Abi Handel

I had the opportunity to shadow at Europe’s top-ranked children’s hospital, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, in Genova, Italy. This program placed me in an apartment with 3 other pre-medical students from around the US. There were 8 total US students doing the program, and we got to know each other very well over the three weeks as we participated in over 60 hours of shadowing. I was surprised by how much the hospital’s departments were willing to show us and teach us. I shadowed in three departments over the course of three weeks, including Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, and Neurosurgery. Through my shadowing, I got to observe many rare cases and surgeries. I hope to continue to shadow and learn about the many fields in the medical field. There is so much to learn, and I now have an understanding of the opportunities that await me as long as I put myself out there and reach out. When I got back from the internship, I started working at Putnoi Eye Care as an Ophthalmic Assistant. I shared my experience with the lead ophthalmologist about my ophthalmology experience in Italy which prompted him to invite me into the operating room that Wednesday to see cataract surgery.