By far the best practical medical experience I´ve ever had, no critic from my side. Highly qualified professionals are ready to guide you through the entire process of their daily work and are always ready to answer any of your questions. I´ve applied for an elective(Famulatur) possesing only the base knowledge of the German language (came from Lithuania) nevertheless I´ve felt myself as if I was a part of the team in SJS hospital(and even learned to speak normally). All of the doctors and nurses in the anesthesia department are very friendly, even the Chefarzt himself makes sure you are feeling well and informs you if any interesting activities are going on in other surgery rooms or anywhere else.
I´ve been appointed to one of the Oberarzt with whom I´ve spent most of my time in the surgery but I was free to go wherever I wanted, what included surgery rooms, critical care station and emergency room. The Oberarzt I was appointed to was an especially good teacher, we went together through the whole process of anesthesia begining from the preparation of the patient ending with the trip to the recovery room. I was allowed to make documentations, gain i/v acces, preoxygenate, intubate, extubate etc. in other words - work as a real anesthesist, of course, under supervision. I was also able to observe various interventions, anesthesiological manipulations and pain managments procedures not to mention a wide range of surgeries.
What concerns non-practical experience: I was very pleased with the medical lessons, which were easy to understand and even quite fun sometimes. The food in the catering wasn´t as bad as I´ve heard either. I´ve had a separate locker in a dressing room where I could leave all of my belongings.
I definitely recommend SJS for an elective, especially in the anesthesie department. You can rest assured you will be treated with care and respect and my advice is - don´t be afraid to ask the doctors to let you do different procedures yourself. If you are brave(and polite) you can do so much more than you originally planned!
Bewerbung
I´ve sent my application to the secretary about 2 months earlier per email, a direct answer from the Chefazt followed.
