Inside Elsa’s Health Care Internship in Argentina

I am a biology student on a pre-PA (physician assistant) pathway. I chose an internship that would give me more hospital exposure because I had not been exposed to a lot of the work that goes on inside of a hospital yet. This internship also gave me the freedom to choose what specialties I wanted to see, which was really meaningful for my career discovery journey.

I knew I wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking country because I have been learning the language for six years and wanted to be immersed in Spanish. When I am a PA, I want to be fluent in English and Spanish, so the early introduction to medical Spanish was also an important factor in my decision. I ultimately chose to go to Argentina because I had never been to South America, and Argentina has always been a country on my travel bucket list.

A typical day included arriving at the hospital at 8 a.m. and meeting with the residents and attending physician. After arriving, the day’s work differed depending on which specialty I was in. My rotations included inpatient critical care, the emergency room, cardiology and surgery.

In every specialty except surgery, we started the day by rounding on overnight patients and ordering labs, medicine and tests before reviewing results and updating patient charts. In surgery, I would observe anywhere from two to five procedures in a day, and I had the ability to choose which surgeries on the schedule I wanted to see.

Being immersed in the language was a huge help to the development of my Spanish skills. I was shy in the beginning of my internship and felt nervous to speak Spanish around doctors and patients. However, by the end I noticed an improvement in my confidence, and I was more outgoing and willing to practice with my colleagues at the hospital. Lots of the doctors also enjoyed practicing their English with me.

I lived with a host family, so every night we would all eat dinner together and practice our Spanish. My host family was really open to helping me learn the language, and I improved a lot just from our nightly conversations.

Just being surrounded by the language 24/7 made my comprehension much better, and confidence in speaking just came with practice.

It was great! The only downside was that because I went during our summer, it was their winter. The days were cold and short. But almost everyone I met was super kind and friendly, and because of this, I made a lot of friends there!

I had a really awesome host family as well. My “parents” were super helpful when it came to learning Spanish and exploring the city. They were also AMAZING cooks.

Another thing I really enjoyed about my program was that it took place in a bigger city, and it was a very walkable area. My laundromat, grocery store, coffee shop, kiosk and basically everything I needed were within a 10-minute walk from my house.

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Because I want to be a PA, this experience really connected with my future career goals. Being able to shadow and experience so many different specialties helped me decide what I want in my career and what areas of medicine I can see myself working in.

The only thing this experience changed about my future career goals was my timeline. After living in Argentina and being able to connect with so many cultures, I have been considering prioritizing traveling more before I go to PA school!

I would not have been able to go to Argentina if it weren’t for Daniel Watson, study abroad advisor; Pat Ball, head of the biology department; Amy Chen, academic advisor; Cynthia Engel, one of my study abroad coordinators; and Elizabeth Rehman, the writing tutor who helped me apply for all of my scholarships.

I also think that the resources provided by OSU as a whole, such as the study abroad financial coordinators in Corvallis, my peer Lauren who did the same internship last year, and the Canvas prerequisite course, helped me feel confident in my decision.

Overall, I felt supported throughout the whole process.

I gained a lot of confidence throughout my whole experience. I had to break out of my shell a lot while I was in Argentina while navigating a new culture and language.

Learning a new language is often very uncomfortable, and on top of that, I was adjusting to a new routine and lifestyle without my usual support systems. I would sometimes not understand what everyone around me was saying, and this can feel isolating. However, I learned how to trust myself and use the resources around me to adjust to my environment and look out for my overall well-being.

I am a stronger, more confident and more understanding person today because of my experience.

DO IT! I feel so grateful and fulfilled having been able to participate in an international internship. Not only did I learn a lot about myself, global medicine and the world, but it was an experience that supported my future career and will help me achieve my long-term goals.

I would also tell you that I never pictured myself studying abroad. It always seemed financially out of reach, and I did not think that my major allowed for abroad experiences. But OSU has soooo many resources out there to help you, and if you are dedicated and passionate about it, anyone can...