{"id":468,"date":"2023-07-25T11:33:22","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T09:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/?p=468"},"modified":"2026-03-06T17:23:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T16:23:48","slug":"clinical-rotation-in-the-department-of-surgery-in-bruneck-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/2023\/07\/25\/clinical-rotation-in-the-department-of-surgery-in-bruneck-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Clinical rotation in the department of  surgery in Bruneck, Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"twoclick_social_bookmarks_post_468 social_share_privacy clearfix 1.6.4 locale-en_US sprite-en_US\"><\/div><div class=\"twoclick-js\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\njQuery(document).ready(function($){if($('.twoclick_social_bookmarks_post_468')){$('.twoclick_social_bookmarks_post_468').socialSharePrivacy({\"txt_help\":\"Wenn Sie diese Felder durch einen Klick aktivieren, werden Informationen an Facebook, Twitter, Flattr, Xing, t3n, LinkedIn, Pinterest oder Google eventuell ins Ausland \\u00fcbertragen und unter Umst\\u00e4nden auch dort gespeichert. N\\u00e4heres erfahren Sie durch einen Klick auf das <em>i<\\\/em>.\",\"settings_perma\":\"Dauerhaft aktivieren und Daten\\u00fcber-tragung zustimmen:\",\"info_link\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.heise.de\\\/ct\\\/artikel\\\/2-Klicks-fuer-mehr-Datenschutz-1333879.html\",\"uri\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\\\/intern-abroad\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/25\\\/clinical-rotation-in-the-department-of-surgery-in-bruneck-italy\\\/\",\"post_id\":468,\"post_title_referrer_track\":\"Clinical+rotation+in+the+department+of++surgery+in+Bruneck%2C+Italy\",\"display_infobox\":\"on\"});}});\n\/* ]]> *\/<\/script><\/div><ul>\n<li>Medicine<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Bruneck, Italy<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Universit\u00e0 di Verona<\/li>\n<li>03\/2023 \u2013 07\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>1. Application\/Finding an internhip<\/p>\n<p>The preparation for my hospital internship in surgery was very smooth. I applied 7 months<br \/>\nbefore my stay at various hospitals throughout South Tyrol. I was able to find an internship for<br \/>\nthe entire 4 months in Bruneck. Although everything worked out well I would recommend<br \/>\napplying earlier to be on the safe side. There was a dedicated contact person, Dr. Neumair, at<br \/>\nthe hospital in Bruneck who handled communication with the University of Verona. She<br \/>\nensured that everything was arranged for my stay. Working with her was extremely helpful and<br \/>\nreassuring, as it allowed me to focus on the professional aspects of my internship without<br \/>\nworrying about organizational matters. The International Office was also very helpful with my<\/p>\n<p>Erasmus Plus application, providing clear guidance and prompt communication with the<br \/>\nrespective contact persons. Their support made the process stress-free, enabling a rewarding<br \/>\ninternational academic experience during my hospital internship.<\/p>\n<p>2. Accomodation &amp; Living expenses<\/p>\n<p>After a quick research on the internet (http:\/\/accommodationunibz.blogspot.it\/) I was able to stay in a 5-person shared<br \/>\napartment with other students from the University of Bozen. For 520\u20ac per month I got a fully<br \/>\nfurnished 17sqm room. The shared apartment had great common areas with a pool table and<br \/>\nNetflix account. There was also a laundry room and a cleaning lady who came every two weeks.<br \/>\nThe accommodation was perfect and allowed me to have a pleasant stay during my internship.<br \/>\nThere were also some cheaper rooms for subletting, but I preferred to live in a shared apartment<br \/>\nso I could connect with people who live in Bruneck and know the area.<\/p>\n<p>The cost of living in South Tyrol is comparable to Germany. Groceries are a bit more expensive.<br \/>\nHowever, public transportation is quite cheap and reliable. Most importantly, aperitivos are<br \/>\ncheaper than in Germany and are usually served with a small snack on the side!<\/p>\n<p>3. The internship<\/p>\n<p>My surgery rotation was an enriching and rewarding experience. Working in the general surgery<br \/>\ndepartment provided a wide range of opportunities, from assisting in the operating room to<br \/>\nhelping out in the outpatient clinic and the emergency department, known as &#8220;pronto soccorso&#8221;.<br \/>\nEveryone in the team was genuinely kind and welcoming, always ready to answer questions<br \/>\nand eager to receive assistance.<br \/>\nThe hands-on experience was good. I was given the chance to examine patients, perform<br \/>\nultrasound scans, and even practice suturing. The surgeons made me feel like a valued member<br \/>\nof the team. During quieter times in general surgery, I was encouraged to observe and assist the<br \/>\northopedic team.<br \/>\nThe hospital staff must speak both Italian and German, so it is easy to communicate with them.<br \/>\nThere are only a few patients who speak only Italian or Ladin. In these cases, the nurses<\/p>\n<p>translate, and after a while I picked up the common expressions and was able to use them<br \/>\nmyself. If you are not from southern Germany, the South Tyrolean dialect can also be a bit<br \/>\ndifficult at first, but you understand it with time.<br \/>\nMy day started at 7:45 am and I usually stayed until 2:30 pm. Sometimes I could leave earlier<br \/>\nor had to stay longer to assist in the operating room, depending on what surgeries were coming<br \/>\nup. Besides me, there were five other students in general surgery and trauma surgery, so we set<br \/>\nup a rotation schedule so we didn&#8217;t have to come in every day or could leave early. Our schedule<br \/>\nalso included weekend duty (on-call shifts). In return, we got two days off during the week.<br \/>\nA definite highlight was the cafeteria&#8217;s delicious meals. As students, we enjoyed complimentary<br \/>\naccess to a variety of Primi Piatti, Secondi Piatti, a salad buffet, and delicious desserts.<\/p>\n<p>4. Free time\/tips<\/p>\n<p>During my free time, I took an Italian language course at a language school to improve my<br \/>\ncommunication with patients. The course proved to be very helpful during my hospital<\/p>\n<p>internship and especially my travels afterwards and I would recommend doing one if you have<br \/>\nthe chance.<br \/>\nWhen I arrived in March, the ski season was still in full swing, and with the Kronplatz as the<br \/>\nlocal mountain in Bruneck, it provided the perfect conditions for skiing. The snow-covered<br \/>\nslopes and breathtaking panorama made for unforgettable ski days. It was an excellent<br \/>\nopportunity to experience the beauty of the South Tyrolean mountains.<br \/>\nLater, I used my free time for extensive hikes to explore the nature of South Tyrol. The<br \/>\nsurrounding landscapes offered a variety of hiking trails, lakes and summits. I strongly<br \/>\nrecommend doing Piz da Peres and Peitlerkofel as well as a sunrise\/sunset hike at Sambock.<br \/>\nIn addition to exploring the local region, I embarked on exciting trips to some of Italy&#8217;s famous<br \/>\ncities. Venice, with its romantic canals and unique architecture, Verona with its impressive<br \/>\nColosseum, and the fashion capital Milan were just a few of the captivating destinations. I also<br \/>\nvisited Turin, Genova, Meran and the Garda Lake, each providing a different cultural diversity<br \/>\nand an immersive experience in the Italian way of life. It\u2019s easy to reach those cities by train<br \/>\nand if you book in advance the tickets were very cheap.<\/p>\n<p>The time spent with my roommates and my colleagues was also a highlight of my leisure<br \/>\nactivities. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the aperitivo bars, went on great hikes, or even<br \/>\nparagliding together.<br \/>\nOverall, my leisure time during the internship was a perfect balance of active outdoor activities,<br \/>\ncultural explorations, and enjoyable camaraderie. The diverse opportunities the region offered<br \/>\nmade this period an unforgettable and enriching experience during my time in the surgical<br \/>\ndepartment.<\/p>\n<p>5. Conclusion<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, my hospital internship in the surgery department was an incredibly enriching and<br \/>\nunforgettable experience. From the smooth preparation and comfortable accommodation to the<br \/>\nhands-on learning opportunities and supportive team, every aspect of the internship exceeded<br \/>\nmy expectations. Additionally, exploring the beautiful landscapes, immersing myself in the<br \/>\nItalian language and culture, and forming lasting friendships with my colleagues made this<br \/>\njourney even more special. I am grateful for the knowledge and skills gained, and I will carry<br \/>\nthe memories of this remarkable experience with me throughout my medical career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Medicine \u00a0Bruneck, Italy \u00a0Universit\u00e0 di Verona 03\/2023 \u2013 07\/2023 1. Application\/Finding an internhip The preparation for my hospital internship in surgery was very smooth. I applied 7 months before my [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5051,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"c2c_always_allow_admin_comments":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,28,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein","category-italy","category-medicine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1440,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/468\/revisions\/1440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rwth-aachen.de\/intern-abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}