2nd rotation, Conference in Sarasota

Hello fellow readers!

Welcome back to part 2 of my Buffalo adventure. Now we have completed 8 full weeks here! It feels almost as if I only just got here. Beginning the final four weeks is bitter-sweet. I am having an exceptional time here and I am very excited to see what these final four weeks have to offer, but I also don’t want to go back so soon!

So much has happened in the last four weeks! I was on my Internal Medicine Rotation at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. I was assigned to the Gastroenterology-Endocrinology and Head-and Neck departments! As a fair warning to future Buffalo exchange students that because Roswell Park is the oldest cancer institute in all of the United States, all the rotations completed there are Oncology based! It is definitely a harder rotation because you are faced with many sick patients and this is when your empathy really comes to a test. However, it’s also VERY rewarding when you come across patients who have been in years of remission or you can tell patients that their tumors are shrinking and treatment is working. I believe all students, no matter where they are doing their rotations, should spend some time in an oncology department. 

As I sit here writing this blog, I am also currently staring at the hospital which you can see clearly from the balcony window. The walk to the hospital takes approximately thirty minutes. It is a very nice walk, especially if you take the side streets. There are so many old, classic houses. Similar to what you may see in movies, and definitely what you wouldn’t see in Hungary. Nora and I were both doing our internal rotations at the hospital so we walked there together on the daily! Luckily clinic only started at 9 every morning so we had more than enough time in the morning to get ready and get there. On most morning, we would wake up early and study the most common cancers we would see and treatment modalities. This was very beneficial and all the doctors we worked with were so helpful! I stuck with the fellow’s schedule and she would rotate between four different attending’s throughout the weeks.  Everyone in the clinic was beyond helpful, and took time to explain and allowed me to ask my many questions!

Buffalo is known for its Buffalo wings! So one evening we all headed down to Anchor Bar! It is right next to the hospitals and it is the original Buffalo wings! We ordered a pitcher of beer, about 25 wings, and chowed down on dinner! 100% highly recommend all students go! Just don’t forget your napkins or bibs!

We were also so fortunate to be here during the week of the HMAA annual meeting down in Sarasota!! It was so much fun going from a week of cold in Buffalo to paradise in Sarasota! As a Buffalo Exchange Student HMAA covers your fees in Sarasota, however you have to pay for your plane ticket as well as helping out at the registration desk, conference room, and even given a short presentation as well. We all worked diligently to complete our presentation on time! The entire meeting was definitely one to remember and also a wonderful networking opportunity. You get to meet so many Hungarian American doctors working here in the US and hearing their lectures each day is so informative! Even if you aren’t on the rotation during that time, I HIGHLY suggest attending the conference! I definitely plan on being in attendance in future meetings as well!

The conference also fell on Halloween. As 2 Americans and 1 Canadian who grew up on Halloween we don’t take it lightly! So we went all out! We dressed up as the Wizard of Oz and even had a Toto. Have a look (:

Last but not least, on the final weekend of this four week rotation we drove up to Toronto! It is about a 2 hour drive from the apartment. You don’t realize this without a car, but the border is only about a 10 minute drive from the apartment. Nora has friends up in Toronto so we stayed with them! Toronto is a beautiful city and a fun little weekend trip. There is a 93 year old doctor who lives in Toronto (you can find his name and phone number in the apartment) and he loves having students come visit and stay with him! We meet him in Sarasota, and he is wonderful to talk to. He loves to cook for the students as well so if you head up to Toronto give him a call!

Anyways, this ends part 2 of my three part series! See you all again in 4 weeks! 

Veronica Frank