Justyna Wójcik, Poland, SOE Grant Recipient, observership report from Vissum Grupo Miranza, Alicante, Spain

In December 2022 I had the opportunity to carry out a 4 week long observership at Vissum Grupo Miranza in Alicante, Spain. Prior to my arrival I was in contact with the Research Department assistant, who went above and beyond to help me prepare for my stay, answered all my questions incredibly quickly.  On my first day I was greeted by the head of Vissum Alicante – Professor Alio, who took time out of his busy schedule to welcome me, ask me what I wanted to take away from this experience and what I was most interested in. I also met with the Research Department assistant, who was in charge of handling my timetable. I was asked which subspecialties I wanted to see, and if I wanted to be in the clinic or in the O.R.  – my whole schedule was arranged around my needs. The whole staff was welcoming, helpful and friendly. There was a very slight language barrier when communicating with the nursing staff, but nothing, that would negatively impact patient care or cause any serious issues, if anything it lead to a few funny situations and gave me an opportunity to pick up some Spanish.
The doctors took time to let me examine their patients and answer any questions I could have. I met Fellows from other countries during my stay, who were also very friendly and helpful, called me if there was an interesting case to see. On average, once a week clinical sessions were held in the morning, when one of the specialists would conduct a lecture on various topics.  Throughout the whole stay professor Alio constantly asked me if there was anything more I wanted to do or see, or if I was pleased with what I was doing – any suggestions or needs were immediately adressed . I honestly don’t have a negative thing to say about the whole experience. I wholeheartedly recommend doing an observership or a fellowship at Vissum in Alicante.