While in Spain, I had the opportunity to shadow physicians in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurology, Cardiology, and the ICU. Each week I was assigned a new specialty, and each week the entire team made sure to make me feel welcomed, included, and valued every step of the way. I was shadowing at Hospital Arquitecto Marcide in Ferrol, Spain. This is a teaching hospital, with approximately 500 beds, and a multitude of both surgical and clinical specialties. The fact that this was a teaching hospital definitely added to the learning enrichment aspect of this internship, as I had the pleasure of learning with medical students, residents, and attendings, who were all more than willing to discuss the content I had learned during my year of Anatomy and Physiology classes, and show me techniques and clinical applications of what I had learned which was really exciting. Each day I had the chance to feel as though I was part of the medical team; attending rounds, going with the doctors to check on new admits and long-term patients, rushing down to the ER when a new patient came in, practicing how to scrub into surgery, everything I could have hoped for and more. I had the opportunity to watch hysterectomies, rare tumor removals, pacemaker implantations, crucial MRI scans, cardioversions, a few codes, and many more procedures I would love to discuss with students. On the clinical side of things, I had the chance to learn crucial patient communication skills, routine clinical assessments, and diagnosis strategies that I can apply to my own medical problem solving in the future.
Outside of the hospital, I had the opportunity to explore the small city I was staying in, and travel along the west coast of Spain; trying delicious food, swimming in the ocean, hiking, learning about the history of the cities I visited, and meeting wonderful people everywhere I went.
Kate Bakken
GlobalWorks Pre-Med in Europe (Italy/Spain), Summer 2022