Over this past Winter 2026 term, I had the opportunity to attend the Healthcare in Thailand Shadowing Abroad experience through SUNY Cortland. This was a three-week experience that involved being able to shadow multiple hospitals in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, along with some in the surrounding rural areas. This provided me with direct shadowing experiences where I was able to gain knowledge and experience in many different fields of medicine, as well as learn about the Thai culture and gain a culturally diverse understanding of medicine. This experience has set me up for success in my future goals of becoming a Physician Assistant and providing me with lasting relationships and connections.
One of the main things I enjoyed about the structure of the shadowing on this trip was that it allowed me to get exposure to many different forms of hospitals. I think it is essential for healthcare professionals to have a vast understanding of the many scopes of medicine and how traditional medicine can be incorporated into modern medical practices, as well as seeing the diversity that exists between the quality of healthcare based on where you are located. I got to shadow in some of the largest hospitals in the city such as Maharaj, Rajavej, and Chiangmai Ram Hospital. As well as the very small, private, rural hospitals such as Thai Traditional and Complementary Medicine Center, Sankampang, Mae-On, and Saraphi Hospital.
Traditional medicine is a critical aspect of the healthcare system in Thailand, and we got to learn the history of it and got hands on experience in all the different fields of Thai traditional health. This included learning how to give each other acupressure massages, and how to make and incorporate herbal compresses into the massages. We also learned how cupping and acupuncture are done and got to try it out ourselves.
Along with the traditional Thai medical practices, we also got to shadow in a wide variety of modern medical fields in each hospital. This included Orthopedics, Pediatrics, General Nursing, Surgery, ER, Radiology, PT and OT, Labor and Delivery, Labs, Mental Health and Psychiatry, OPD and IPD, Gastrointestinal, Operating Room, Neurology, Cardiology, Medical Technology, Pharmacy, Health Promotion, Dentistry, and Geriatrics. From being able to see how each of these departments functions I was able to largely narrow down which departments I could see myself working in for the future. Specifically, the departments that interested me the most were the Operating Room, Cardiology, Pediatrics, and PT.
Not only was I able to gain medical shadowing experience, but there were also many excursions and group activities every week. Most days we had group dinners set up for us by the Loop abroad team we were working with. These included many beautiful locations where I was able to try many different delicious Thai dishes. Every weekend they had multiple activities set up for us. These included visiting local street markets and Night Bazaars, which were full of local cuisine, vendors, and shops; attending a Thai cooking class, where we got to learn how to make some of the most popular Thai dishes. We visited the Sticky Waterfall, which has minerals in it that allow you to climb up the waterfall. This was an amazing experience and the views at the top were stunning.
I also got to visit an Elephant and Dog Sanctuary where they rescue injured elephants as well as paralyzed dogs. I walked alongside the elephants and put together a meal for them. I really loved how ethically focused they were on the safety and comfortability of the animals in their care. I also got to visit many of the temples throughout the city and learn about the Thai culture and religion. Also, after every hospital rotation, we had free time at night for ourselves. I was able to explore so much of the city of Chiang Mai and meet so many amazing people.
Overall, I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this amazing experience. It built upon my healthcare experience and taught me so much about how the healthcare system differs throughout the world. I will now be able to take this diverse awareness of not only healthcare but also of the culture and daily lives of all the individuals I met and apply it to my future to make me a more educated, aware, and empathetic healthcare professional.
I formed so many lasting relationships and connections, and I will remember these experiences for the rest of my life. I would recommend this program to anyone who has interest in any healthcare profession as it allowed me to further clarify my desire to be a healthcare professional as well as allowed me to determine the fields that most interested me, which was able to guide me in the decisions of my future. Studying abroad is an experience that I would recommend to anyone who is able, no matter what future plans you have, as it is overall a lifechanging experience.