My trip to Mendoza_Argentina
Priyanka Nayak (Physiotherapy)

Along with a fellow student, we decided that travelling to Mendoza, Argentina would be a good way to wrap up our clinical placement journey as an undergraduate student.  I have always wanted to travel to Argentina, so when I came across Work the World online, I felt the placement was a perfect fit for what I wanted to do. Our interests were mainly in paediatrics so we decided to undertake a 2-week paediatric placement at a public hospital.

After a ridiculously long haul flight, jet lag was seemingly inevitable.  Luckily we were not due to start at the hospital until the day after, so we spent the next day exploring the beautiful city alongside our lovely program manager, Natalia who ran through a thorough orientation which included what to expect at the hospital as well as navigating around the city. The backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains while walking through the city centre is a truly breathtaking sight. The city centre is lined with numerous plazas which were built as protection against earthquakes. By far the most beautiful plaza is Plaza Espana, which is decorated with brightly coloured ceramic and terracotta tiles. Some of our best days were spent lying on the grass in one of the plazas, on a sunny afternoon just reading a book.  

We had been learning Spanish for a couple of months back in Australia; nonetheless we experienced a significant culture shock. My first experience of the local language was when I went to buy a bottle of water on my first day in Mendoza. There were numerous bottles lined in the store, some of which said ‘con gas’ and others ‘sin gas’. Now this is where I ran into trouble, as I had no idea what that meant and I conveniently wasn’t carrying my phrase book. Given it was only our first day, I did not even have the confidence to try and utter any Spanish in fear of being judged. Without saying a word I went up to the counter and purchased the bottle of water that said ‘con gas’.  Only when I took my first sip of the water did I realise it was sparkling mineral water. It was evident that our Spanish language skills were far from fluent and I was immediately worried about the potential barriers we would face when working in a public hospital setting.  I should have taken that Intensive Spanish Course!

Our first day at the hospital was quite a daunting experience. Very few staff spoke English and there was little we could understand without the help of one of the Physiotherapists translating. We had memorized many phrases and questions the night before as we wanted to learn and practice as much of the language as we could. The first few days were quite difficult, but soon enough we were able to understand more and more as the days went by. All the staff at the hospital were extremely welcoming and we immediately felt part of the team. They made every effort for us to be able to experience all facets of physiotherapy care that they provided. I was very impressed by the relatively large department with approximately 20-25 physiotherapists. There was plenty of equipment available including rails, crutches, fit balls, dumbbells, therabands, plinths and recumbent bikes. The department had surpassed my expectations.

Most of our time was spent in cardiorespiratory and neurological outpatients and a bit of time in neonatal intensive care. Despite the language barrier in medical terminology all the staff were lovely, very inclusive and attempted to explain everything particularly if we had any questions.

Compared to Australia, the majority of patients coming in to receive neurological rehabilitation had brachial plexus palsies. We were told it was a very commonly occurring condition there, particularly due to the delivery process. There is a huge focus on Bobath therapy and PNF principles and not a lot on functional retraining

I was very surprised that the physical examination process was not as thorough as the subjective examination. Back in Australia, there is a huge focus on obtaining outcome measures and tracking objective progress. However, during the entire time I did not see the use of any objective measures particularly in the neurological setting. There is also a huge focus on structured documentation in Australia and this was not the case in Mendoza.  Having said that, we were told that a lot of these patients were ‘regular’ patients so the clinicians tended to know their histories very well. 

The intensive care setting was the most difficult as far as the language barrier went. Although a few people spoke English it wasn’t suffice to explain the clinical reasoning behind the different ventilator modes they used in a neonatal setting. Therefore, it was very difficult for us to do much more than observe. This was in huge contrast to the outpatient setting where we worked alongside other physiotherapists and were actively involved in delivering treatment. The staff were very inquisitive and wanted to know what sort of role physiotherapists play back in Australia. In addition, they were very curious about treatment options that we use and how it differs from theirs. They were very welcoming about receiving any ideas we had and that was very gratifying. 

We had most afternoons off due to the siesta period. Our Work the World house was in the middle of Mendoza and we could walk to most places. The house accommodated all of our needs and it was a great way to meet other healthcare students on placement.  During the week we would often try a new café, restaurant or bar particularly along Aristides street.  Anna Bistro on Av Juan B. Justo was one of our favourite places to share a quiet afternoon drink and catch up on emails using their speedy Wifi. We spent the weekends exploring the famous wineries in Mendoza, Bodegas being one of my favourites. We did an amazing tour of the Andes which included Aconcagua which I would highly recommend.

Completing an overseas placement has allowed me to gain a whole new level of confidence and set of skills as a clinician. I now feel a lot more prepared entering the workforce as a qualified Physiotherapist. It was such a culturally refreshing and eye opening experience and I would not hesitate in recommending this placement to any physiotherapy student. My experience in Mendoza, Argentina will be one I will never forget.