Internship in the small catholic hospital in Erfurt

Austėja Vilimė

This autumn I did an internship in Erfurt. I started my internship at the end of the summer and ended just before Advent. My internship took place in a small catholic hospital – “Katolisches Krankenhaus St.Johann Nepomuk”. It was the last part of my studies. I graduated in June and I wanted to gain more professional practice before I start working. My decision to choose this particular hospital was based on a recommendation given by a friend.

The internship took place in one department – General, Visceral, Vascular and Thorax Surgery Department. The department has about 75 hospital beds. During my internship staff members were very professional, friendly and helpful. I was able to witness a lot of interesting surgeries and in number of them I was allowed to assist. There were a lot of morbidly obese patients who underwent stomach reduction surgery. What really impressed me were the late results of these patients.

During this internship I have further developed not only my surgical and scientific skills but also my German language skills. At the time of this internship I was preparing for a medical language exam. I could not have had a better place to prepare for this exam. Colleagues were always understanding and let me to interact with patients as much as possible. In conclusion it was one of the reasons why I have passed the exam with a high grade.

The hospital was also quite generous for interns. I was provided with a free of charge lunch every day and a parking place for my car. I didn’t have to bother about hospital scrubs since they were given and changed every other day.  I was also provided with a small room just 2 minutes away from the hospital. The room itself had a bathroom and a small kitchen. The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful. Despite the fact that the hospital is situated on the edge of the city, it was convenient to reach the city center with a car or a tram. Neighboring cities are also easily accessible since the motorway is just few minutes away from the hospital.

At the end of my internship I was both happy and sad. I had a wonderful experience which is already influencing my future career. I have made a lot of friends in the hospital. So it was really difficult to leave the city, especially just before Advent – the time when a Christmas market in Erfurt starts. I hope that one day I will visit Erfurt again.