Laura will be joining our team in Cambodia from February 2025. The medical student will be working in our children's hospital in Siem Reap for two months. Here she introduces herself.
Laura Zoppi, 24, Lugano
I chose to study medicine because I think this profession offers a wonderful opportunity to build a close relationship with other people, especially at difficult moments in their lives. At the same time, medicine allows you to continuously acquire new knowledge and develop yourself further. I also appreciate the practical work that this profession entails.
I also find it particularly interesting that you don't just look at the patient in terms of their somatic complaints, but also support them psychologically and emotionally. It is important that the patient feels comprehensively cared for and, if necessary, also receives help in everyday life in order to manage their complaints holistically. For me, medicine combines all these aspects in a unique and fulfilling way.
I love traveling to get to know different cultures and ways of life. I think that this internship is a great opportunity to get in touch with a different reality, both on a personal and professional level. In Switzerland, we have the privilege of having a healthcare system with all kinds of technologies and a very high budget. However, I would be very interested to see how medicine is practiced in other contexts with different resources and techniques.
I am very excited and can't wait to spend two months at the hospital in Siem Reap. I find the opportunity to meet new people and get to know a completely different culture particularly exciting. I am interested to see how medicine is practiced with a stronger focus on clinical examination and possibly with less diagnostic equipment. At the same time, I am curious to see what medical challenges and clinical pictures await me, which are rather rare here in Switzerland. I am a little worried about the language barrier and the cultural differences that could potentially make communication more difficult.
I am convinced that this experience is a unique opportunity not only to expand my medical knowledge, but also to grow personally. I am looking forward to learning from the local people, facing new challenges and being able to make a small contribution to the important work of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital. These two months will certainly be unforgettable and formative for my future career.
Best regards
Laura
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