Week 5: 490

Last Thursday, I put away the whistle and kickball and instead of being called Ms. D, I was Dr. Daltorio. Our class excursion took us to Santos Spiritos, an Italian hospital. Our goal for the day was to observe the Italian hospital, noting its similarities and differences from the American hospital. Suited up in my white trench coat, I was ready for a day of delivery, surgery, and X-ray diagnosis.
As we walked up to the building, I honestly thought it was another historical building of Rome. I had no clue it was a hospital from the outside. When we walked inside, I was still confused because I did not feel like I was in a hospital. There were so many stairways and hallways we had to take before finally reaching our classroom destination. When we were in the classroom we talked with several doctors and nurses who were in charge of nursing students and got an idea of the Italian nursing program. Once we completed our discussion, it was time to explore the actual hospital.
As we walked down the stairs, I noticed that each floor had a certain aspect that it focused on. For example, one floor was cardiovascular while the other one was obstetrician. It was interesting to observe how Italians organize their health system and patient care. Speaking of organizing, I felt like the Italian way of organizing was less technologically advanced as Americans. I don’t want to say it was old fashioned, but like it was. Also, the overall atmosphere of the hospital seemed older and less modern than I expected.
After reflecting on the experience, I wondered how much religion played a part in the hospital’s mission. The hospital is obviously religious based on the name, but how much did they emphasize it. Did they pay more attention to religion because the hospital is set in Rome? Is religion a basic necessity to hospitals here in Rome? These questions were just a mixture of the readings and the hospital experience. In the readings, I realized that spirituality, religion, and health go hand-in-hand. The essay mentions Jesus’ healing and how religion provides tremendous benefits to a person’s well-being. I can almost assume that this hospital includes these beliefs and builds their foundation on faith and God.