Hospital System Visits

Termini Train Station

I love the mass chaos of Termini train station. Everyone runs down the binario to their train like it is about to leave seconds after the platform is announced on the board. I love the that everyone seems to be going someplace. One of my favorite moments that I always seem to have is watching the first time visitors to Rome. They glance around in absolute horror not too sure where to go or how to get where they need to go. These newbies stand staring up at the departure board wondering when they should actually ask someone for help to see if their train has actually arrived. I have never been stopped and asked in English whether a train has arrived or not by these newbies. I am always stopped and asked in choppy Italian a question. These newbies are surprised when I reply back in a perfect American accent that their train has arrived on track 17. I have to say that I am thankful for having an Italian mother. I blend right in while traveling in Italy.

      Today we are headed to have a tour of one of the main hospitals near the Vatican. We are also touring another design/management school over near the church Saint John's Latern. I am especially excited to tour the hospital. Italy has their own version of National Health Care. I want to be able to compare my health care system to Italy's healthcare system. I am interested in this fact because I am applying for physical therapy school. I want to work in a hospital setting.
    We had to wear white coats as to be sterile. The director of the hospital explained a general layout of the emergency room. Those who are most urgent are roomed closest to the nurses station. The farther one is away from the station the minor the injury. There is a completely different system for drugs compared to the United States Health Care. Nurses and Doctors had to go to a drug dispensing machine, type in their employee code, medical license number and so on to gain access to the dispenser. After that, they type in the patient code and the machine dispenses everything. This prevents stealing and improper dispensing. Now, there probably is a once in a blue moon mishap but the system is interesting.
    The director of the hospital promised a walk through of the labor and delivery ward. How cool!? On our way to the ward we were stopped because half of the ward went into labor. We were turned around because it was not a good time to tour. What a bummer. We then left the hospital to have lunch before we headed to the school of Design near Termini Train station in the neighbor hood area. The only complaint I have is that by the time lunch comes around I am so tired. This trip is by far very tiresome. We are non-stop right when our feet hit the floor. Sometimes there is so much to do and see that you can't help but to almost fall asleep. An espresso is calling my name just about now.

     When we arrived to the school the students were shooting a project in the filming room. They were putting the "make-up" touches to their sets of food and glasses. There is a music lab, animating lab and film and design lab. These students have so much that they can work with here. They have access to any lab throughout the day. These students go on to be very successful within the design world. Experiencing the differences makes me envious of what these students have. They have creativity around every corner. My education seems to have been confined to the four walls of Capitalism. Not that it is a bad thing. However, I would like to have a more creative education.
      One of their current teachings that they have going on right now is how to be sustainable. The main idea is to be efficient within the systems that one works in so that the systems can be sustainable. When efficiency dwindles, so does the system. I like this saying: Be sustainable.