The Belize experts since 2010 · Now in Greece and Thailand
Work alongside veterinarians, nurses, and community health workers in Belize. Shadow physicians in Athens, Greece and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Small groups, optional college credit, and a team with you every step of the way.
Two Ways to Learn
CELA offers a variety of faculty-led programs for university groups, and open-enrollment programs in pre-health clinical shadowing, nursing, public health, veterinary medicine, marine biology, and wildlife conservation that any qualified student can join on their own.
For Faculty & Universities
Your faculty, your students, your goals. CELA designs and manages the entire experience: housing, meals, transportation, professional site access, cultural programming, and safety. Programs in nursing, pre-vet, marine biology, public health, and more across Belize, Greece, Thailand, and Costa Rica. These are just examples: we can build a program in any discipline at any of our locations.
Learn how it works
For Individual Students
You don't need a university group. Explore nursing and public health programs in Belize, pre-health clinical shadowing in Greece and Thailand, veterinary fieldwork, marine ecology, wildlife conservation, and more. Small cohorts, supportive staff, and optional college credit.
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01 / What We Offer
Every program starts with a learning goal, and the experience is designed around it. Shadow physicians in a teaching hospital in Athens, Greece. Assist veterinarians on working farms in Belize. Explore coral reefs at protected marine sites. Work alongside community health professionals in local clinics. The place you go becomes the classroom.
02 / What Makes Us Different
CELA started in Belize in 2010, founded with Belizean partners who wanted to share their country with students. That spirit hasn't changed as we've grown. In every destination, local professionals are the ones welcoming you: Belizean veterinarians and nurses in San Ignacio, Greek physicians at a teaching hospital in Athens, Greece, Thai program leaders who've called Chiang Mai, Thailand home for years. CELA is part of Loop Abroad, which was recognized as the #1 study abroad organization on GoAbroad in 2024. But what makes us different isn't size. It's that in every place we work, the people showing you their world actually live there.
Shadow physicians, explore global health systems, and gain clinical experience in hospitals and community settings. Rotations in cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, radiology, internal medicine, and surgery at teaching hospitals. Programs in Belize, Greece, and Thailand.
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Work alongside licensed veterinarians in clinical and field settings. Large animal practice, wildlife health, and conservation medicine in Belize and Thailand.
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Explore tropical reef ecosystems, participate in conservation research, and gain hands-on field experience at protected coastal sites in Belize.
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Study jaguars, tapirs, monkeys, crocodiles, and raptors in their natural habitats. Conservation-focused fieldwork and research techniques in Belize.
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03 / How to Join
Faculty: Tell us about your course and we'll put together a proposal.
Start planningStudents: Find a program that fits and apply on your own.
See all programsTell us about your discipline, where you'd like to go, how many students, and when. You don't need a finished plan. We'll help you shape it.
Itinerary, professional sites, housing, meals, transportation, cultural activities, and costs. Most proposals are ready in about a week.
We hold a pre-departure orientation for your group 3 to 6 weeks before you travel.
You travel with your students, and our local team takes care of everything on the ground.
Browse programs in Belize, Greece, and Thailand.
Dates, tuition, what's included, and eligibility requirements.
The application is straightforward. Our admissions team walks you through everything after you submit.
Once accepted, we send you everything you need to prepare. You'll know exactly what to expect before you leave home.
04 / Where You'll Go
Belize is where CELA began in 2010, and it's still home to most of our field courses: nursing, public health, veterinary medicine, marine ecology, and wildlife conservation. For pre-health clinical shadowing, join a teaching hospital in Athens, Greece or hospitals in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where local teams work the same way. Costa Rica offers veterinary and wildlife programs through our partner network.
CELA Belize · Our home base since 2010
Nursing, public health, veterinary medicine, marine ecology, and wildlife conservation. English-speaking, welcoming, and home to our full-time office and Belizean staff in San Ignacio. Excursions include Maya ruins, jungle rivers, and the Caribbean coast.
Explore CELA Belize
Pre-health clinical shadowing at a private teaching hospital in Athens, Greece. Explore ancient sites, island day trips, and sunset at the Temple of Poseidon. 60+ documented clinical hours in three weeks.
Explore Greece
Pre-health clinical shadowing at hospitals in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Temples, night markets, elephants, and Thai cooking alongside your clinical experience. English-speaking program leaders with you the whole time.
Explore Thailand
Veterinary and wildlife programs through our partnership network. Tropical forests, sea turtles, and hands-on animal care.
Ask about Costa Rica