Shadowing an internal medicine physician in the USA as a portuguese medical student

Abstract

During my 4-week elective as second-year medical student from Católica Medical School in Lisbon, Portugal I was able to participate and assist in clinical activities in an internal medicine clinic in Newark, New Jersey. I was immersed into the world of healthcare in the United States and had my first clinical experience as a medical student, feeling for the first time the joy of helping patients. In this article, I will describe my learning journey and discuss what I found to be different and intriguing about the American Healthcare system.

Keywords

• Medical student
• United States
• Internal medicine
• Healthcare