Welcome back!
It is hard to believe that my time abroad has officially come to an end. This past month has been absolutely incredible, and I am grateful for how much I’ve grown, both as a student and as a person, for the memories I made, and for the people that I met along the way.
We spent the final week of the program in Maribor, Slovenia (plus a quick trip to Ljubljana). Despite a short week, our days were filled, often starting at 7 in the morning and ending around 7 or 8 at night! Similar to Austria, we had a blend of lectures and hands-on experiences to learn about the healthcare system and culture. The lectures were fascinating and covered a wide range of topics including the history of Maribor and Slovenia, nutrition in the era of Caribbean slavery, dementia and old age depicted in literature, and, one of my favorites, introduction to the Slovene language. One of the most exciting aspects of traveling to me is learning to navigate the language. While most of my time has been spent in a German classroom, it was fun swapping it out for Slovene, even if I struggled to pronounce the complex words!
When we weren’t in a lecture, we were out exploring the beautiful country through a variety of excursions, including both medical and cultural activities. Each tour offered a new, unique perspective of Slovenia. One of my favorites was a tour of Poljčana Nursing Home. We were first greeted by the residents, who made us each flowers out of yarn and beads. They were thrilled to meet us: we briefly attended a concert of traditional Slovenian music and got a shout out from the band, huge round of applause from the residents. Another one of my favorites was a visit to UKC, the university clinical center. I was expecting the Slovenian hospital system to closely resemble that of Austria (given their proximity to one another), but I was surprised with how different they were. Unlike Austria, Slovenia offers free care to anyone, including non-Slovenian citizens, regardless of the treatment and/or care required. As we learned through speaking with nurses and physicians, this places a lot of strain on the healthcare providers because patients will go to the hospital even for minor illnesses, taking valuable time away from patients with severe illness and injuries. Outside of the medical activities, I also enjoyed the time spent exploring Slovenian culture and nature. My favorite was our trip to the Postojna Caves and Lake Bled (check out the image of Lake Bled below). It was absolutely breathtaking!
As I continue to reflect on my time abroad, I still cannot believe all of the incredible places I saw, wonderful people I met, and how much this experience changed me, in several regards. I now recognize that I underestimated how much I would take away from this program, both academically and personally.
Clearly, the primary focus of this program was healthcare, which relates directly to my academic and professional goals. Going in, I was expecting to learn about the healthcare system (mostly the delivery of care to patients in a clinical setting), but I now recognize that it is much more complex than I previously thought. After touring pharmacies, refugee, homeless, and rehab centers, and disability and nursing facilities, I have a greater understanding of the wide range of medical treatment and the broad spectrum of needs of patients. Healthcare encompasses so much more than patients in a clinic, and, while I knew this before, I feel I have a greater appreciation after seeing it firsthand. I also believe that exploring healthcare in Austria and Slovenia revealed major differences in their systems (both between the US and between one another), encouraging me to take a step back and think more broadly about healthcare. Certainly, this open mind and new perspective will be beneficial as I continue to work towards a career as a physician. Ultimately, I believe these experiences will make me a more empathetic and understanding doctor.
Upon arriving in Austria, I originally viewed the cultural and medical activities as two separate entities. However, as the month progressed, I slowly began to recognize the relationship between culture and health. For example, the amount of bike lanes and accessibility of public transportation, the healthier food choices and smaller portion sizes, the recycling rules and emphasis on sustainability, and the cost of drugs and medical visits in Austria are a few examples of the stress the country places on healthy living. Building upon the previous point, this adds another layer to the complexity of healthcare. Each country has a unique culture, and, ultimately, a slightly different approach to healthcare. After exploring several systems, I don’t think that one is better than another, rather there are pros and cons within each. With an open mind, we can take away something from each system and try to deliver the highest quality care to patients.
Outside encouraging an open mind, studying abroad has allowed me to build on many important skills. While abroad, I faced many challenges, whether it be struggling with the language barrier, getting lost on public transportation, or dealing with a sickness. Having to overcome these challenges highlighted the importance of teamwork and adaptability. While we can’t control the obstacles that arise, we can work with those around us to come up with a solution. This will certainly be useful when working with other healthcare providers to determine treatment and care for patients. I also feel that these skills will make me a better student and even citizen. Ultimately, I am more confident and comfortable when faced with adversity.
While I grew significantly as a student, I faced an equal, if not greater, amount of personal growth. Traveling as part of this program allowed me to fulfill personal goals of experiencing European culture, but, more importantly, it sparked a curiosity and desire to keep learning and traveling. As long as I am able to, I will continue to seek opportunities that allow me to explore the world around me. I also have no doubt that I will continue to study languages. I would love to improve my German (and one day reach fluency), but I also think it would be fun to learn another language (perhaps to the country I plan on traveling to next). Finally, this experience gave me a new community of fellow panthers (that I may have never met otherwise). I am eager to stay active in this community and seek new ones.
Overall, I feel that the professional, academic, and personal takeaways are intertwined. This experience has been fulfilling for many reasons, almost too many to name. I am sad to leave a place that will always hold a special place in my heart, but it was fun sharing my experiences with you along the way! Before saying goodbye, I want to emphasize a major point: if you are thinking about studying abroad, DO IT! The memories, people, and places will be worth it.
I also want to stress my gratitude for the Martinson Elevate Award once again, which made this wonderful opportunity a reality. This experience was life changing, and I will certainly take everything that I learned with me as I continue at Pitt and beyond. Thank you!
Auf Wiedersehen!
