Pre-Med Hospital Shadowing Abroad

On this trip to Spain to shadow medical doctors in a hospital, I gained a sense of self-awareness as well as cultural appreciation. I was humbled and forced to recognize that my view of the world and health and healthcare is only as wide as my experiences. It was easy for me, at first, to compare what I was used to seeing and doing in the United States to what was done in Spain, but it didn’t help anyone to compare what was in Spain to what I was used to. I decided to pay attention to how things were done in Spain and to learn about their culture and way of life. I learned not to compare and judge, but to investigate and appreciate the culture I was in, and by doing so, I gained a tolerance of difference as well.
I moved around through the specialties and was able to see so much more than expected. I shadowed in neurology, gynecology and obstetrics, pediatrics, and hospital pharmacy. Although I am not interested in pursuing pharmacy as a future career, it was interesting to see how a hospital pharmacy operates. Additionally, within the pharmacy department, I spent a few days learning how the pharmacists research new drugs that are not yet in their system and determine if they are okay to be prescribed by the doctors in the hospital. I got one-on-one experience with the pharmacist learning how to use a medical database and properly perform my own research on any medical related subject through the PubMed database. This experience itself was extremely valuable to me and is something that I will likely use in my future, both in school and my work in the medical field.
The shadowing experience at the hospital was extremely impactful. I was able to see multiple surgeries and operations, simple check-ups and consultations, as well as the research and investigating done by the doctors like examining MRIs or ultra-sound data. The information that I learned from the doctors and everything that I was able to watch and see in the hospital has helped me to better understand patient-doctor interactions, discussing medical professions, discussing the pros and cons of government-run healthcare, describing how a hospital works, and aided me in determining the areas of medicine I am, and am not, interested in pursuing. Every doctor there impacted me in one way or another, and a handful made lasting impressions. I am thankful for all of the doctors that took the time to stop what they were doing and explain to me exactly what they were doing and why it was being done. This made my shadowing experience worthwhile and helped me to better understand and gain more knowledge in that area.
The Atlantis Project gave me exposure to many themes associated with modern medicine. Compassion, global health, the importance of a patient-centered workplace... all of these concepts can be directly experienced while on hospital rounds; the lessons learned about such topics are directly applicable to questions I may be asked throughout the medical school application process. The social components I encountered in the hospital in Alcázar de San Juan have led to me embracing this medical journey. Moreover, the chance to shadow physicians of multiple specialties, from multiple nationalities, and operating under a different healthcare system served to truly enhance my view of medicine. I have truly been “forever touched” by this experience, the people I have met, the knowledge that I have gained, and places I have seen and I will carry this with me throughout my entire life. This was an experience of a lifetime.