Students of Medical Institute, Penza State University, returned from Flensburg (Germany), where they pursued medicine internship in clinics DIAKO. It should be reminded that the agreement signed between Penza State University and Flensburg city administration made it possible for our students to undertake this internship.

Aleksey Moshensky and Petr Grechishkin selected on a competitive basis shared their impressions about month-long practical training in Malteser hospital.

Petr Grechishkin: “Document-related issues hardly ever arose due to the work of our university staff so that we were guided in all challenging aspects. The only thing we should do was to apply for a visa, while PSU staff was responsible for issuing invitations, submitting requests and coordinating programme of our internship. Since I was at school, in addition to English I studied German, and the only thing for me was to revise and improve my language skills in the course of preliminary six-month training”.

Aleksey Moshensky: “Petr and I were classmates at school, we are studying in the same group in Medical Institute and we undertook internship in one and the same clinic. But Petr was luckier – at school he studied German as a second foreign language, while I studied French, so that I had to strain every sinew. Learning a language from the get-go is never as difficult as passing anatomy exam: existing knowledge of similar words in English and French proved useful. But still it took a bit of work. However I have a German language certificate now.

When German escaped us while communicating with doctors and patients we shifted to English and fully understood each other. Thus, the Germans have a good command of English, while newcomers are proficient in two or three languages.

We lived in Flensburg, city to the north of Germany, located virtually in the borderland zone with Denmark. We had an opportunity to enjoy beautiful nature in the northern part of the country, visit medieval buildings and get acquainted with German national character. As for Flensburg itself, this is, by our standards, a small city of 85 thousand inhabitants, but it is far from being backwoods, for example, according to the level of medicine development. Malteser hospital, where we pursued internship (Petr – in surgery department, I – in otolaryngology department) had excellent medical facilities, precise instruments and high profile medical care.

There is a big difference between Russian and German methods and techniques of performing otorhinolaryngology surgery, that’s why I would like to introduce best German practices in my medical practice”.

Petr Grechishkin: “Russian doctors typically have irregular working hours, while the situation in Germany is different. Any way our working hours began at 6.45 a.m. After doctors’ rounds there were briefings when we determined surgery regime for a day. And we got off at 4 p.m.”.

Aleksey Moshensky: “We immersed in the activity of doctors. Along with our senior colleagues we took part in procedures in operation units, performed micro operations requiring minor invasive intervention. We were fortunate to live in families of those doctors, who worked in the hospital. That’s why we could discuss complicated issues”.

Petr Grechishkin: “Living abroad boosted our experience and considerably changed our life. As we are six-year students, so we are to choose the field of study in residency. After the internship I definitely realise that I will opt for surgery and practical training in Flensburg. When I got acquainted with working process in German hospitals and medical facilities they had, it helped me to make this choice. I also plan to enrol on postgraduate training programme and work as a clinical abdominal surgeon”.

Aleksey Moshensky: On completion of residency in the field of otorhinolaryngology in PSU Medical Institute I would like to undergo special training in Germany that will allow extending horizons of my future career. To a great extent the decision was made due to internship in Malteser hospital and studies in PSU.

We are delighted that we had an opportunity to study the best global practices in the sphere of medicine, get acquainted with experienced professionals and consider work style of international colleagues. We hope that we will be able to introduce some advances in our work in Penza”.