In February 2023, the Open Medical Institute welcomed the first observers of this year for observerships in Vienna, Graz and Salzburg.
Seven doctors from Hungary, Georgia, Croatia, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Azerbaijan were invited to visit Austrian hospitals during this month. Their fields of expertise included Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Neurology, Anesthesiology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Orthopedics and Traumatology, as well as Radiology.
When reflecting on her observership at the Anesthesiology department of the General Hospital of Vienna, Dr. Anett Kiss, came to the following conclusion:
Seeing this system strengthened my desire trying to improve the processes at my workplace. Of course, we have limited options, especially in human resources, but it is worth striving for the better. I found that the teamwork here is excellent, the professionals are open-minded and they also like to share their knowledge and experiences. I would like to pass on the knowledge that I have acquired here.
The observerships gave the OMI alumni the opportunity to improve their clinical skills and to learn new techniques and treatment protocols. For their case reports the observers chose interesting topics of their different areas of expertise like the sterility of a woman with uterus unicornis, the reconstruction of an Achilles tendon, the implantation of an anatomical total shoulder prosthesis, or the complex regional pain syndrome.
Dr. Sopio Chikobava gave us more insight on the impact the observership had on her thinking:
I had a great experience during my observership. I have seen a lot of free flap transplantations, graft harvesting, and nerve reconstructions. At home I have been working on the cranio-maxillofacial region, oral cavity since 2008, but never had a chance before to see reconstructive operations on the trunk and extremities. That gave me more confidence.
The OMI observers also appreciated that they could build connections with Austrian physicians resulting in an exchange about their scientific work and invitations to local scientific symposia.
A successful start of the OMI observership program in 2023!
