LAINEY LINK

I was a gymnast for 12 years and competed at the Division I level in college. I originally wanted to be a physical therapist as I'd been a patient myself, so I knew that world. But when I actually worked as a PT aide, I realized the environment wasn't for me. So I started researching other careers in medicine and found the role of Physician Assistant (PA). In America, it's a really growing field. You actually see PAs more than physicians now in a lot of settings. I loved how flexible it was, and that you can actually switch specialties without starting over. That sold me.

A PA can basically do most of what a doctor does within their scope of practice: diagnose patients, prescribe medications, perform procedures. They work under physician supervision but have a lot of independence. And the timeline is much shorter: four years of undergrad, then two years of PA school, and you're working. Compared to eight years of medical school, that felt right for where I want to be in life.

I graduated a semester early and really wanted to go abroad before PA school applications got serious. I was talking to a friend about it, and the very next day, Doctors in Italy came up on my Instagram. I immediately sent it to my mom and said, "I'm doing this". I interviewed in April 2025, so I was waiting almost a year to actually go!

I was deciding between Florence, Milan, and Rome. I'd already been to Florence, and I knew the Winter Olympics were going to be in Milan, so I thought it would be a great time to see the city before it got completely packed. I timed it so I could see all the pre-Olympic energy without the crowds. I didn't watch the actual thing, but I got an Olympic hat, so I guess that counts!

I expected it to be really strict, very structured, similar to what I've experienced in America (especially in New York). Instead, there was this freedom to make it your own. The doctors were open to teaching. But you have to be very engaged and show them that you want to learn, instead of just sitting back and only kind of being physically present.

I think I did a good job at that because it made it much more enjoyable, as I ended up learning things I didn't expect to.

A 3D laparoscopic surgery, I think it was a colostomy. They gave me 3D glasses and positioned me so I could see the entire screen. It felt like I was inside someone's body, flying through their intestines. Genuinely the coolest surgical experience of my life!

The doctor in endoscopies! I don't remember her name, but she really stood out to me. After every procedure, she'd pull up the images and explain them to me in English, looking up the grading systems so I could understand the severity. If something looked wrong, she would wait for the patient to leave before explaining why their colon looked like that.

I specifically remember this one patient because her colon looked much different than the previous patient's and I couldn't understand why. Afterwards, I asked the doctor what caused the difference and discoloration, and she explained that it was a case of laxative abuse.

And I was like, "that makes a lot of sense!" It was interesting just seeing how laxatives could affect a colon like that.

On the very first day of shadowing, I was placed in cardiovascular surgery. I walked in, went around the screen... and the patient's entire neck was open. And she was awake. Talking. The nurses gave me a stool to stand on so I could see better, and I was looking directly over her while she had a conversation with someone across the room. Bloody gauze everywhere. I lasted a bit, but I was not okay. Everywhere I looked was blood. It was a lot!

Yes. The next time I was in a surgery with an awake patient, it was a knee replacement, and I was totally fine. I think you just need one exposure. Once you know what to expect, your brain stops panicking. I also ended up watching a four-and-a-half-hour hand surgery where they removed bone from the leg and wrist and then used a microscope to reattach an artery and vein. They positioned me so I could see the exact screen the surgeon was watching through the microscope. I felt like I was inside the procedure.

I wouldn't say a problem. I took Italian classes (through the program) before going, which helped more than I expected! Even just navigating the hospital signs, or reading the doctor's notes as she typed. Medical terminology in Italian is surprisingly close to English!

I mean there were definitely some days that I would go into an operating room and not everyone spoke English, but they would tell me the name of the procedure in Italian and I could make it out from that. They also made sure that I could see the procedure wherever I was positioned.

So even though I wasn't getting that step-by-step explanation through everything, I was still learning just from observing.

I was actually the only one from America in the group! I think there were five from Mexico, three from Brazil, and one from Peru. So I was the only one that had English as their first language.

At first I was conscious of speaking too fast, or not being fully understood. But by the second day, we were translating for each other, laughing, teaching each other phrases. I actually ended up learning more Spanish than Italian on the trip.

Probably the second day. In the morning I was in endoscopies, and the doctor made me feel so comfortable. Like, I wanted to be there rather than felt I had to be.

Then after the hospital we all met up at the Duomo di Milano, got lunch together, and one of the girls from Peru tried tiramisu for the first time. Watching her reaction... it was like seeing someone see snow for the first time.

Then we walked around, shopped, and all went to Crazy Pizza for dinner together. That dinner was when I knew this was going to be a really special two weeks. We were twirling our napkins, singing, laughing. I walked out thinking: this is a memory I'll have forever.

There was one surgery that I watched (I don't remember the exact surgery) but I think it was when I was with orthopedics and the surgeon himself didn't speak English, but the anesthesiologist did. And even though I was there for orthopedics, I learned so much about anesthesia: how they put the tube down the throat, why he used that oxygen bag, what the different graphs were on his machine, how he gauges when they're waking up, the vital signs. So even though I was there for one thing, I learned so much about something else.

A lot. I knew I wanted to walk away at least having a general idea of what I want to specialize in, because being a physician assistant is so broad and you have to narrow it down to a certain specialty.

I really, really enjoyed my day when I was watching endoscopies and colonoscopies. I loved that you could, kind of, talk to a patient through what you were doing. It made me realize that I love the clinical, preventative side of medicine where I can be present with people.

Obviously I have a passion for fitness and nutrition, so I'm also trying to, kind of, figure out a way to integrate both into my future as a PA.

Being far away from home was something I've never experienced by myself. I didn't know anyone going into this. And knowing that I was able to make such a great experience out of what I was given, with people I've never met, is definitely something that I never thought I could do. It makes me much more confident moving forward.

I think you'll never know when you're ready to actually do something like this, but even just considering it is the first step. So if you're thinking about it, I would say just do it because they make you feel so comfortable that there really is no way that you could leave the program unchanged.

If I was able to, I would definitely do it again in a different city just to experience this again. Going in with no expectations is something that I was very happy about because it was just so much better than what I could have even expected.

All I was thinking on my plane ride home was that I wish I had a longer time in Italy with these people. It made me realize that I probably should have done a longer program. That's my only regret.