INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE REPORT

Activities available:

Patient care

Opportunities appropriate for:

Clinical students

1. Please describe your activities while abroad (eg, seeing patients, clinical research, public health project, etc.):
   I did a month-long elective in ER at Beaumont Hospital.
   
   
2. Please describe the range of activities available, in addition to yours:
   Visiting students can do 1-month electives in almost any field from nephrology to ortho.
   
   
3. Would you recommend this institution to other Penn medical students? Why?
   Maybe...not the ER elective, though. The ER elective has very little structure and makes med students (even students at the RCSI) feel marginalized. But maybe other electives are OK. Also, I had a wonderful time in Dublin otherwise, outside of the hospital. That made the trip worth it.
   
   
4. What did you not like?
   Med students in Ireland, it seems like, are not afforded as much responsibility as U.S. students are used to. There is a hierarchy there that is much more pronounced than in U.S. institutions. I was given very little orientation or explanation of what my duties/responsibilities were (maybe because there weren't very many) not encouraged to see patients on my own. I wasn't given a computer code until I asked for one, and even then was given a generic code. Also, the ER was very, very crowded and the residents very overworked. In spite of that, though, some of the residents were very nice.
   
   
   
5. Is there an application process for this institution? How does one arrange a visit? Are there important dates to know about?
   Yes, there is a form that you can print from www.rcsi.ie and either mail or fax in. They
   usually have most visiting students rotate there in July or August, but a limited number are accepted year-round. I went in July and had started researching it in February.
   
   
6. What costs were associated with the trip, other than transportation. Please include institutional fees, housing costs, food, etc.:
   No institutional fees. I paid for everything. Had my own room in an apt that I shared with 4 other girls in the center of Dublin, about $550/month. Bought my own food, bus fare, airfare, etc.
   
   
7. Did you receive funding for this trip? If so, from whom and for how much? Please provide important information, such as contacts, application procedure, and due dates:
   No.
   
   
   
   
8. Would you agree to be contacted by other students interested in this site? If so, please give your name and contact information:
   Ana Davitt
   Email: davitt@mail.med.upenn.edu
   Phone:

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