A TNMU Assistant Completed a Professional Internship at One of Europe’s Most Prestigious University Clinics

From October 1-31, 2024, Lina Bahnii, an assistant at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 2, completed a medical internship at the clinical base of the Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien (AKH) and the Medical University of Vienna as part of the international Open Medical Institute (OMI) program in the course “Obstetrics and Gynecology: Obstetrics and Feto-Maternal Medicine” in Vienna, Austria.

The Open Medical Institute (OMI) is an international educational and scientific platform for medical professionals. It was founded by the American Austrian Foundation (AAF) in collaboration with the Open Society Foundations in 1993. It aims to improve healthcare globally through education and research. Since its inception, approximately 28,300 scholarship students from 133 countries have participated, with 3,616 scholarship students from 55 countries trained at Austrian medical institutions.

Nine European, Asian, and African scholarship students were selected for this competitive internship.

OMI graduates can build and maintain partnerships with Austrian OMI faculty through the program, exploring scientific and educational collaboration opportunities with the host institution. During the clinical internship, under the guidance of Prof. H. Kiss and Prof. P. Kohlberger, Lina Bahnii had the opportunity to observe every obstetric and perinatal unit, becoming acquainted with cutting-edge methods in genetic counseling, standards of perinatal diagnostics, maternal risk assessment, and improved management of multiple pregnancies.

Under Dr. M. Stammler-Safar’s mentorship, Lina Bahnii also enhanced her surgical skills as part of the operating and delivery room teams, participating in multidisciplinary case discussions within international protocols.

The OMI “Obstetrics and Gynecology: Obstetrics and Feto-Maternal Medicine” program prepares obstetricians-gynecologists to assist and counsel patients facing pregnancy complications. Participants learn to assess and treat conditions affecting both mother and fetus, managing high-risk pregnancies and complications, including fetal abnormalities and maternal comorbidities such as placenta abnormalities. The program includes lectures, conferences, consultations, and ward rounds led by clinic faculty, providing fellows with hands-on experience and the opportunity to make independent decisions under supervision in outpatient and inpatient settings.

The program offers a broad range of practical skills, including maternal and neonatal resuscitation, fetal echocardiography, and Dopplerometry. The OMI fetal therapy curriculum is expanding, giving 616 scholarship students access to prenatal invasive diagnostics, such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.

These internships often lead to ongoing exchange programs and integrate OMI graduates into the international medical community. The program also offers the “OMI Research Observership,” which allows clinically oriented 616 scholarship students to research at leading Austrian institutions.

OMI clinical internships allow graduates to train in Austrian hospitals, improve clinical skills, and gain experience in modern hospital management. After a month of intensive training in the Department of Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine at AKH Vienna, Lina’s experience has reinforced her commitment to enhancing the academic and clinical activities of TNMU’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 2.

Heartfelt gratitude to the administration of Ternopil National Medical University, the American Austrian Foundation, and Prof. Wolfgang Aulitzky for this invaluable professional and scientific development opportunity.