The 6th year medical student from Schoool of Medical Sciences (SMS) of University of Campinas (Unicamp) Daniel Merino was awarded with the certificate of “Honors with Distinction”, the highest grading level from Harvard Medical School (HMS), after the completion of the “Acute Care Surgery Clerkship” at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), affiliated to HMS.

During January 2019 the student was enrolled in the Surgical Sub-internship under the guidance of Reza Askari, MD, PhD. Daniel had the opportunity to integrate Dr. Askari’s team, which was an enriching and a pleasant experience to the student. “Dr. Askari and his team were very receptive. They were always available to teach and help me in whatever was needed. At the end of the clerkship I already felt as a member of that family”, said Daniel.

As part of the Trauma Surgery team Daniel was able to fully participate in all activities developed by them. “The daily routine was intense and included writing progresses notes, pre-round with the senior resident, discuss the new admissions cases with the attending and then round. After rounding we went to the Operation Room (OR), where we had several cases daily. As a medical student I was allowed to scrubbing in both elective and emergency cases. At afternoon we had clinics, in which I used to attend to the patients and then discuss the assessment plan with the attending. On call nights at the Emergency Department were part of the job as well”.

Dr. Askari was pleased to have Daniel on his team. “Daniel was an absolute pleasure to have on our service. He showed excellent communication skills and was loved by his team. He was able to see patient and present them in a cohesive and concise manner. He exemplified amazing work ethic and hard work. He took call with me on several occasions and was always ready to help as part of the team. He asked good questions and showed good awareness of his surroundings both in and out of the OR. Daniel was a fantastic addition to our team and I wish him the best in his future pursuits in medicine”, wrote Reza Askari.

The last year medical student from Unicamp empathizes the importance of clinical experiences in other countries and encourages other students to look for these opportunities. “Getting in touch with other health system reality is extremely relevant and enriching, because it allows you to recognize the positive aspects in our system and look for solutions in areas which require improvements”.

To conclude, Daniel highlights that the academic formation provided by SMS - Unicamp was crucial to allow him to outstandingly accomplish the goals of the Sub-internship. “The fact of being familiarized with the OR environment as well with the initial trauma management were essential to meet all the expectations. To exemplify, the trauma simulations in which we practice at the Skill Laboratory at SMS were really close to those practiced in HMS, which allowed me to have a very good performance. I am grateful to all the professors that somehow contributed to my medical formation and therefore enabled this accomplish. My special thank to Dr. Gustavo Fraga and Dr. Luiz Carlos Zeferino which supported and encouraged me in this journey”.