Education Abroad Programs

In Bulgaria, Dr. Ivanov helps students focus on medical communication with a special emphasis on diverse patients. Set in Sofia, Bulgaria, students not only see the perspective of a different medical community, but they are immersed in a new community themselves as guests in Bulgarian culture. This helps students understand the similarities and differences between the Eastern European and U.S. perspectives on life, disease, medical communication, and differences in communication and values among diverse populations in general. The program also travels to Athens, Greece, and Rome, Italy, to explore other cultural styles of communication in healthcare.

The program offered provides students with an intensive introduction to multicultural communication in therapeutic situations that include gathering information, medical interviews, crises, and bearing bad news. A major component of the course is an internship in which the students participate in discussions about case studies, with difficult patients, during patient interviews as well as in simulations of a variety of situations. Dr. Margarita Stankova, psychiatrist and chair of the Department of Healthcare and Social Work at the New Bulgarian University, supervises students and helps them establish links in the university, to the city, and to the rich history of this part of Eastern Europe.

Explore the university, the city of Sofia, and the country Bulgaria. See what they have to offer you, in addition to the exciting experiences the coursework provides.

Course Credit
(4 credits are required; 6 are offered.)
VTPP 489: Special Topics in Communication Skills in Healthcare (4 credits)
VTPP 485: Directed Studies (2 credits)

Course Credit
VTPP 948: Conservation Medicine and Management for Veterinary Students

(Undergraduate, graduate, & DVM students are eligible)

You will leave this experience with a newfound appreciation for the role of veterinarians in large landscape wildlife conservation medicine and return to the U.S. with newly developed skills to apply to wildlife health and sustainability issues across the state of Texas.

Wildlife experts guide participants through activities including animal restraint, administering drugs, field surgery, and darting. Other experiential learning could include interaction with crocodiles, buffalo, and rhinos.

Check out past cohort pages on Facebook for more info!
TAMU African Wildlife Medicine Study Abroad
2019 African Wildlife Medicine
2017 African Wildlife Medicine
2016 African Wildlife Medicine

This program offers two sections — different dates — and you can check out these websites for the details: Track 1 and Track 2.

Course Credit
(All participating students are required to take 4 credit hours.)
VTPB 948: Didactic Elective: African Wildlife Medicine (4 credit hours)
VTPB 485: Directed Studies: South Africa (4 credit hours)
VTMI 689 Special Topics in African Wildlife Medicine (4 credit hours)

A few select students will be accepted for shadowing opportunities in clinical rotations (human or veterinary medicine) in Barcelona that extend the program by several weeks.

Course Credit
Students earn Texas A&M credit.

One week is spent at Elephant Nature Park working with the veterinarians and staff. Participants spend another week working at a companion animal sanctuary and are able to assist with surgeries such as spays and neuters. Another week is spent working with conservation and reforestation. The final week, students work with marine animal conservation and have the opportunity to become certified in scuba diving.

Course Credit
All students are required to take 6 credit hours, which they have the option of transferring back to Texas A&M. The program is run by Loop Abroad, and the transcript comes from the University of Findlay.