Post by Alisa Ivanov

During this summer, I was also very grateful to Florian Ringel for giving me the opportunity to undertake an observership at LMU Klinikum München Großhadern for just over two weeks in his neurosurgical department. It was such a fantastic and inspiring experience, and I learnt so much that I am excited to apply in my future career. I was immersed in the German healthcare system and able to see both public and private patients, while comparing how this system differs from the one we have in England. It was fantastic to expand my medical German language knowledge and to see concepts I had previously studied at university applied directly to patients. I am especially grateful to the mentors, medical students, Assistenzärzte and Fachärzte who took the time to teach and involve me and let me develop hands-on skills. Alongside observing the wide range of complex cases the department handles, in both paediatrics and adults, with the neurosurgeons themselves, I also followed the nurses and anaesthetists in order to better gauge the patient’s whole journey. What I will take away most is the commitment and dedication of the entire team to their patients, and how well-organised teamwork and systems make such a difference in delivering care and running procedures smoothly. I was also inspired by the regular research meetings, where novel ideas from around the world were discussed and translated into practice. I really enjoyed my time in Munich and I have developed not only academically and clinically, but also linguistically and personally. I have met some inspirational people and I hope our connections will evolve more. These experiences really make me excited for my future. Thank you again to everybody who took the time to explain and show me a way of working at LMU