Université de Franche-Comté
GASSMANN Fanny
CLERKSHIP REPORT
Exchange period: July 2012
Hospital: Beilinson Hospital, Petah-Tiqwa, Israel (Tel-Aviv Area)
Department: Internal Medicine Emergency
Summary
Medical training........................................................................................................................... page 3
Social program ............................................................................................................................ page 3
My own trip ................................................................................................................................ page 4
From the other side: to receive a guest ...................................................................................... page 5
What I learnt................................................................................................................................ page 5
Conclusion: what can I say to persons who would like to go in Israel for an exchange ............. page 6
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Medical training
I was on internal medicine emergencies at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikwa, Israel, closed to TelAviv.
The training well takes place. I learnt a lot of things and met nice persons. I followed interns when
they check patients. Patients and doctors spoke English. It could be difficult but it wasn’t. Indeed,
they presented me the situation and the patient’s history before we met him. Then intern asked the
patient in Hebrew. After, we check in him together. When we finished, we left the room and intern
translate me everything the patient told to him. So I can know what happened. Next, we spoke
together about the case, the disease, the behavior to have, supplementary examinations,
medications, pathophysiology… I can question them and they asked me to test me and make me
improve.
As I was on internal medicine emergencies, I had very different experiences. People who came had
different organ’s pathology: heart, kidney… I met basic problems like chess pain but also some
interesting cases like circulatory shock. I sit basic and necessary knowledge and some specific
situations. I also learnt gestures because I took blood and positioned venous catheter. It’s basic
abilities but it’s important to know them. In France, nurses take venous blood and doctors arterial
blood. We never really learn how taken venous blood and we have to know how to take arterial
blood what is more difficult. I think we have to know the first level of difficulties before to practice
the next. This training taught it to me. I think it will help on the continuation of my studies.
I was on internal medicine emergency, so it was pretty quiet. I also went for one day in trauma
emergency. It is 2 very different type of emergency. It was interesting to have both visions, to met
stressful emergencies like cardiac arrest, high fall and quieter emergencies like recent chess pain.
It was also interesting to discover a new health system. It closed to French daily system but there are
some small differences also, like in department organization, way to give cares. It makes me reflect
about my health point of view because I was confronted of both.
Interns and hospital team were very nice, cheerful and caring with me. I met very nice persons. They
were also very patient with me.
Social program
FIMS creates a amazing social program. They prepared 2 nice week-ends, one to the North and one
to the South, one day in Jerusalem, a welcoming event and a farewell party. It was very well
organized. We discover the most important places thank to them. It was nice because they know
what are the main places in Israel, what is the most beautiful, what is major… They make a very nice
social program which conjugate history, tourism, beauty and fun. We discovered a lot of nice sights.
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They presented them to us and gave us information to understand it. They find some original ways to
show them to us like disco bus, hiking in rivers, sunrise in Massada.
We can also meet the others exchange students. This is nice to meet people from all over the world,
to exchange about our ways of life, to discover new things… Thankful it, we can know them better
and become friends, which is important. In fact, we were 12 exchange students in Tel-Aviv area. We
were 6 girls on the same place. We knew us because we were living together. Thanks to he social
program we met the others who were living in Tel-Aviv and also in Jerusalem. So we become a group
of 12 Tel-Aviv friends who met them very often. It was nice because we were all friends, we saw us,
spend nice time together. We are never bored and alone on our bedroom, we can always meet
people and having fun. We exchange a lot.
Israeli was very friendly. I felt they want to make us love Israel. We discover a lot of Israel. FIMS was
also always ready to answer to all our questions. So we can make our own trips with help. They gave
us good advices and help.
We were not alone and not delivered to us alone. It made the trip so more nice and interesting. It is
also more at ease for us.
My own trip
With the first week-end of the social program, we went to the North : Nazareth, the Golan, the
Galilea sea, a hiking in a river and kayak on the Jourdain river. On the south, we went to the Neguev,
the Dead sea, the craters of the Neguev, Massada, hiking on a river and the Kibbutz Ein Gedi. We
went one day in Jerusalem. With some friends of the exchange, we went one day in Haifa, another
one in Akko, another one in Bethleem and 2 week-ends in Jerusalem, without counting all the days in
Tel-Aviv where we went to the beach, to Old-Jaffa… We went also to museums: Eretz Isarel, Tel-Aviv
art and Jewish people. We also rent bikes and saw an opera on the Hayarkon Park.
I also extended my trip by 2 weeks of archeology in the site of Tel Azekah. It’s closed to Bet-Shemesh.
We stayed in Nes-Harim. It was the first time they dig it. I choose to go there because I wanted to
stay more in Israel but I didn’t want to travel 2 weeks or more alone. I was thinking about what I can
do and I found Azekah. I was great to saty more and having another trip after the training because I
can have another experience on the country and better understand it. I met others people. It was an
international team, and I also met persons from all over the world, with who I am still in contacts. By
crossing the views and meeting, we can feel better the country.
With Azekah, we went also on trip. We visited Cesarea, Tel Dan, Tel Hazor, the Sea of Galilee, Tel
Meggido, Tel Es-Safi (Gath), Tel Gezer and Jerusalem with the old city, Ramat Rahel and the city of
David. So, I think I visited a lot in Israel, and there is so many more to see.
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From the other side: to receive a guest
By exchange, I left my apartment in Besançon to a young Greek girl. I cannot receive her when I was
on Israel. We didn’t write us before, during and after. For me, the exchange side was more to share
experience with foreigners in Israel. But last year, 2 Croatians went in Besançon. We saw us few
times. My view and behavior change this year. I better understand how it’s important to be there for
them. But there is a lot of place where the exchange students went in France and there are just 2-3
each month in Besançon. The situation is different. You feel more concerned when you receive. You
like make discover and like your place. The feeling is different, but there is always the exchange
between 2 cultures, 2 ways of life, 2 visions, 2 points of view. This is the most interesting, I find.
What I learnt
Firstly I discover a wonderful country. Landscapes are beautiful, and very different: what is similar
between the Golan and the Dead Sea, Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem, Meggido and the Neguev? It is very
different from what I saw before and from France. It is driest than France. We don’t have desert, the
sea is far away from my region. There are a lot of influences. The region has a so long history: each
stone is more than 2000 years old. Tel-Aviv is an occidental city. The Israeli are very cheerful,
welcoming and nice. They are always ready to help you. They are very patients. I was pleasantly
surprised because people are not like this on France.
Secondly, I met very nice persons from all over the world. We exchange a lot, we discuss about our
different ways of life and confronted our different points of view. It was very interesting. I changed
my mind because the difference made me think about it, about my values, in particular because I
have to justify them. I enriched myself by this meeting.
Thirdly, I learnt to be more autonomous and independent because I was “alone” in a new country. If I
had some difficulties, I don’t have my usual background to help me. You don’t have your usual life,
you have to invent a new one, but that’s also interesting because you can choose it and keep only
what you like.
Fourthly, I learnt a lot about history. I also learnt about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I had an
opinion before. On the spot, I saw the complexity of the situation. I realize I know anything about it,
even I learnt some facts and some dates in Israel. I think that it is so hard conflict to have an opinion
about it for me who don’t live in this region of the world, who is not confronted to the problem and
who don’t know it.
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Conclusion: what can I say to persons who would like to go in Israel for an exchange
Before to leave, when I say to people I will go in Israel, people asked me why I choose it, especially
because “there is a war”. I didn’t felt it, I felt very safe. I only realize it when I crossed soldiers with
guns on the street and on the Golan closed to the Lebanon and Syrian borders. Because of the Israeli
hospitality and generosity, I felt sometimes safer than on France.
Some people asked the problem of religion in Israel and culture clash. We just have to cover our
knees and arms on the holy places. Israel is open. We don’t have problems if we respect this rule.
People are free and foreigners are not bothered. Be open-minded, look for exchange and it will be an
amazing trip.
The social program allows to well discover the country in an nice atmosphere.
People are very friendly, cheerful, welcoming and always ready to help.
The country is beautiful, there is so many things to see.
We will learn a lot in so many areas.
So, Israel is the place to be!
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