Internship in Ontinyent, Spain
Franziska, Medicine
My experience with finding the internship placement and the application
I found the internship through my Spanish teacher and had already completed a short internship (clinical placement) there before. Communication was very easy through a doctor at the hospital, and a formal application was not really required. The Erasmus application was also uncomplicated – I just had to wait a bit for the doctor’s signature in the end 🙂
My experience with accommodation and travel
I already knew a few people in the area and found a shared flat room through a friend of a friend. However, the people at the hospital also offered to help me find accommodation. Without support, it probably would have been quite difficult, as the town is very small and reliable short-term rentals are rare.
What I took with me:
In smaller teams, integration often happens faster – and you can gain a lot both professionally and personally.
My experience during the internship
I had a great time and was warmly welcomed and integrated from the very beginning. During the first two months, I worked in trauma surgery and orthopedics, where I was able to assist in operations by holding instruments, suturing, and observing procedures such as drilling and screwing. Everything was explained to me in great detail.
In the following two months, I worked in a mixed operating room, where there was a different specialty every day. This made it a bit more difficult to build closer relationships with the doctors. However, I was still able to participate actively and gain a lot of hands-on experience.
Overall, the internship was excellent both professionally and personally. I learned a lot of Spanish and even some Valencian, and it definitely will not be my last time in Ontinyent.
My experience with everyday life and free time
There is not much to do in Ontinyent itself. Over time, I got to know a few people and occasionally went out for a drink in the evenings. However, I usually spent my weekends elsewhere, mostly in Valencia.
There, I was also warmly welcomed by people in a sports club. I can highly recommend hiking and camping as well – the natural surroundings are impressive, and even in autumn there are still many warm days and nights that are perfect for camping.
My conclusion & tips
It was a truly great experience that I would recommend to anyone. You should be aware that, in exchange for a small and very welcoming team and the full Valencia experience, you are staying in a rather small town. At the same time, this allowed me to integrate much faster and more deeply than I probably would have in a large hospital in Valencia.
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