Saba Barbakadze and Luka Leluashvili wrote to tell us more about their internship at the Athens University Hospital Attikon – National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Student internship experience: Saba Barbakadze and Luka Leluashvili
Saba Barbakadze
Luka Leluashvili
Our internship in interventional radiology in the second radiology department at the Athens University Hospital Attikon was an extraordinary experience. It all began with the assistance and support of the CIRSE Student Programme. The Programme played a pivotal role in helping us initiate this internship and we are very grateful for that!
Throughout our internship, we consistently encountered innovative and precise problem-solving approaches that we had not seen before. We were able to observe simple peripheral revascularization procedures, cancer biopsies and ablations. Some of the most memorable procedures were major pulmonary thrombolysis, and procedures relating to ongoing research projects on new way of kidney cancer ablation and musculoskeletal interventions. We also had the opportunity to meet one of the top neuro-interventional radiologists in Greece and observe his craftsmanship.
One of the most striking aspects of this internship was the remarkable openness and generosity of the entire department. From the moment we stepped in, they were eager to share their expertise, starting with the fundamentals and progressing to more advanced techniques.
The doctors in the department were not only experts in their field but also passionate educators. They willingly shared their knowledge and patiently guided us through the intricacies of each procedure. Their dedication to patient care, coupled with their commitment to passing on their expertise, was truly inspiring.
A key figure in this incredible journey was our mentor, Dr. Ornella Moschovaki Zeiger. She played an instrumental role in shaping our learning experience. Her commitment to our growth was unwavering. She explained every procedure, both in theory and practice, leaving no detail unexplored. Dr. Ornella’s commitment to patient care and her dedication to sharing her expertise were truly inspiring.
We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from these exceptional doctors and to be a part of a department that continually pushes the boundaries of what is possible in interventional radiology. This experience has expanded our perspective on medical procedures and fuelled our enthusiasm to contribute to the field’s advancement in the future.
