Getting sick in a foreign country while having a busy work schedule wasn’t how I had envisioned my first week in Italy . After only a couple of days in Urbino, I became really sick with a bad cough that kept me up at night and began to frustrate me during class. After trying to get myself better by taking all sorts of medicine, nothing worked. So I finally asked my teachers if I could see a doctor.

So that day, two faculty members, Francesca and Marie, accompanied me to the doctor’s office. Before leaving, I printed out my travel insurance card just in case the doctor needed to see it. After a short drive to the doctor’s office, we waited in the waiting room for a couple of minutes until the doctor was ready to see me.

I entered a very clean room, with a patient bed, the doctor’s desk, and a book shelf full of medical books. I was afraid that the doctor was going to be stuck-up or think I was some American who was wasting his time, but he was completely the opposite of this.. Instead he greeted me with a smile and asked me what my symptoms were. After he checked my throat and my breathing, he gave me the vibe that after a couple days of medicine I’d be good as new. Tthen he pinched my cheek and smiled. (Something I’ve noticed is that Italians like to pinch cheeks.)

Usually in the U.S., I would have to wait in line and pay about a $10 cover charge for my check-up, but my visit with the Italian doctor was completely free and the insurance card I printed out was useless because the doctor didn’t even ask for it.

Although I hated being sick, I was able to experience a little bit of how the health care system works in Italy. It was hassle free and I appreciated that I was able to just drop in without an appointment.

I’m happy to report that after a couple of days of the medicine the doctor prescribed, I’m feeling healthier again and can enjoy my last two and half weeks in this beautiful country.

Click to read an article about Italian Healthcare System