“Living in Israel made me understand the importance of teamwork and improvisation. There is the feeling that any situation can be confronted and handled. There is an environment of leadership when necessary, and knowing how to work as a teammate when necessary.”
Dr. Jennifer Eitingon graduated MSIH in May, 2017. She is now doing her preliminary year in surgery at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. We asked Jennifer to describe her time studying medicine at MSIH.
These are her words:
“Throughout the past four years, I was placed in situations that made me uncomfortable, but taught me just how much I can handle. Take for example Hebrew ulpan. After only weeks of lessons, we were expected to interview a patient, in a foreign language, in a foreign system, and be able to offer a diagnosis based on the conversation. Or every morning, having to walk into a patient’s room and explain to them, in our very limited Hebrew, that we had to take blood for reasons X, Y, and Z. Not only did we have to justify sticking a needle in the patient’s arm, but we had to convey with confidence that we were able to do so. When you are lacking confidence with the language, convincing someone that you are qualified to give them medical care is no easy task. The empowerment that comes with this accomplishment is indescribable.
Training young people to take responsibility
I found that Israel does not shy away from giving young people responsibility. As a result, I feel more confident in facing the next step than I would if I went to medical school in America. We all have the same competence – we have taken the same tests and have proven to have the knowledge base necessary to graduate – but in general, I think that studying in Israel makes you more confident in your own abilities.”