We had an early start to our day with a walk to Hospital Basurto. This beautiful hospital was entirely different from what hospitals typically look like in the United States. Hospital Basurto is composed of 15 main pavilion buildings each having distinct departments. We had the privilege of receiving detailed tours of some departments in different pavilions. We first visited the NICU unit, where a doctor explained how different pieces of medical equipment worked to keep pre-mature babies alive. He told us how they worked, why they were necessary, and the differences between different ventilators. The next location was the labor and delivery sector. One of the midwives showed us the differences between the induction rooms and the delivery rooms. She also showed us a room that functions as both a delivery room and an operating room, if there was an urgent need for an extra OR. In the midwife offices on both the induction and the delivery floors, there were big TV’s that showed the real-time vitals of patients in their rooms. This was incredibly useful for patient monitoring and to alert staff immediately if any complications occur. On our next portion of the tour, we got a glimpse of the necessary engineering work required for keeping the hospital running. Often, we don’t realize how much energy, power, water, and computer systems are necessary for ensuring that the hospital facilities remain fully functional for serving patients in case of an emergency such as a wide-scale power outage. An engineer showed us the generators, batteries, water filtration and heating, and other equipment necessary for this to happen. Our next stop was the microbio lab facility. There they test for all different kinds of viruses and diseases. It was cool to see equipment such as mass-spectrometers being used in the workplace after learning about how they work in school this past year. It was also interesting to learn that they use negative and positive pressure rooms to ensure that certain bacteria stays in the room or that rooms remain clean. We had a quick coffee and pintxo break before seeing the pediatric ER. They have triage, consulting, treatment, and observation rooms, all designed to allow for quick and appropriate treatment for each patient. Our final visit was the old ICU. It was currently empty, but we learned that it is able to be easily restocked and transformed into a working ICU or treatment area for patients suspected of certain conditions, such as Ebola, to protect public health and the rest of the hospital. The large windows let in an incredible amount of natural light which certainly contributes to making a more comfortable environment for patients. 

Later in the day we went to the Guggenheim museum. The architecture of the building is captivating and I like how the shape of the building contrasts with the others that are scattered along the river. My favorite exhibits were the wire exhibit and the large iron sculptures. When we walked through the sculptures, the sounds from our chatter were amplified and distorted slightly. It was a super cool experience!

Another great day in Bilbao in the books!