Medicine Makes the World Go Round

Another week is over. This was by far the best week I have had yet. All the hands on medical experience we had was once in a lifetime. I guess the week we did the most school work shouldn't be my favorite, but I can't help it. Something about interactive learning turns me into a giant nerd.

Let's start with the beginning of the week, Monday and Tuesday. Finally back in Bonn, it felt good to be "home." I really missed Family Wolfe and all of our trouble communicating. Dr. Wasser had some really cool lectures this week. We really did a thorough timeline of medicine rather than focusing on systems of healthcare or specific defining moments. We also got to visit the anesthesiology museum in Bonn. We got to take a tour with Dr. Stoeckel who established the museum and is honestly an exhibit himself.  Its crazy to think that the medical field and how we utilize medicine is so old and so new at the same time.

Wednesday we departed for Hannover. Both Wednesday and thursday we spent a lot of time at the Hannover Medical School (MHH). Little did I know, the MHH is the Harvard of Germany. The MHH blew my socks off. It makes me feel even more confident in my choice of pursuing a career in the medical field. We started with a visit to Dr. Jan Schmitto, the current chief over the cardiovascular surgery department, and the youngest ever board certified cardiovascular surgeon in Germany. That right there is pretty incredible. Dr. Schmitto was one of the coolest people I've ever met. He taught us so much about the use and history of LVADs and even let us talk to a patient. I couldn't stop asking him questions because I was so interested. Stop two was with Dr. K Reimers. Dr. Reimers does research with Axolotls and spiders. What's an Axolotl? Just the most adorable amphibian I've ever seen in my life. She is studying the Axolotl and their tremendous regenerative qualities to hopefully bring the trait to human medicine. Pretty crazy stuff. Dr. Reimers also works with Spiders....scary yes. I already knew some cool things about spider silk, but not the kinds of things Dr. Reimers knows. Who would have ever thought you could but spider silk into a wound to help it heal faster! Defiantly not me. I would have laughed in your face if I hadn't seen the proof myself.

Thursday evening we departed for the town of Emden. Emden is a precious little town in northern Germany, not far from the eastern islands. It was just a stopping point for us before getting to Norderney, but I am so happy we did. It is a place I could imagine vacationing. After our short stay in Emden, we headed to Norderney. The island where you pay a tax to breathe the air. Literally.  What's the first thing you do when you get to an island in Northern Germnay? Play in the mud flats! I had a blast on our Mudflut Hiking. We learned so many cool things about the little creatures living in the mud, and got to play with some. The one bad part was eating a raw oyster pulled up out of the mud. But how many chances do you get to do that....so I went for it! After the mud walk, we met Dr. Raschke at Clinic Norderney, the Germany rehab-system and Thalasso therapy clinic. It was difficult not to move in. Spa treatments and exercise as a prescriptions sounds like the main reason I need to make money in the first place. The clinic was very cool and had some really interesting ways to treat chronic illnesses. I got a work out to just trying out some of the physical rehabilitation movements patients do.

Unfortunately it was time to depart from Norderney. I'm on the train now headed back to Bonn for the weekend. It's time for some relaxation after such a physically and mentally stimulating week. Until next time! Auf Wiedersehen!