Svetlana MARKINA, from Moscow, Russia

Since I have got my internship in Maribor I was very excited about my future experience in medical field (particularly in nursing) in another country.

First things first I would like to say is a dormitory. When I checked in the room, I found it a bit dirty and the seat of the chair was cut. Besides, I had to pay a bill for living in dorm for a whole semester even though I was there for 3 months. It’s just absurd and I was so upset about it. If my reflection can help to change it for future students, I would be glad. But despite the problems with dorm, I was very waiting my clinical practice at UKC Maribor and laboratory classes.

Second things second I want to tell is clinical practice. I’ve had a practice for six weeks and these weeks have been very productive and useful. All medical staff was so kind to me and I really appreciate that they involved me in working process even though they had a lot of work to do.

My practice took place in the Clinic of Gynecology and Perinatology. In the first 3 weeks of practice, I have been in Perinatology. The first week I worked in the delivery ward. In this Department, there are maternity wards, where women expect childbirth, as well as an operating room for emergency childbirth by C – section. I was not able to attend the birth in practice in my home university I saw both natural childbirth and childbirth with Caesarean section in this Department for the first time in my life. It was interesting to see the work of midwives and to note the differences in the work of midwives in Slovenia and Russia.

Then I worked in the Department of the Pathology of Pregnancy. Nurses tried to involve as much as possible in the workflow, showing documentation, patient records. Finding contact with patients was not difficult, many of them knew English, so the process of setting infusions or measuring the pace and pressure was not problematic. In this Department, I saw how to make a child's heartbeat using ultrasound. I learned a new way to measure the temperature (in the ear) and noted for myself that here in Slovenia nurses communicate with patients much more than in Russia.

The next Department is a Department for Mothers and Newborn babies. Here are women after birth with their newborn babies. It was very impressive. Midwives and nurses told and showed me how to care for babies in the first days of lives, showed the room for pumping milk and how to take blood at newborns. It's a new experience for me. Also I wrote a study case with the selected patient and her newborn twins. It was very interesting to talk to her and learn the history of her, the postpartum process, and her problems after childbirth and carry out care of her twins. Nurses also showed how to fill out medical documentation in this department.

The following weeks of practice I worked in the Department of Gynecologic and Breast Oncology, as well as in the Department of General Gynecology and Gynecologic Urology. I took care of patients after surgery, gave infusions, took a blood, measurement of blood pressure and temperature, bandaging. Also, the nurses talked about the intricacies of working in these departments.

I spent one day in the operating room on such operations as vaginal hysterectomy and endoscopic ovarian cystectomy. It was also interesting to see the workflow of the operation room.

After the operating unit, patients are sent to intensive care where they are monitored for the first 6 hours after the operation. In Russia, I worked in this Department and I was interested to see the differences in the work: the measurement of hemoglobin is carried out directly in the Department (in Russia – laboratory), as the measurement of pain on the VAS scale (it is not in Russia).

Furthermore I had a couple weeks of laboratory practice and seminars. It was interesting to get an experience of work in the lab. Also I had homework. I wrote article named »Vaccines schedule in Europe comparing with Russia« and article reports: »Evaluation of Swabs, Transport Media, and Specimen Transport Conditions for Optimal Detection of Viruses by PCR« and »Updated review of blood culture contamination«. I've got a good experience in writing articles.

I would like to note that internship like this gives an amazing opportunity to learn about the health system of another country; to see the differences in the working process of nurses and midwives and to gain experience for future profession to become a good specialist.