Global Health Shadowing Abroad

Health Shadowing Abroad

If you are thinking about a career in health care, the opportunity to shadow professionals abroad is a great addition to your preparation. Whether you plan to be a nurse, physician, physical therapist, health care manager, or a medical device sales rep, experience in a health care setting abroad can set you apart from other students. At CU Boulder we are working hard to curate a shadowing experience that can prepare you for a career in healthcare. Through coursework and hospital shadowing you will learn about healthcare in a different cultural context, investigate and compare healthcare systems around the world, and build your knowledge about how clinicians interact with patients in different settings.

Besides test scores and a degree, professional schools are looking for students who have had exposure to healthcare and who demonstrate certain personal competencies. They want to see that you have sought out educational shadowing experiences and are able to reflect holistically on their impact.

Program Design

 

In Summer 2027, Education Abroad will offer health care shadowing in partnership with Atlantis by CEA CAPA. All students will be enrolled in a 3-credit course (CU Boulder students are not permitted to sign up for the program directly through CEA CAPA; you must do the program for credit through CU Boulder).

 

IPHY 4960 + CEA Abroad Hospital Shadowing

Program Length

3 weeks

  • Start Date: May 3, 2027 (includes 3 required online, synchronous courses May 3, 4 and 5)
  • Arrival in Italy on May 8
  • End Date: May 28, 2027
Shadowing PlacementAll students will be shadowing in a hospital for 3 weeks, about 5-7 hours per day, 4 days per week. 
You will spend 1 week with a rotation, so you'll get to see 3 rotations by the end of 3 weeks.
Location

You will be placed in one of these locations after your application is reviewed:

  • Ferrara, Italy
  • Bassano del Grappa, Italy
  • Verona, Italy
Academics
  • You will be enrolled in IPHY 4960 with other CU Boulder students. The course will begin on May 3rd with 3 days of synchronous, online coursework with the CU instructor.
  • You'll depart for Italy on May 7 and arrive on May 8. Your course will continue online (asynchronously) for the next 3 weeks.
  • The course is designed specifically for CU students and allow you to:
    • Critically reflect on personal observations from hospital shadowing experiences and connect them to
      course readings and discussions, as well as previous pre-health coursework
    • Analyze real-world clinical cases observed during shadowing through the lens of international healthcare 
      systems.
    • Articulate how international healthcare exposure informs your own career goals and professional 
      development in medicine or a health-related field.
    • Demonstrate written and oral communication skills appropriate for discussing global health topics and 
      individual patient care encounters.
    • Demonstrate professional behavior and respect for patient privacy, confidentiality, and cultural 
      differences in clinical settings.
Credits3 credits
Approvals

Upper division IPHY elective
(this counts toward the limit of 6 internship credits toward your major)

We are working on getting approvals from other departments

EligibilityOpen to all students & majors
Program Cost$$ (more budget info coming soon; scholarships will be available)
On-Site SupportCEA Abroad staff provides on-site orientation and 24/7 health and safety support
Activities

Fridays are reserved for group excursions

Occasional weekend cultural activities also available and free travel is common

Time/WeekFull Time (32-40 hours/week) for 3 weeks in the summer
Application

Sign up to get more info soon!

If IPHY 4960 fills, students will enroll in CEA Abroad's 3-credit online course called Perspectives in International Healthcare. This is a similar course and allows you to received the same credit at CU. This course does not include the meeting times on May 3-5. Course dates are May 8-28, 2027. The locations for this course are slightly different, and students will be placed according to their shadowing goals and CEA availability.  

  • Agios Nikolaos, Greece
  • Athens, Greece
  • Budapest, Hungary
  • Coimbra, Portugal
  • Mantua, Italy
  • Milan, Italy
  • Split, Croatia
  • Venice, Italy