During the second semester of the 2024/2025 academic year, I had the opportunity to take part in a study exchange/Erasmus program at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, where I did clinical rotations at Parc Taulí Hospital in Sabadell in the departments of Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Vascular Surgery, and Primary Health Care. I had the chance to closely observe the daily routines of doctors, discuss each case as part of a team, and enhance my practical skills — from objective assessment to direct patient interaction. It helped me develop my clinical reasoning in making diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.

One of the greatest challenges was constantly switching between Spanish and Catalan, but this turned into a unique opportunity to improve my proficiency in two new languages while also refining my non-verbal communication. This experience helped me gain even more confidence in communicating with patients.

I carry with me the enthusiasm for the innovation within the Spanish healthcare system in comparison to the Portuguese one, including more intuitive digital record-keeping and the increasing autonomy of advanced practice nurses, and I am ready to apply these lessons to my training at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, combining the best of both worlds to provide more patient-centered care.

Carolina Carvalho

4th year student IMM