Medicine: reinventing your profession? Yes, you can! Get inspired by Claudia, Accomplished Nephrologist in Rome, Italy
Claudia works as a Nephrologist in Rome since 2001, also freelancing as a reviewer for an English Medical Journal. A woman and doctor dedicated to her patients suffering from kidneys diseases and carrying on dialysis treatments, a delicate and complex sphere of medicine.
The art work in the picture was made by herself out of waste dialysis products, reflecting her creativity and willing to provide a nicer experience to patience walking in the hospital every day.
In her interview she walks us through her hard and intense medical path, the decision to take such a demanding specialization and how she ended up developing something different within her area of expertise.
That’s correct. It might sound strange considering that we are talking about a doctor, the definition of a figure which usually sticks to a specific profession after the specialisation but Claudia’s capacity to diversify her medical career has been impressive.
During this renovation journey she discovered new aspects of herself too, and developed a new scientific interest.
She chooses the words demanding, intense and rewarding to describe her profession: the reason behind the first one might sound like a banality but being a doctor really means to commit 100% of your time and life, which are spinning around the working shifts, day and nights, weekends included. With the word intense she refers to the constant need to be focused and serious on what you’re doing, keeping under control the emotional aspect where there’s a lot going on too. ”Everybody says as a doctor you must have a passion, which is true, but is just a small part of it”– she says.
At the same time she reassures how being in her profession can be extremely rewarding, alsoestablishing long-lasting relationships with patients undertaking long-term treatments- “when you feel you have done something great for someone else, it’s a good day for both of you”.
From Claudia we learn to not feel discouraged when for any reason we find out that a specific area you have focused your energy on for a long time cannot be the centre of your profession. Find out how to reinvent yourself and you’ll be surprised discovering new aspects of your own self.
Enjoy the expertise and wisdom gained after years of work. As time passes by also the way of dealing with patients and colleagues gets transformed and you become wiser.
Experience a traineeship abroad asap. As she has done in London attending her 4-years specialisation, she remarks how important it is to see new ways of applying medicine and others cultures approach.