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Did you know medical students are able to participate in education abroad programs offered by ������? As a fourth year Podiatry student, Breonda Jones had the opportunity to spend a month in Italy to complete her externship (month-long training in hospital or surgery center) and gain first-hand experience in a clinic in Arezzo, located about an hour outside of Florence. Breonda jumped at the chance to leave the U.S. for the first time to gain an understanding of medical care from an international perspective. 

European Medical Approaches in Practice

During her experience in Italy, Breonda worked alongside and shadowed a foot and ankle doctor who treated patients and led surgeries. Breonda engaged with wound care for patients with diabetes and vascular issues at a local foot clinic. She pointed out that the approaches the podiatry staff used at the clinic differed greatly to the American styles of medical treatment and patient interaction.

“They (Italian podiatry staff) do things a lot differently and I think because they have universal healthcare, they are not so quick to opt for surgery. They like to exhaust all conservative options, which is definitely life-changing.”

Breonda also noted the significantly more relaxed treatment approach in Italy and compared it with how U.S. hospitals and medical staff may tend to be financially motivated as they often treat patients with a more aggressive approach. She also noticed the difference in bed-side manner and patient care when tending to patients at the foot clinic in Italy versus her experiences working in healthcare in the U.S.

“In the U.S., podiatrists could see up to 30 patients in a day and spend like 10-15 minutes with a patient. Where I worked, we would see 10 patients a day and the doctors would spend around 30-40 minutes with each patient.”

Whereas the U.S. approach to patient care can make the experience feel transactional and not as personal, the Italian way of caring for patients made for a deeply personalized and intentional experience. Breonda highlighted the patient-centered approach of having longer and more meaningful interactions with patients and their loved ones, to make sure the patient feels cared for and the family members know how to best support the patient after leaving the clinic.

“Even if the treatment process didn't take long, after every single patient, they would have the patient bring their family member in and they would talk to them about what's happening next, what they can expect with medications and so on.”

Overcoming an Italian Language Barrier

Breonda shared that some of the medical staff she interacted with during her externship did not speak English, and she was never able to verbally communicate with her patients.

“Because it (Arrezo) was a small town, a lot of the patients and the nurses didn't speak English. I just kind of picked up some words while I was over there because it's very similar to Spanish, so I could understand a little bit, but I could not talk back.”

Despite some feelings of nervousness around not knowing Italian, Breonda was able to overcome the language barrier and focus on patient support and meeting their needs. By establishing trust and having a willingness to learn, Breonda was still able to create meaningful connections with patients and staff members without speaking the same language.

Advice for Future Podiatry Students Studying Abroad

Breonda was happy she made the decision to gain work experience in Italy in order to better understand the medical system from an international perspective. She encourages other students in the College of Podiatric Medicine at Kent State who are deciding where to do to their externships to consider completing their clerkship in Arezzo, Italy at the Diabetic Foot Clinic.

“If they [fellow students] have this opportunity, they should definitely take it just because it's cool to see and compare healthcare here [in the U.S.] versus healthcare there.”