Internship reports
It has already been a year since I graduated from a college in the US, and I have just decided to study medicine in the States. However, the admission process has been especially difficult for international applicants, and in order to increase the chance of acceptance, I decided to do an internship in a hospital. Also, I was always hoping to fluently speak Spanish, which I studied at my high school in California for 3 years. Hence, EcuEVP´s Program offered me a perfect opportunity, in which I could both gain an experience in the health field and improve my Spanish skills in Ecuador at the same time.
In Ecuador, I stayed with an Ecuadorian family while volunteering at a public hospital in Quito, the capital city, for a month. Since my Spanish was still limited, and I had no medical knowledge, I simply followed the doctors with other medical students rather than actually "working". However unlike in Japan, the hospital easily accepted me as an intern even though I had not studied medicine yet. And thanks to this friendly acceptance, I was able to gain very precious experience. The hospital kindly considered my preference of placement, and for the first two weeks I worked in the emergency room, where Ecuadorian students also start and have a relatively easy time getting accustomed to the hospital work. The following two weeks, I was placed in the surgery ward for my dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. Since it was a public hospital in a very economically disadvantaged country, the emergency room did not have adequate equipment, but there was a lot for me to learn especially because of the poor settings. Moreover, the doctors, nurses, and other students kindly taught me how to give injections, PCR, and so on, and I was able to do them by myself in the second week in the ER. The bonus was that I had an opportunity to examine pregnant women and their yet unborn babies because I became a very good friend with the gynecologist in the ER. Of course, I was not able to actually operate on the patients in the surgery ward, but I observed the real surgeries in the operation room every day during the last two weeks. Although I knew the human anatomy very well because I majored in Biology at college, but I learned so much more by observing than by just reading textbooks or dissecting animals. And most importantly, I learned that the physicians not only cure the sicknesses or injuries but they also have the responsibility of curing the patients from the mental aspects. Moreover, the doctors must educate the patients in order for each of them to live a healthy life. Thanks to the hospital internship that I could only do in Ecuador, my desire to become a physician grew much stronger than before.
The hospital internship was not the only precious experience I gained in Ecuador; the friendly interactions with the local people throughout the month became a very unforgettable memories for me. Despite of the fact that Quito is the capital, it did not have the coldness that big cities tend to have, and the people were very easy-going. Not only in the hospital but also anywhere in the city, someone always talked to me friendlily (partly because the men were interested in Asian girls, I believed), and my Spanish improved so much that now I can understand almost all of what others say to me and speak without translating in my mind. Although Quito is said to be a very dangerous city, I personally did not encounter any frightening experience; contrarily, I met so many generous people who helped me selflessly in the city and while I traveled around the country. Also, I am very happy that I made numerous local friends who communicate with me through Internet now.
In addition, Ecuador's gorgeous mountain beauty truly amazed me and added colorfulness to my memory of the country. Baños with elegant and powerful waterfalls, Mindo with Amazon-like cloud forest, Riobamba with the world's only train that allows the passengers to ride on the roof, and Otavalo with the huge Saturday market that Indigenas people hold. And the highlight of my trip, Mt. Cotopaxi, 5897 meters high. Like the places mentioned above, I traveled from 2 to 4 hours on the bus on the weekends and enjoyed the exciting nature through hiking, swimming, horse-back riding, mountain-climbing, and so on. Even with little money, I was able to enjoy various activities because the things were very inexpensive in Ecuador. Since I love mountains, I mainly stayed in the Sierra, but Ecuador has three other distinct regions called Costa, Oriente, and the Galapagos Islands, and I believe that anyone with enthusiasm can have a very satisfactory and pleasing experience in this country.
For I had to return to my work, I could only stay in Ecuador for a month, and now I simply wish that I could have stayed there much longer. Even though it was such a short period of time, I gained a very precious experience there. And I feel very thankful to ELI that gave me this great opportunity. Even though Japanese people still do not feel familiar with Spanish and Latin America, but for this reason especially, I hope many young people will gain a wonderful experience that greatly differ from their everyday life. And, I hope that this letter will be helpful in some way for those who seek such excitement.
- Hiro, Japan
My host family was extremely generous and kind. They provided me meals fit for my eating habits (I’m a vegetarian) and always made sure that I knew where to go when traveling to the hospital and other parts of Quito. This experience in Ecuador provided me an with an incredible opportunity to learn about the different health issues in obstetrics-gynecology, to participate in various surgeries and medical procedures and to learn about another country’s health system and culture.
Sincerely
Iris, United States
Lets begin with the family: Very nice and warm. Accepted me well, which can be difficult because I tend to be a bit outspoken. a wedding and a 50. birthday party. The food could use a little diversity but of fault of the criadas.shower is fine, bed as well. i was cared for but not spied on. My bed was always made, house very clean, would recommend it to anyone.
Quito- Not my favorite city in the world, but has its positives. But as my Colombian friend put it "the armpit of south America" I don't know about that but....the clima is a bit depressing.
Directors - I had a very good experience with Patricia and Mirian, although I was basically on my on visiting the hospitals towards the end, they gave me the support and the start to do what I wanted, I had no real problems besides my health, which is bringing me back to the states for a little medical recuperation, so I can't answer to their dealings with those, but im sure they would have handled it fine.
My time- as I had previously said, I started in journalism and soon realized it was not my cup of tea. so the directors here helped me with the transition from writing to medicine. I started on the coast for almost a month travelling almost the entire coast and visiting clinics and hospitals (Manglaralto) I also was able to work a day or two there. then I went into the amazon in coca to do a week of practice in medicine, which was, I hate to sound petty, but life changing. I decided that medicine there was my calling and not only that but with the situation that I have, i owe a lot to give back, hopefully return to coca some day to do some surgery. I also made various contacts with which I hope to raise money and possible some kind of exchange btw Georgetown and the Ecuadorian docs. then i spent the remainder of my time in Quito and vacationing on the beach, in Quito I worked with a friend of my father who comes to Hospital Vos Andes every winter to do free surgery, and I worked with Dr. Robert Mancheno briefly in the Hospital del Sur. Now I’m heading home, I’m in the airport actually. I have some kind of intestinal issue, and need to recuperate before heading farther south. so, thanks for everything, the help. sincerely,
Michael, USA