Hi there! After a whirlwind of traveling, which included lots of reading, getting no sleep for more than an entire day, and an adventure in Madrid, we finally made it to Bilbao! Despite how exhausted I was, it was a very busy and exciting day.

The day started early, with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. We then took the Metro to the Basurto Hospital, the medical center of the University of the Basque Country. The hospital was spread out over 20 different pavilions, each dedicated to a different medical department. Aside from the interesting layout of the hospital, the architecture was beautiful; if I were to go to a hospital like this one, I would feel more welcomed and comfortable. Compared to some of the hospitals I’ve seen in the US, this one was definitely less scary and industrial-looking. During our visit, we listened to presentations on the differences between healthcare in the US and Spain, as well as how hospitals in the Basque Country operated with nurses and engineers to provide patients with the best care possible. It was a fascinating presentation, and talking to some of the faculty members afterwards was very interesting (even if I learned more about nursing than I did engineering!).

After that, we visited a research facility called BioBizkaia Health Research Institute. I got to learn about how they used 3-D printing to make artificial organs and practice materials for surgeries. The project one of the researchers was currently working on included integrating this technology with larynx surgery, where they would 3-D print larynges with different materials. I didn’t know that 3-D printing could be done with more flexible materials; I’d always thought that it was the hard plastic that I’d seen before, so it was really cool to see, especially the 3-D printing in action. Since I am planning to work in prosthetics and other medical devices in my future career, it is invaluable for me to learn about 3-D printing and how it can be a beneficial technology that greatly improves patient care.

We then had a brief discussion about implementation science. When research is published, it can take 15-17 years before the information discovered is applied in a clinical setting. Researchers at BioBizkaia are using the method of implementation science to try and simultaneously discover information about a disease or other medical problem and learn how to prevent these issues from arising and aid the patient in recovery. I thought the point they made about research and application working in tandem was very engaging, because if I decide to go into research in the future, I must consider how to ensure that what I am doing makes its way into practice relatively quickly as to provide patients with the best possible and up-to-date care.

The rest of our day is left for free time, where I’ll hopefully be wandering around, taking some more pictures, and eating more amazing food! And sleeping—can’t forget that one. I’m so excited for what the rest of this trip has in store!