My Medical Adventure
Spending summer holidays in one of the clinics of Poland, specifically Lodz, was truly an incomparable opportunity. I had a chance to compare with my eyes what theoretical knowledge means, and practical knowledge means, and why there is a giant difference between them. From personal experience, I concluded that there is a difference between them. Adjusting theoretical knowledge to practice and actively applying it can be more difficult than many people think.
In this clinic, I, and my bandmate Taco, met Doctor Andrej Wierzjorek, who was the head of the intensive care unit. Looking from afar, Mr. Andrei seemed like a simple doctor who was in love with his work, was attentive, quite cheerful, and at the same time leisurely, but besides all this, he turned out to be exceptionally intelligent, and highly educated in doctor-patient relations and ethics. He treated all the patients as his close friends, to whom he was heartbroken and deeply worried about his well-being. For me, Andrej became a symbol of the transformation of theory into practice and an ethical doctor. His positive character and the attitude of others towards him were also evident. Everyone smiled, rejoiced to talk to him, and always asked for advice. He also allowed us to enter and attend numerous surgical operations, and finally, I realized the whole weight of practical knowledge. Knowledge of anatomy from illustrations and knowledge of anatomy, when you do surgery with laparoscopic instruments, are two vastly different things.
Knowledge, experience, and self-confidence, all these are irreplaceable and invaluable qualities and attributes in the daily life of a doctor, but this clinic showed me that a doctor or surgeon is not one person. By itself, it cannot exist without the above skills, but the communication that was even between Dr. Andrey and his assistants or between surgeons and their assistants, it was evident that this communication fulfills a very important part of successful performance. Even in the case of complicated surgery, when you see the peace of surgeons and hear the reassuring communication between them, it is difficult not to appreciate the collective work and good communication skills.
We spent the last week in the Department of Arrhythmology, where we met on duty a knowledgeable young doctor full of positive qualities. Immediately after the first meeting, we were excited to hear about Georgia, and told us about his visits to Georgia and how excited he was every time, which made it easier for us to establish relations.
In the end, what was the meaning and purpose of the exchange program was completely justified in my case. I learned what medicine is in another country, what clinical skills mean, the essence of practical knowledge and the only way of accumulation, why there is a strong emphasis on communication, and so on. Polish doctors and Surgeons showed me all this clearly and made me understand. The doctor must be decorated with knowledge and motivation both from the inside and from the outside. The inner motivation and knowledge are that of the individual himself, while the external part is dependent on his colleagues and the general environment. This is an environment where development does not have an endpoint and one helps the other to be better than it was a day ago. I hope that I will have the opportunity to participate in many more programs because this experience is very important for me and I will always positively remember Mr. Andrei, the beautiful cities of Poland, and the knowledge that I have accumulated during one month.
