Bahiana Interview

4th year student or, as the French call it, first year of master M1, Roxane Mayer, aged 25, studies Psychology at the Université Pierre-Mendès, France. This year, she enjoyed a different experience. He participated, for two months, in the Psychology course at Bahiana, an experience that you share in this interview. 

 
Roxane Mayer | Psychology student

 
- How did the opportunity to do this exchange in the Psychology of the Bahiana?
I always wanted to have a professional experience in Brazil, because I'm half French, half Brazilian and I've always loved this country a lot. After studying, my professional project would be to work in the hospital environment with children in Brazil. I know Ms. Luiza Ribeiro who is the People Development coordinator and she was the one who introduced me to the project for Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública. She gave me the contact details of Ms. Mônica Daltro and it was in the exchange of emails with her that the proposal for this internship came up. I would do the practical part (two rotations: one at the ADAB clinic with Professor Sylvia Barreto and the second at Humberto Castro Lima Hospital with Professor Constança Velloso) and also a theoretical part.


- How long was the internship?
This experience lasted two months (at the end of January I attended the freshmen reception and stayed until the end of March).


- Tell us about your academic experience at Bahiana.
I participated in two rotations that are the practical parts of the fourth year of psychology and two theoretical subjects.

The first rotation was at the ADAB clinic with teacher Sylvia Barreto. This rotation began with an activity in the waiting room whose purpose was to work on a topic related to obesity (body image, nutrition, physical activity, etc.). This activity lasted about 30 minutes and allowed everyone to share their experience, opinion and story. Next, each student would accompany a patient. We had a clinical form to fill in with the patient about their arrival in the Research Group for the Study of Excess Weight (Pepe), their impressions about the program, follow-up, nutrition and physical activities. The student also accompanied the patient on the appointments he had to make.

Afterwards, all the students, with the teacher, gathered in the classroom to share the clinical cases that each one had. It was a very rich and interesting moment, due to the exchange of experiences and, in difficult cases, it was a great help. Professor Sylvia also asked questions and pointed out aspects that we had not thought of, which helped in the preparation of clinical cases.

The second was at Hospital Humberto Castro Lima, with Professor Constança Velloso. We spent the entire Tuesday at the hospital. The aim was to prepare the children who were going to undergo eye surgery (usually seven days before), and accompany them and their families on the day of treatment. In preparation, we told stories about fear, to understand the children's anxiety about the treatment, the hospital or professionals. Then, there was a dialogue between three characters who explained what this treatment was, the course of the day of surgery and post-surgical care. Then the children could draw and play with modeling clay. At that time, we asked if they had any doubts and if they wanted to know more about the day of surgery. The companions could also intervene at this time to resolve doubts with psychology students or hospital professionals.

On the day of the surgery, there was a student accompanying the child and another one watching the companions. It was very interesting to participate in this experience, as the effects of our interventions are remarkable in changing the behavior and emotions of the patient and the person being monitored. In fact, it was common for the person to be very anxious in the morning and much calmer in the afternoon. Some people were grateful for our work.

There was also the possibility of going to the elderly group to find out how they felt and allow each one to share their experiences of eye surgery. This activity was also of great importance, as this exchange of information allowed people who had not had surgery to feel better and reduce anxiety.

On Thursday, it was time to share the cases we had encountered and how we handled the situation. Every week we had to deliver a report about the day at the hospital and talk about the theoretical articulations of our written work. It was also a time to present clinical cases and prepare for next Tuesday's work at the hospital.

In addition to theoretical activities, I attended Prof. Mônica's class, in which we dealt with various subjects: the clinical observation of an individual, a collage on 'subjectivity', the importance of body language, the way in which the psychologist behave with patients, etc. It was very interesting, because in each class, there was an exchange of ideas with the teacher and other students.

I also attended Professor Isabella Queiroz's class. I enjoyed the course of this class which had the child as its central theme. There were two students chosen for each class, one coordinator and one assistant. The teacher distributed a text and in it we defined the central theme, the keywords and the objectives. The objectives were research topics to add to the topic addressed.

I found this way of teaching attractive, as the student is an actor in his own learning and the teacher gives him responsibilities. In fact, if the student didn't do his job, the entire group would suffer from it. It seems a bit radical, but it isn't, because that way, it was possible to be sure of a level of commitment of each one in their studies and of a possibility for quality teaching.


- What do you see different between your university and the Bahiana, with regard to teaching?
In France, the practical part only appears after the fourth year with the internships. Before that, it's just theory. Porf. Mônica Daltro explained to me that in Bahiana the practical part starts from the first year of study and, in the fourth year, the internships begin.

Prof. Mônica Daltro also introduced me to the program, saying that each semester a life cycle was taught (pregnancy with childbirth, childhood, adolescence and old age). At my college, teaching is different, as there is no separation in life cycles. I could, for example, study in the same semester, childhood, adults and seniors with English classes, cognition, use of the rorschach, etc. The separation takes place from the fourth year, in which the student specializes (in my faculty there are three specializations: clinical psychology, work psychology, cognitive psychology). In the fifth year, there is also specialization, as the student has to apply for different faculties depending on the professional project that he/she has. In my faculty, in clinical psychology, I still have three specializations: health psychology, psychology and therapy, criminology/victimology.

There are a lot of psychology students in my college. We are 120 clinical psychology students in the fourth year and the Bahiana it only has 32 vacancies. I found the proposal of Bahiana more attractive and logical, as the student has direct contact with the teacher. Teaching is of better quality, as the teacher is more willing to teach and the student has more space and possibility to interact with the teacher and other students in the group.


- What could you take the most from the exchange at Bahiana?
What I took advantage of the most in this exchange was the contact with the professors. I felt free to make interventions in the classroom and also in the rotations. I felt supported and, at the same time, I was independent. This space gives the student the possibility to feel that he is recognized as a psychologist in training and that his opinion is important. I was also able to make friends with other students and I still keep in touch with them.


- What have you learned that will make a difference in your professional life?
In both rotations, I learned several things. The one from ADAB gave me ideas to liven up a waiting room and make proposals for themes so that patients can share impressions, experiences and personal stories while they wait to be seen. In France, you don't see many psychologists outside their office, proposing activities in the waiting room. They go more to patients' rooms or make appointments in the office. The one at the hospital taught me how to deal with children, adults and the elderly, allowing me the opportunity to realize that psychologists also have the possibility of improving the conditions of patients in the hospital with few activities. I learned that, in Brazil, the psychologist has a well-recognized place. It would be interesting for me to try to bring this vision to France, including in the hospital environment.