My rotational year to date

Every university has a different schedule or requirement of rotations. 

My university requires that I complete eight rotations (including Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Surgery & Traumatology, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Neurology) in 33 weeks. I am also required to take examinations in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Surgery & Traumatology, Paediatrics, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Neurology by the end of the academic year to be eligible to sit the Hungarian state exam before graduation.

On July 5, my rotational year started in Hungary with the Emergency Medicine rotation. Really, this should be called Anaesthesiology because for two weeks, I followed around an Anaesthesiologist to different surgeries. I assisted when possible, inserting laryngeal masks and IV lines. Time zoomed by, and I was on a plane to Malta for my Paediatrics rotation. My schedule has included time in the Paediatric Accident & Emergency, Paediatric Outpatient Clinic, and the wards. I saw cases of rare genetic disease, undiagnosed type 1 diabetes, and your typical Paediatrics cases that means fever, cough, wheezing, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Sadly, there were also cases of COVID-19!

After five weeks, I was back in Hungary to sort out my Belgian visa. It didn't take very long, and some days later, I was on my way to Belgium. On September 2, I arrived in Leuven and my Erasmus began. I started at UZ Leuven with my Obstetrics & Gynaecology rotation. Afterward, I completed my Surgery & Traumatology rotation. Both of these rotations were spent mostly in the operating room. 

Me in the operating room, scrubbed in and sterile.

Sometimes I was only able to observe in the operating room, but other times I scrubbed in and assisted during procedures. Obstetrics and Gynaecological procedures included oophorectomy, hysterectomy, saplingectomy, IUD implantation, hysteroscopic dilation and curettage, polypectomy, vestibulectomy, vaginal delivery, C-section, embryo implantation, and oocyte retrieval. In the Surgery rotation, surgeries included, gastrostomy, gastrectomy, jejunostomy, diaphragmatic hernia repair, and esophagectomy. In Traumatology, the procedures were repairing clavicular fractures, humeral fractures, radial fractures, phalangeal fractures, and calcaneal fractures. I became more comfortable inserting urinary catheters and using a Pozzi tenaculum. I practiced suturing.

The obvious highlight of the two rotations had to be assisting on a lung transplantation. Being a part of the team that helped give a patient a second chance at life is as incredible as it gets!

Two weeks ago, I started my Internal Medicine rotation. 

This rotation is split into two 4-week blocks. The first block will be in the Nephrology Department and the second block in the Gastroenterology Department. I am strongly considering the field of Internal Medicine for specialisation, so I hope my experiences during this rotation will help me make up my mind. I still have a bit of time before I need to make the final decision, but this is the one rotation I have been nervously awaiting, simply because it's the one that could determine my future.

My schedule now alternates between the inpatient and outpatient clinics and the Dialysis unit. I participate in clinical ward rounds and consultations, perform physical examinations and history taking, and write patient notes. So far, I have seen many of the typical chronic kidney disease cases caused by diabetes, hypertension, lupus, and polycystic kidney disease. I have also seen a few renal biopsies and both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

This is my last rotation in Belgium before I return to Hungary. I can’t believe my Erasmus journey will soon come to an end.