Clark merges hospital internship with trip abroad in Rome

Bryant University women's lacrosse rising senior Katie Clark was looking for something unique in a summer internship.

While many of her classmates in the Biology: Pre-Health track spent time in medical facilities stateside, Clark took a three-week trip to Rome, experiencing the healthcare process at Ospedale San Camillo-Forlanini as part of the Atlantis Fellowship.

"I was trying to find an internship that would allow me to do something abroad," said Clark. "I researched different programs that I could continue my medical education while also being abroad."

The application process was a selective one, with Clark balancing her course load and lacrosse with the opportunity in Rome.

"I came across this program and applied last summer," said Clark. "I had to go through three or four FaceTime interviews and submit a written application … I was accepted in the fall."

One benefit for Clark in experiencing a foreign hospital was to see how doctors and hospital staff handled a healthcare system that varies greatly from the United States.

Italy's universal healthcare program, Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, leads to significant differences in the role of a hospital compared to what Americans are accustomed to at home.

"The hospitals are very big and handle everything from checkups to major emergencies," said Clark. "It was a lot busier than an American hospital due to the magnitude of people that go to these healthcare facilities. One of the doctors said that she sees about 60 patients a day."

The pace of Italian life and how it affected the hospital environment was striking for Clark, who grew up 60 miles from New York City.

Clark got a true firsthand look, spending much of her time observing surgeries. It was in an open-heart surgery for an aortic valve repair that the Italian way of life and the calmness in the operating room allowed her to learn valuable lessons about the operation.

"These surgeons have so many other things on their plate, but were still so willing to help and teach," said Clark. "During mid-surgery, they would stop to ask if we understood what they were doing. They would point to things and make sure we had a good view. The open-heart surgery was honestly the coolest thing I've ever seen. I was at the head of the patient on a stool, looking into the open heart in the chest cavity."

The Bulldog captain sees how her experience as a student-athlete has helped prepare her for work in a hospital environment.

"In the emergency room and ICU settings that I was in, there were patients who have a lot of things that are needed," said Clark. "I've gotten very good at organization and time management because of lacrosse. Communication skills that have been learned through lacrosse – meeting new people and being able to have difficult conversations – are also something that have helped me."

Clark, who is certified as an EMT, is looking to find a position in an emergency room to earn a year's worth of clinical hours after graduation and apply to PA school for the summer of 2021.

One of many things Clark will look to bring back from Rome to her future career is not handled with a scalpel, but with the communication skills that translate from her time in a hospital and on the lacrosse field.

"A goal for me when I start working in the medical field, I want to adapt to how they communicate with their patients," said Clark. "These doctors and surgeons are very caring and kind and take the time to communicate with their patients. That's something that I think we can bring here and change our healthcare for the better."

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