After graduating from Derry Area High School in 2000, I attented Millersville University in Lancaster, PA from August of 2000 to December 2004. I majored in biology with a minor in chemistry. The MU program was wonderful. I chose my major, and then I could branch off in a specific field such as pre-med, marine biology, respiratory therapy, nuclear medicine, and so on... I chose the respiratory option. After taking the classes for my major at Millersville, I took classes geared toward respiratory at Lancaster General Nursing College, a part of MU. During this time I had clincal rotations at Hershey Medical Center, Geisinger, A.I. Dupont, Christiana Care, Lehigh Valley Medial Center, and a few others.
I cannot say enough about the respiratory care program under the direction of John Hughes. Upon graduation I felt well-prepared for a career in respiratory.
I chose to work at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, since it was close to my friends and family back home. In January of 2005 I started working in transplant intensive care unit at Montefiore Hospital, part of UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. My manager sent out a broad email that asked if anyone wanted to go to Italy. I replied, was interviewed and accepted. There was only a month in between when I was asked to go and when I arrived in Italy. UPMC took care of everything else. I was able to overlap one week with the therapist that was there before me. It is on the job training once you get there in regard to the equipment, procedures, and job responsibilities. So you have to be a certain type of person to learn quickly and be ready to educate the staff there.
The Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies, or ISMETT is located in the Mediterranean Basin in Palermo, Italy. It is a specialty hospital managed and operated by UPMC. A team of Italian and American nurses, respiratory therapists, and physical therapists work with physicians specialized in transplantation medicine of the liver, kidney, heart, lung and pancreas; for both adult and pediatric patients. ISMETT is “a new 120,000 square-foot, 70-bed facility that has been constructed to the high standards employed at UPMC hospitals in the United States. There is a 14-bed comprehensive Intensive Care Unit, an 11-bed Post Anesthesia Care Unit, and a state-of-the-art imaging center capable of performing both diagnostic and interventional radiology procedures.”
All the physicians practicing at ISMETT are faculty members of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and are employed full-time by UPMC in Italy. All the American nurses and therapists are employed by UPMC in Pittsburgh and work 2-6 month terms at ISMETT. The terms are based on want and availability. During the 2-6 months the American staff take on a regular schedule; sometimes 8,10,or 12 hour days. Along with regular job tasks, we perform in-services, seminars, write policies for the department, and/or any other educational task necessary. UPMC provides the transport to and from Palermo as well as the transport to and from work everyday via taxi. We are generously provided with a stipend before we depart in addition to our regular earnings and bonuses.
The daily routine in Palermo was much like the US. I stayed in an apartment inside the Hotel Mediterraneo. All of the Americans stayed in one of 2 hotels both located in central Palermo. On a workday I would either work a 7-2pm shift or a 1-8pm shift. I would call for a taxi at the reception desk and wait in the lobby for it to arrive. The drive to ISMETT was about 20 minutes. Traffic was always a mess. Once at work I would change into my scrubs and attend briefing. Since ISMETT is such a small hospital, every morning we gave a “briefing” about every patient on the floors and in the ICU. There were usually 3-4 therapists working
each day. One or two would work in the ICU to treat and care for patients, another would see the patients on the floor and step-down units, and the other would do special procedures and stock equipment. Everyone would eat lunch together and take coffee breaks throughout the day. The atmosphere was light, everyone joking and working together. At the end of the day I would take my taxi home and make plans for the evening/night.
Italy, Palermo specifically, was incredible! This was by far, the best experience of my life. The people, culture, and lifestyle captivated me. Italians are well-dressed, friendly, beautiful people. The culture was full of rich sights and smells. From the markets selling anything imaginable to the restaurants with six-course meals and tons of socializing. The lifestyle was laid back. Finances and the necessity to always rush through life are not important. Family, friends, and spending time together are of the highest regard. The people I worked with were very good friends in and out of work. Their families were close, and their children were friends. Everyone is always in good company eating the best of home-cooked meals.
The environment is relatively clean. Italians have more respect for their surroundings. The streets are tiny with even smaller cars. I don’t think I saw one SUV. There is no need though–the weather is beautiful. Out of the four months I was there it rained only seven days, and it was beach weather till about mid-November.
I traveled every chance I had. I had a few four-day weekends that I took advantage of. My first trip alone was to London. I found a Days Inn in Westminster that was central to all the sights. I toured London and mastered the underground tube system. It was eye-opening to say the least. At that moment I felt so alive. My next trip alone was to Paris. I found a hotel near the Louvre and again went sight seeing and took the metro everywhere. I had no problem with the language. Most French people seemed to speak a little English, and I spoke a little French.
I also spent a lot of time traveling in Sicily. It is the most incredible place in the world. You can ski, climb a volcano, scuba dive, and lay on the beach all in one day if you want. The history and the sights are spectacular. My favorites were Cefalu, Agrigento, Mondello, Taormina, Mt. Etna, and Caltagiorne. But the list of sights I saw and places I visited is so much longer. The experiences are also more than I can describe.
The nightlife is exciting. We often went out to long dinners that ended at 2am when we all had to work the next day. But time is of no concern to them. There, nighttime in general, begins later then ours. When children are going to bed at 8-9pm in the states, families are just sitting down to dinner. Then they may go out for a walk around town afterwards to meet and greet. Dinnertime always occurs after 7pm, usually 830-9pm. There are many pubs for drinking wine or beer and socializing. This is where you will find crowds of people every night of the week till all hours of the morning, all the while music is playing and street vendors are selling various items. This is the life.
In addition to sending UPMC staff to work and teach at ISMETT, CCAC and UPMC together are working on a school for respiratory therapy in Italy. The program is written, and funding is being debated at the moment, but hopefully by the end of the year the school will be underway. The therapists in Italy are physical therapists trained on the job and through reading to be respiatory therapists. There is a need for a school so that the respiratory profession can be recognized in Italy. At the moment the profession does not exist, so the Italian respiratory therapists working full time at ISMETT are mirroring the American therpaists in work and ethic. But they lack the knowledge in anatomy, chemistry and in the basics of a respiratory education. There will be a necessity for respiratory therapists to go and live in Italy to teach at the school. At the moment this is my focus. I hope to live in Italy, teach respiratory therapy to a new culture, and take the profession world-wide.
I began taking an intermediate Italian language class in February so that I can speak Italian better when I go back over. ISMETT offered Italian lessons at our hotel three days a week. Luisa was the teacher she taught to our individual abilities. I took full advantage of the classes and attended twice a week. Before I left the US I had studied a little with CD’s, but after just four months in Italy I picked up so much that I can now read, speak, and write well enough to call myself bilingual. I can also speak enough Spanish and French to get by.
I can truly say that going to Italy saved my life. I don’t believe that you can go and immerse yourself in another culture for four months and not be a changed person. Being in Italy and traveling to London and Paris alone made me realize that I can do anything I want. I knew before that I set high standards for myself in life and work but now I have a whole new set of goals. To just enjoy life! Italians have such a laid back, carefree, and family-oriented way of life. It made me realize that working my tail off isn’t always the ticket. I say that in a good way. You need to take the time to enjoy your family and friends. I have spent more time at home and with my friends than before I left for Italy. Everything happens for a reason. I went to Italy for a reason.
