompass any specific number of hours at the hospital but "will take any amount of time" - perhaps for some only 2-3 days. Although the website says "at least 23 hours" Gapmedics say this is not guaranteed and is superseded by the fact that they only feel they need to provide children with a good time during the hours they do receive. This may mean your child will be at the Gapmedics accommodation for an entire day without hospital time and needing to occupy themselves while others are at the hospital.

After arriving on Sunday, our daughter spent a half day at the hospital on the Monday and was then told she would not spend any time there on Tuesday. We only learnt about this from our daughter. Having been informed by our daughter that this was the case, I phoned Gapmedics, who assured me that arrangements would be made for her to make up the hours later in the week.

No arrangements were made and our daughter still only spent a half day at the hospital on Wednesday. I rang up Gapmedics again on Thursday and was told once again that arrangements would be made to make up the hours. This did not happen and our daughter only spent 17 hours working at the hospital in total, only ¾ of what the information we based our booking on had promised.

Gapmedics claim that the surgeon at the hospital (not Gapmedics staff themselves who are supposed to be on hand to facilitate I assume) told our daughter and the other children affected in her department that they were welcome to stay at the hospital for consultations in the afternoon. My daughter tells me he did not and told them that the days were finished for her at lunch time on the Wed/Thurs/Friday. I wonder where the Gapmedic staff themselves were to facilitate this as I had been promised on the phone on the Thursday of her placement.

I wrote to Gapmedics after she returned and their position is that their trip to Poland is a full-service trip not just a hospital placement, so as long as they provide you with time in Poland they do not feel that they need to provide with the hospital time of at least 23 hours they promise on their website. Please note that a full-service trip costing 2000 pounds for 1 week makes children stay in what is essentially youth hostel-like accommodation (dorms of 8 girls on bunk beds), so in my opinion most of the money is for the hospital time, not for the accommodation.

I also phoned Gapmedics to discuss this with them expecting a reasonable response acknowledging the fact that our daughter did not receive the hours promised to be told that "whoever put the 23 hours on our website is stupid and this is superseded anyway" - except it is still there now and this is not what you get.

This review is just so that you are aware that the money you spend is essentially for your son/daughter to “have fun in Poland” and that you are not guaranteed a minimum number of hours at the hospital; the number of hours is arbitrary and liable to reduction. Apparently, Gapmedics do not anticipate how many students they will be able to place on any one day and are not able in “unforeseen circumstances” to make arrangements despite knowing more than 1 year in advance how many students they will have on any one day.

I have since found alternative organisations online who offer 30 hours of clinical time per week and who charge about the same price for two weeks as Gapmedics charge for one week. I think I will be booking with those organisations next year.

I went to the Dominican Republic GAP medics this June for a week and I loved it! The staff was helpful, the activists were fun and placement at the hospital was an amazing first hand shadowing experience!

From the staff to the house to the mentors, everyone and everything were welcoming, kind, and knowlegable. I enjoyed the freedom to explore the country on your own terms and the ability to observe some life changing moments in the hospitals. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to go abroad and has any interest in the medical field.

My daughter’s experience was beyond what we could have hope for. She was immersed in real life medical situations. Child birth, surgeries patient care and so much more. The staff both before she left and at her placement was extremely helpful and professional. She made wonderful friends as well. She is planning on returning next year, that says it all.

Gapmedics was definitely one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had the privilege of having. It’s incredibly well organized, there’s never a day that goes by that there isn’t something fun to do and the food is absolutely amazing! The Gapmedics staff were so welcoming at the house and were always willing to help you out. The staff at the hospitals are all so friendly and so excited to teach you and answer all your questions, and they have a wealth of knowledge to share so getting proper answers to sometimes complicated questions was always a given. I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to enter the medical field as it really opens your eyes to what you can expect when you start your residency and exposes you to an international medical system which might be completely different from the one in your country. It’s absolutely 100% worth it!!

My experience in Poland with Gap Medics was amazing!!!!! I loved my placements, gastroenterological/transplant surgery and plastic surgery was amazing, my mentors and the people in the house made my experience amazing. I learned so much and really solidified my love and interest in medicine. I completely recommend this experience to anyone who wants to go into medicine and see a new place in the world.

I learned a lot on my placement. The people were great and the communication was excellent! Good experience.

Amazing experience. Highly recommended

Great experience overall. Amazing placements, housing, food and supervisors.

I had such a great experience and would definitely go back! I learned so much and met so many new people. I was nervous at first but once I got there everything was great!

I have been on placement twice with Gap Medics and both were amazing unforgettable experiences! Placement time available to us is once in a lifetime, with the mentors being so supportive to students and their learning. Staying in the gap medics house with other students and supervisors is a fantastic way to make lifelong friends. Don’t worry about the food either - incredible!!

Gap Medics is a wonderful program!! The staff was so cool and made the experience so much better. The house and meals were amazing! The hospital staff was very nice and the doctors let us get a closer look at really cool procedures. If you are looking for hands-on stuff, this program isn't for you, but just watching is still very informative and Gap Medics is very organized and worthwhile!

Gap Medics provided me with everything I needed to gain valuable experience in Medicine. Everything from the housing, to the actual doctors themselves, was amazing. This program does a great job at balancing education and fun. You will be surrounded by like-minded individuals that will end up being your life long friends! I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in a health profession!

I absolutely LOVED this experience! Sooo rewarding. I wish I had stayed longer than a week in the Dominican Republic. The house is located in a very nice area, there are Ubers available for a very good price, especially with a group of people. The perfect combination of work and play <3 and a wonderful staff. Thank you Gap Medics!

I gained valuable experience, was well cared for by the team, was immersed in local culture, all while meeting people who I now feel lucky to know. For me, an unforgettable experience.

Gap Medics exceeded my expectations! I learned so much during my placements in Santo Domingo. I loved the opportunity to see patients and the physicians perform the different courses of treatment. Also I enjoyed being able to speak with the physicians and get a more in depth idea about the processes and diagnoses. I would love to continue to do more placements like this one and meet more amazing people like my roommates, mentors, and coordinators.