Paolo Gallipoli tells how he found his elective to Glasgow

Before I entered my final year as a medical student at the University of Naples in Italy in October, I decided to come to Britain for an overseas placement. During August 2001 I spent one month's elective at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow. I was in the general internal medicine ward at the department of medicine and therapeutics.

First impressions
It is a common opinion (at least from what I heard) that Glasgow is not a beautiful city and that it does not have much to see or visit. I disagree with this completely. I found Glasgow a very interesting place, with lots to see and do.

There are several museums and art galleries in Glasgow, a lot of beautiful parks, and the city centre offers a wide range of possibilities for shopping and enjoying yourself. Glasgow is a very lively city with the possibility to do something interesting every single day and night of the week. There are lots of pubs, clubs, and cinemas.

Moreover I think that Glaswegian people are very friendly. The only problem, perhaps, is that the weather is not that good. Everybody who goes to Glasgow knows that anyway so there is no point in complaining about it.

The Western Infirmary
The Western Infirmary is one of the university hospitals of Glasgow. It is one of the best regarded in the city and the teaching work is intensive. A lot of research projects are run and there is a lot of integration between clinical work and research. There is a big library and internet facilities that provide a comfortable environment for study and the opportunity to find all the latest issues of medical journals. The environment in the hospital was friendly and I went out on several occasions with the other doctors and students. I enjoyed this and it helped us to get to know each other better.

Clinical practice
On the first day of my elective I was quite nervous but, at the same time, excited. I was about to start an experience in a different medical system, in a different language, and I didn't know exactly what I was supposed to do. In Italy students do not have to do a clinical elective during their undergraduate course of study (though they do have to write a thesis in their final year). Italian medical students are, however, able to go on study placements overseas during the summer if they want to.

From the first moment my supervisor made me feel at ease and calmed my nerves. In the beginning I found some difficulties with the language but within a few days I was able to follow all the clinical activities. The attachment was very well organised. I could either follow the ward rounds and all the ward activities or attend several medical clinics. At least once a week the team to which I was attached had to receive new patients. This was a good opportunity to see several different patients in the acute setting and with interesting symptoms. But the most important thing was the formal teaching we had. At least twice a week we had bedside teaching. We saw the most interesting cases in the wards, took histories, and performed a physical examination. We then discussed with the teacher the most important issues.

The experience was clinically oriented, based on daily contact with patients. At the same time the teaching provided the opportunity to discuss the cases in order to better understand the scientific bases of what we saw in the ward. Every week I also had a meeting with my supervisor. During this meeting we could either present interesting cases or discuss important issues of clinical medicine. Each case presentation was followed by a discussion with the supervisor on the most interesting issues about the case. I found this meeting very useful to examine several cases closely and the various uses of drugs in different clinical settings.

This may sound like normal everyday teaching to some people but I come from a country where medical education is very theoretical. I found the practical experience useful and think that I have learnt a lot from my placement. Not only was I able to improve my clinical skills but I practised my English as well. I would strongly recommend an elective in Glasgow.

I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Gordon McInnes.