Medical Practice and Policy: Everything You Want to Know!

... And possibly some things you don't. No, don't worry, at DIS you practice your clinical skills on your classmates, so it's all incredibly safe!

This Tuesday marked the final day of class for my core course, Human Health and Disease: A Clinical Approach. To date this is the best class I have taken on medical science. Maybe it's because I've taken anatomy and physiology twice now and can go past the basic concepts into the diagnostics of diseases and conditions, but I believe it's due to the fantastic program here at DIS.

Preparing for a day of clinicals - Amy, me and Josie

To start, your professors are actually doctors. If you ask them a hypothetical question, chances are they have a real story to answer with. When my class asked if there was a way we could discuss emergency medicine, my professor rearranged the schedule and brought her husband, a physician specializing in trauma, to give us a lecture on emergency protocol. I learned so much that day!

We also had the chance to practice our skills with our clinical classes. First we learned proper CPR (something my mom taught me in middle school but I haven't used since) and practiced a complete scenario with the correct protocol, and then were taught how to start an IV in someone's arm. We used fake arms with red-colored fluid, which was probably a good thing since the first time I did it, I pulled the tube out too quickly and forgot to cap the port... and my patient practically bled out. Thankfully the second try went well and I redeemed myself!

Amy practicing CPR

Leila learning how to suture

Recently we returned to the clinical center to perform ultrasounds and learn suturing. I got to see my liver and my descending aorta! It was really interesting and kind of crazy to see my own organs on the screen. My classmate Dhilhan got to see his heart! We learned to suture properly as well as remove the stitches, as the wound must remain sterile! That wasn't so easy...

Johannes, our TA, performing an ultrasound of Dhilhan's heart

Dhilhan's heart - you can see the four chambers and the valve opening on the lower right!

On top of the clinical practice we had, the class also includes taking patient history reports from admitted Danes at the hospital your class is located in. I spoke with two wonderful patients with very different illnesses and realized it's definitely not as easy as it looks on Grey's Anatomy. But I still loved it.
Along with all of this, we got to go on our two study tours as a class and speak with doctors and hospital staff in Western Denmark (read about it here) as well as in  Berlin, Germany and Poznan, Poland (read here). It was extremely helpful to learn how different healthcare can be in Europe even though the countries are all part of the European Union, which has it's own standards on health care. It also gave us a unique perspective on American healthcare and what we can do to use the system to it's maximum potential. I have thoroughly enjoyed my two professors, Josephine and Louise, and our TA, Johannes and everything they have taught us. They are so understanding and patient. It's really sad to leave them all!

About to enter the ICU in Berlin

If you are debating whether to go to DIS and take this class, I say go for it. If you want to be a doctor, PA, or nurse, this is the class for you. I chose DIS because of this program and I don't regret my decision at all. In fact, it's one of the best I've made in a long time.

- Devon