Welcome to Hospital Basurto. A competent lead nurse gave her personal testimony about her time as a nurse in the US and Spain. The Hospital Basurto proved to be the most advanced and intricate establishment we toured thus far. Inspired by the architecture of a hospital in Hamburg, the hospital resembled more of a college campus with multiple buildings scattered on the property.  The presenters were incredibly well-structured and well-spoken! A young bioengineer took the podium, Inigo Manso. Interestingly, His bioengineering degree was only introduced in 2010, with only three universities offering the program. His primary contributions to the hospital were a 3D interactive model of the hospital and 3D models of organs and medical tools. Following what I found to be an impressive introduction and well-spoken hospital staff, we split into groups to tour the different pavilions.
      Our first stop took us to the pediatric emergency room, which, compared to the rest of the hospitals we had seen up to that point, was outwardly more modern, clean, and efficient. I observed patients entering the hospital and getting checked in by a receptionist. One striking point our tour guide made about the ER and the Bilbao healthcare system was that patients are not seen based on order in line. Instead, patients are evaluated by trained nurses and then visited according to condition severity. The remainder of the floor resembled an American hospital with one major difference: natural light. All throughout the pediatric ER and the rest of the hospital large windows designed to capture and direct the sun’s light illuminated the waiting rooms, creating an inviting and non-intimidating environment. As a patient, this matters to me. Upstairs, we briefly walked through the vacant adult ICU unit. Our tour guide emphasized the ample room for each patient and the accessible sunlight. The floor had a location for desktops for nurses and doctors to oversee all the patient data in real time.
     The obsterics unit, or  “Mini Magee” as someone described it from the Plus3 program, was a small, clean building with some inspiring work occurring inside of it. Nurses committed to the well-being of the mothers and babies each played a role in the delivery process. We personally saw a delivery room and heard how the delivery process differs from that in America. The number of C-sections and deaths is significantly lower with an emphasis on allowing time for the mother and baby to be alone peacefully for a few hours before any measurements and dismissal is even considered. In the back of the unit was the neonatal room, where the newborns were, in real time, sleeping or crying as they experienced their first few minutes on earth. This was an incredibly moving scene, but we all felt a bit intrusive walking down past all the babies and their mothers. Once we arrived at the end of the hall, we received a short demonstration of the ultrasound machine and incubators for prematurely born babies. I gained an appreciation for how engineers not only design these devices but also must instruct doctors and nurses on how to use them.
       Hidden in the underground tunnels that connect each hospital unit (nurses can transport patients from one building to another via the tunnels) were the electrical and HVAC systems that literally keep the hospital alive and functioning. Without such power systems, the hospital dies. The lead technician gave us a tour of all the batteries and backup generators, all of which proved effective during the national blackout last year that put all of Spain in darkness. Nonetheless, the batteries gave the system enough time to connect to the generator, which kept the lights on at Hospital Basurto. Our technician tour guide needed very specific, specialized access to enter these rooms, which made me appreciate the security associated with electrical and engineering projects that have the chance to save or end thousands of lives.
      At the end of the tour, we received nice bags in remembrance of our stay in Bilbao and our visit to the hospital. Thank you Basurto!
     At last, it was time. The Guggenheim Museum in all of its outward splendor and inward attractions rested only a few feet away from me. Inside, I was greeted by large metal folds that served as the museum’s framework and the complex staircases that took people from floor to floor. In my artistically insignificant opinion, I beleived the art was unusual and not the best representation of human accomplishment, but the architecture of the building was marvelous and worth the wait. Although I may wonder why they call some of the exhibits “art”, the museum itself and the sheer magnitude of the structure were true art in and of themselves. I am glad and thankful to now say that I have, in fact, visited the Guggenheim.