Page 32 - ISAKOS Newsletter 2016 Volume 1

TEACHING CENTER SCHOLARSHIP REPORTS
Haris S. Vasiliadis, MD, PhD SWITZERLAND
Quite a long time ago I had applied for the ISAKOS Teaching Center Scholarship. Since then, I had the luck and pleasure to go through several changes both in my professional but also in my private life. Just at this time, quite unexpectedly, I received this email from the Director of Education of the ISAKOS, Mrs. Anderson announcing the great news to me, that I won the fellowship. This was an additional success adding to my happiness, as it came just a few days after the birth of my daughter.
The only bad thing... I was too busy at this time to plan anything soon. I had to choose between the 50 ISAKOS approved training centers worldwide and to arrange the visit within this year. Vienna was from the first time in my mind, along with another couple of centers. At this time-point it seemed to be the most suitable for me. This is always difficult to decide, when you have the option to choose by yourself. There are so many good centers, with good friends in some of them, but unfortunately you must chose just one.
So, the first contact with Dr. Müllner from Evangelisches Krankenhaus in Wien came, after the very kind introduction of Mrs. Anderson. This was actually a quite short notice to Dr. Müllner, just a few weeks before the visit, but I feel very lucky and very grateful that he responded positively. Obviously there was not so much time left for him to perfectly organize a special training surgical schedule, which he clarified from the first moment. But as I found out later, there was no need for that. The usual daily surgical schedule was already perfect enough to provide a spherical training and education to a visitor.
After a short email exchange, everything was fixed and perfectly planed, and my visit to Wien on 7 September was completely arranged.
I arrived in the lovely city one day earlier, with a perfect sunny weather and looking forward to the upcoming few days. I have been there several times in the past, for congresses or just tourism, but Wien is never boring. This is always a great pleasure, and this time even more, as the cause of this journey is to visit a well-known medical center of the city. The plan is to spend some time in the Orthopaedic department and mainly to attend Dr. Müllner, to experience the every day surgical schedule and to learn by participating in a variety of surgeries of the knee and not only. And the beginning of this experience would take place early next morning.
I slept early night reading once again the email with the directions I had recently received from the “Sekretariat Kollegiale Führung” of the hospital, Mrs. Caldwell.
So, the first official day of the fellowship started the next day, Monday early morning, by meeting the lovely and always very kind and helpful Mrs. Caldwell at the reception of the Evangelisches Krankenhaus. I had to pass through all the necessary bureaucratic procedures first (like providing the MRSA negative result, filling paperwork, taking the medical clothes for my stay and also the keys for my locker). Then I was ready to be transferred to the clinic and be introduced to the orthopedic team.
We found the whole group in the doctors’ room just in time to start the morning rounds. My impression was very positive even from the first moment. Everybody was kind, smiley and happy to discuss with me and answer to all my possible questions either regarding the Hospital and its function or of orthopaedic interest. Dr. Pongracz was the first to receive me from Mrs. Caldwell and he introduced me to the rest of the group. I had the pleasure also to meet Dr. Nikolakis and the rest of the staff. I followed the rounds with them and then received an introductory guide to the hospital premises by Dr. Pongracz, which was absolutely kind and helpful.
After a short tour, we moved to the OR, where the surgeries were about to start. My surgical experience in Wien started with a TKA performed with navigation system. In the schedule was also a THA, with AL approach, which to my pleasure I also attended. A bit later in the morning I met Dr. Müllner, the head of the Department and my main host in this fellowship visit. We had a very warm discussion and we made a brief schedule for the next days. At the end of the daily schedule, my day continued with the evening surgeries of external coworkers of the hospital, which was also very interesting to follow.
30 ISAKOS NEWSLETTER 2016: Volume I