Submitted by Elizabeth Brown-Cordero on the 2019 winter session program in Athens, Greece sponsored by the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences…
It is week two and I feel like I already have found my calling. I definitely want to combine the fields of Pediatrics and OB/GYN. I never thought I would be interested in OB/GYN until I had shadowed in both departments and finally saw a natural birth. It was such a beautiful process and I cried as I came to realize that a new life had been brought into the world. I would love to work in maternal and fetal medicine. I am still not sure in what aspect of that department I would like to specialize in, but I’m thinking more along the lines of the health issues transferred from mother to child in the womb.
Before attending this program, I had a lot of doubts about my major and if it would be the right choice for me and my future. I switched from Medical Diagnostics to Health Behavioral Science with a concentration in Disability Studies. I had switched under the impression that I wanted to work with children; specifically, the special needs population. I am happy to report that I still aspire to do that, but more concentrated with neonatal population.
This second week here in Greece was a lot better than the first as I felt more comfortable with the area and I was finally learning my way around the hospital. I have become very well acquainted with some of the doctors in the Pediatrics and OB/GYN departments along with the medical students. I learned a lot from them and their experiences in the medical school process. For example, I became quite close with a 6th year medical student named Fay and she told me that despite having free to no expenses in medical school, Greek students are not as inclined to study and work their best as other students who need pay for their education. She also informed me that she has gone through about 63 rotations in different medical fields and has taken both a written and an oral test after each rotation. That’s a lot of studying! She seems very knowledgeable about a variety of subjects and I truly admire her drive and her willingness to talk to me despite her having to her work.
Another thing, I have come to appreciate in Greece is Attikon General Hospital as a whole. I see that they are not adequately supplied or have the necessary items they need to perform surgeries and they are a bit disorganized in the way they handle things. However, with what little they have compared to America, it’s truly amazing how much they can accomplish without the necessary supplies. In America, we have everything we can possibly need because we are so fortunate. However, countries like Greece are not able to get everything they need and have to work with what they have. They do an extremely good job and work really hard to make their patients happy. I also admire how some of the doctors don’t get paid or even get paid as much as American doctors and still show up at work in the morning with a bright smile on their faces. I love the Greek work ethic and the appreciation and value they bring forth in their work. I wish Americans would learn to appreciate what they had more.
