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Amrit Bains

Q&A

Making the decision to join the Doctors in Italy Fellowship Program was certainly not a hard one. Mixing traveling with the medical field? That instantly sounded like the perfect summer for me! In June of 2023 I finally embarked on my journey to Italy to attend the two week shadowing program in Milan. Throughout the course of the program I shadowed for a total of 40 hours between two of Milan’s major hospitals, broadening my horizons in the medical field and immersing myself in a rich cultural experience.

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While shadowing I observed a ton of surgeries, face-to-face patient interactions, and even got to spend time in the neonatal unit working with newborn babies. I was blown away by the professionalism, kindness, and willingness of the physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals I worked with; they were extremely helpful in explaining procedures to me in English and ensuring I was getting the best experience possible.

 

Outside of the hospital on the weekends, my peers and I would make plans together to see what fun activities we could come up with to do. My favorite experiences were going to Lake Como and Venice for day trips; we saw so many beautiful places and enjoyed the most amazing food together on these trips, especially the gelato!

 

After a big week of shadowing, the fellows enjoyed a day trip to stunning Lake Como

 

Overall I am extremely grateful I was able to participate in this program and immerse myself in the Italian healthcare system and culture. Because I have experience growing up in a medically underserved community and working heavily in clinical settings with adjacent communities, I am a huge advocate for cultural humility in the medical field. This is why I feel so passionately about this program and the opportunity it provides students to travel and immerse themselves in a world culture that they may be unfamiliar with.

 

I believe that my experiences shadowing abroad has strengthened my cultural humility and taken me out of my comfort zone; this will not only aid me in becoming a knowledgeable, culturally-sensitive physician in the future, but it will also aid me in becoming a simply better individual in my present life.

 

I would like to extend my gratitude to the Doctors in Italy team for providing such an amazing experience. And to my fellow pre-health students, I highly encourage you to participate in this program; if you are looking to increase your cultural awareness, immerse yourself in the medical field, and make some life-long connections, you have found the right place!

 

To read more about Amrit’s journey as written by UC Davis College, click here.

 

Cultural activites on the program look like this! Making all types of pasta, and then we get to eat it too – buonissimo!

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