Today marked my first interview with a local doctor in Urbino, and it was definitely an experience to be had.

It was ridiculously hard to schedule the interview because; one, I had to find a doctor’s office and two, schedule an interview. This can be quite tricky if you are without a good interpreter. However, I was successful and did my best.

I brought along a team of five people. Alyssa for photography, Micha for video, Sylvia as interpreter, and Jack for support. I can only imagine what the doctor was thinking when we all piled into the small room.

To be honest, I feel that my first interview went well, but it was a shock having to speak through someone else. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a lot easier. Sylvia did a great job, but I left with the feeling that I obtained half of the information I was looking for in double the time. It was extremely frustrating to not be able to interject, or to ask a detailed question and wonder if anything was lost in translation. It felt something like cooking eggs blindfolded while letting someone else move your hands.

I learned a lot of new things about the Italian healthcare system that both added to and reinforced information that I had already obtained. We spoke about budgets, pay, structure of the system, the number of patients the doctors clinic serviced, and much more.

I am satisfied with the interview, however, I believe that next time things will move much more smoothly because I will know what to expect. I’m excited to learn more, and am thankful for this experience. The interview alone today was worth the trip, and I can not wait for what is to come.

Ciao!