HMS students broaden their perspective during rotations in Greece

A pair of Harvard Medical School students finished their fourth year in style with a rotation through the Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece. The students observed Greek physicians performing a range of operations, consulting with patients, and communicating with patients and their families. The opportunity arose out of a partnership between HMI and Hygeia that has included HMI administering a quality management program and the ongoing development of CME programs.

Jessica Erdmann-Sager takes a break while sightseeing.

Jessica Erdmann-Sager used her four weeks in Greece to provide a head start to her career in surgery. She observed a Hygeia surgical team under the direction of Dr. Dimitrios Linos, Hygeia’s director of international academic affairs. She accompanied Dr. Linos on rounds and followed up with in-patients, and attended to out-patients with him.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Greece, and I was very curious about how medicine is practiced in other places,” said Erdmann-Sager. “Hearing what it’s like abroad is one thing, but to observe firsthand a different environment was incredible. ”

Ryan Chuang explores Meteora, Greece, about two hours north of Athens.

Cultivating new skills
Ryan Chuang was a studious observer of Dr. Linos’s team as they performed a variety of surgical procedures. On a few occasions during rounds, Chuang was challenged not by a lack of medical knowledge—but by a lack of Greek. “There was a language barrier. When interviewing some patients, I had to use hand gestures and refer to a Greek translation book.”

He also shadowed Dr. Peter Danias on cardiac MRIs and performed pre- and post-operative assessments of patients. “In the Greek system,” said Danias, “knowledge transfer is based more on lecturing, less on doing. Ryan was very motivated, and he worked hard to learn about the conditions he encountered at Hygeia and to synthesize his medical school learning at the bedside.”

Both students lauded the modern facility, which boasts the latest technology, and the quality of work of the Greek doctors—and noted some differences between Greek and American health care. “Unlike the Harvard-affiliated hospitals with which I have more experience, there are no residents or medical students from the local medical school,” said Chuang, though students from other European and American institutions commonly go through rotations in various departments of Hygeia.

Danias explained that local legislation does not allow the presence of private universities in Greece. A shift in this policy could conceivably come in the near future.

An experience to build on
Sharon Kleefield, PhD, director of Quality Management programs at HMI, sees Chuang and Erdmann-Sager as the first of many HMS students to get a close-up view of Hygeia. “Hygeia is breaking new ground by introducing medical education into a private hospital. The benefits of this program can extend to both Hygeia and the students who participate. We are going to build on the success of this first experience and enable more students to enjoy this opportunity.”

Dr. Linos was impressed by the efforts of the Chuang and Erdmann-Sager. “Although it was an ‘unofficial’ course both HMS students presented their best selves amongst patients, staff, and other colleagues. They were eager to participate in the activities of the team and added a new flavor in the life of the hospital.” His country, he said, has much to offer medical students, both inside and outside of the hospital. “Greece can provide the visiting medical student with a different aspect of medical delivery, maybe more unusual cases not seen in the U.S.A, and of course the civilization, the weather, the beaches, and the Greek islands during the weekends.”

Erdmann-Sager had high praise for Dr. Linos, who exposed her to his specialty, endocrine surgery. But interestingly enough, he made his deepest impression outside of the operating room. “What impressed me most about Dr. Linos was the quality of his interactions with patients—very caring, very warm, and honest.” She noticed communication skills—like the way Dr. Linos touched patients and addressed their families—that might not always be emphasized in the medical curriculum but are nonetheless what she called “the essence of the art of medicine.”