Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

An American doctor in Rome [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD
Podcast
September 29, 2021
Share
Tweet
Share
YouTube video

“The idea was to try working in Rome for a year and see how it went. This sensible American plan collapsed under the weight of Italian bureaucracy.

Luckily I didn’t investigate every angle before starting off; if I had known the true lay of the land I might not have kept going after that Italian medical license like a donkey after his carrot. I’d have taken a job in some clinic in the Bronx, where I’d be seeing four patients an hour to this day. Instead, I made those steps you can’t retrace: gave up my three-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side with views of the Empire State Building and the Tri- borough Bridge, and sold my Dodge Challenger convertible to a pinky-ringed Turkish importer-exporter who planned to strip it down to the skeleton of an Oriental low-rider.

Months beforehand I started focusing my Manhattanite efficiency on getting registered in Italy, my Italian husband leading me by the hand through the wilderness of Old World red tape. The first step was “getting my documents together,” an Italian ritual repeated before every encounter with officialdom. Sticking to a list kindly provided by the Italian Consulate, I collected my birth certificate, passport, high school diploma, college diploma, college transcript, medical school diploma, medical school transcript, certificates of internship and residency, National Board Examination certificates, American Board of Internal Medicine test results, and specialization diploma. Then I got them transfigured into Italian by the one person in New York authorized by the Italian Consulate to crown his translation with an imprimatur. We judiciously gave him a set of our own translations as crib notes, tailored by my husband to match the Rome medical school curriculum.”

Susan Levenstein is an internal medicine physician and author of Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, “An American doctor in Rome.”

Did you enjoy today’s episode?

Please click here to leave a review for The Podcast by KevinMD. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app to get notified when a new episode comes out!

Do you know someone who might enjoy this episode? Share this episode to anyone who wants to hear health care stories filled with information, insight, and inspiration.

Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.

Prev

"We are not that great." Gain-of-function research highlights our hubris

September 29, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Peer coaching as a burnout buffer

September 30, 2021 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
"We are not that great." Gain-of-function research highlights our hubris
Next Post >
Peer coaching as a burnout buffer

ADVERTISEMENT

More by The Podcast by KevinMD

  • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Eric Topol explores the science of super-agers and healthy aging [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD

Related Posts

  • The bureaucratic myth harming American health care

    Matthew Hahn, MD
  • Patients made this doctor care about politics

    Chad Hayes, MD
  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • A Southern California outbreak highlights failures of the American health care system

    Eric Rafla-Yuan and Janet Ma
  • Doctor, how are you, really?

    Deborah Courtney
  • An American physician in Sweden. Here’s what he thought about its health care.

    Richard Young, MD

More in Podcast

  • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Eric Topol explores the science of super-agers and healthy aging [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Why your most heroic act might be in a department meeting [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Beyond burnout: Understanding the triangle of exhaustion [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why so many doctors secretly feel like imposters

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How value-based care transforms chronic kidney disease management

      Timothy Pflederer, MD | Conditions
    • Why rigorous training is vital for today’s surgeons

      Philip Alford, MD | Physician
    • The hidden cost of professionalism in medical training

      Hannah Wulk | Education
    • The cost of ending shadowing in medical education

      Matthew Ryan, MD, PhD | Education
    • Why hospital jobs are failing physicians: burnout, pay, and lost autonomy

      Justin Nabity, CFP | Finance

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The shocking risk every smart student faces when applying to medical school

      Curtis G. Graham, MD | Physician
    • Harassment and overreach are driving physicians to quit

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why so many doctors secretly feel like imposters

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • High blood pressure’s hidden impact on kidney health in older adults

      Edmond Kubi Appiah, MPH | Conditions
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • The physician who turned burnout into a mission for change

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • How to break the cycle of judgment in medicine [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How value-based care transforms chronic kidney disease management

      Timothy Pflederer, MD | Conditions
    • Why rigorous training is vital for today’s surgeons

      Philip Alford, MD | Physician
    • The hidden cost of professionalism in medical training

      Hannah Wulk | Education
    • The cost of ending shadowing in medical education

      Matthew Ryan, MD, PhD | Education
    • Why hospital jobs are failing physicians: burnout, pay, and lost autonomy

      Justin Nabity, CFP | Finance

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...