So, I am a little behind on my blogging along with the rest of the group. We have been on the road for two weeks now with little time to spend/ little or no access to computers. With that said I will label my blog entries with the date that corresponds to when I should have made the post.
On Monday (july 12) we meet early in the morning at the train station to head over to Drachenfels for a hike. It was rather tiring considering we had just got back from Amsterdam the day before and the world cup was that night; but it was worth the hike in the end - the view of the city was great. Once we reached the top we had a few snacks and then headed back down when the wind picked up and it began to rain. Once we got back to AIB we had German lesson with Fenja and a cultural studies course with Ture which was rather interesting. I found the cultural lesson very informative and it provided me with a better perspective with regard to how Germans think of America and visa versa.
The next morning we headed to Bad Oyenhausen by train to begin our week in Hannover. That afternoon we toured the heart and diabetes center in BO. They had a nice presentation for us stressing interdisciplinary cooperation among physicians and other hospital employees. The first thing I noticed about the hospital was that it didnt seem like a hospital at all. It had a hotel feel to it. Definitely one of the nicest hospitals I have visited. There was artwork on the walls and it smelled nice. They had a bunch of short lecutres/presentations for us that day, all of which were interesting. We learned about the blood center, some genetic research concerning heart defects, a tour by one of the heart surgeons at the clinic, and a tour of the MRI facilities. The heart clinic was very interesting; we learned about VADs and total heart replacements. Apparently the restrictions regarding the implantation of these devices are less stringent in Germany, which is why they are one of the leading countries in cardiovascular devices and testing. A lot of valuable information is obtained and peoples lives are saved every day because a living donor is not required.
On Wednesday, we toured the Hannover Med School and visited the clinic of nephrology. This was also one of my favorite days. That morning we had a discussion with Prof Haller and another doctor (who I can remember his name but found very interesting). He engaged the group in discussions and hypothetical situations doctors are often presented with on daily basis. He then took us to the dialysis floor he quizzed us about the machines and informed us how these patients are generally treated. I couldn't help but think that this doctor had a lot of other things to do and wondered why he wasted his time engaging us in discussion. Although Im sure he had lots of work to do he showed no signs of rushing us through the afternoon.
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