Medical internships are an important part of medical students’ education. It is during the internship period that decisions are made or expectations are confirmed about the choice of medical residency field and the career of a medical doctor, making the choice of internship placement one of the most important decisions on a medical student’s journey. “Being in the operating theatre is not just about performing surgery, but also about constant communication, certain etiquette, and showing respect for the surgeons, residents, nurses, and most importantly, for the patients,” Cassini William Thattakath, a student from Oman in her final year of the integrated study programme in medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius University (VU MF), noted and agreed to share her impressions of her internship at the Centre for Abdominal and Onco-Surgery at Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos.
Grateful to internship supervisor and the entire Centre for Abdominal and Onco-Surgery
“When I graduated from my school, I thought I wanted to travel and study medicine somewhere in Europe. The fact that both my brothers had already studied in Lithuania made my choice more easy: I already had an idea of what the country was like, so VU MF seemed like a reasonable choice. I also really wanted to live in the capital city,” explained C. W. Thattakath, adding that Lithuania had already become like her second home.
“During my internship at the Centre for Abdominal and Onco-Surgery, I felt as if I were a resident doctor rather than an intern dealing with a large number of highly complex clinical and surgical cases,” Thattakath commented. The student has had the opportunity to observe surgical procedures like cholecystectomy, appendicectomy, herniotomy, colostomy and many others, and was also happy to have actually assist in some of them. “Cholecystectomies were the most common surgeries: about two a day, but each surgery is unique and extremely interesting to watch,” the student recalled.
Cassini William Thattakath, dr. Aistė Kielaitė-Gulla / Personal archive photograph
Thattakath is grateful to the entire Centre for Abdominal and Onco-Surgery at Santaros Klinikos: “In the operating theatre, everyone – surgeons, professors, resident doctors and nurses – were happy to answer any questions, and explained the smallest details of the surgery with enthusiasm and consistency.” She would like to express her special gratitude to the Head of the Centre Dr. Tomas Poškus and the supervisor of internship Dr. Aistė Kielaitė-Gulla, abdominal surgeon and the Head of Organ Transplant Coordination Centre: “I learnt from every conversation, I felt like an important part of the team, and was constantly being motivated and encouraged to be confident. Working at the Emergency Department was one of my favourite and most memorable experiences: learning how to take a patient’s medical history (anamnesis), understanding the importance of patient observation and, most of all, the respect with which my supervisor treated the patients and made them feel at ease even in their worst conditions,” the student enthused.
Cardiology residency plans
According to C. W. Thattakath, medical internship at the Centre for Abdominal and Onco-Surgery was a great opportunity to test and apply in practice the knowledge of medical theory acquired over such a long time of studies—six years. “Of course, as a student from abroad, it was stressful to communicate in Lithuanian, but with the help of my supervisor, who was an excellent mentor throughout the entire internship, as well as other doctors, surgeons, residents and nurses at the Centre, I felt more and more comfortable and I gradually adapted, gaining the knowledge and experience of how to interact with and examine patients,” said the student. When asked about the plans for medical residency, she shared that she will probably look for a cardiology residency somewhere in Europe, but her excellent experience at VU MF with her internship supervisor Dr. Aistė Kielaitė-Gulla, has encouraged her to think about continuing studies in Lithuania.