"I have grown up in a very international environment; I was born to a Spanish family in the USA and went to French schools. It has always seemed important to be exposed to different cultures and health systems for my training." Claudia Payá, a sixth-year student at the School of Medicine of the Universidad de Navarra, is about to finish her studies and, although she continues to explore her options, Gynecology or Internal Medicine are the specialties that most interest her for the future: "The rotations that I will do in American hospitals in my senior year will help me to make a decision."

Payá has an outstanding résumé, not only because of her experience abroad, but also because of many other projects she has carried out in Spain: "I'm going to do my residency in the USA, so these rotations are helping me to link my learning to a Spanish education with my future career in an American system." Of course, study is not all, and alternating studies with voluntary work or other extra academic activities is also a challenge: "Being a volunteer in different humanitarian projects, such as the medical mission in Perú in which I have been participating for 12 years or my collaboration in projects in Senegal and Kenya, have been my inspiration for studying medicine. I try to encourage other medical students and doctors with whom I have worked to be part of these projects." She has also participated in JOICE (Interactive Surgery Workshop for Students) as the person responsible for social networks: "Last year's workshop was a great success, with 350 places being booked within minutes of opening the registration period. It was an incredible three days, full of interactive workshops, practical  demonstrations by surgeons like Cavadas or González Rivas, and oral presentations. In the upcoming second program, we will follow a similar model to the first one but with new workshops and presentations and more surprises that we will announce on our social networks."

Spain vs USA

Visiting American hospitals gives students of the International Program a more global vision of medicine: "In Spain there is a much more theoretical approach, and the practical portion is observational on the part of the student. In the US all theoretical classes are condensed into two years, and the following  two years are devoted purely to the student's practical learning."

Claudia speaks English, French and Spanish, and her knowledge of languages has led her to conclude that "speaking languages, ​​especially English, is of vital importance in medicine: [English] is an international language that pervades scientific research and is crucial for communicating with doctors and scientists from any country. Being able to communicate with the patient establishes a very personal link that cannot be achieved with a translator."