“I must admit that my first day at Hadassah Hospital was a bit overwhelming as I was rapidly exposed to the immensity and complexity of this extraordinary facility,” relates Yaelle Shaked, who was shadowing Hadassah Medical Organization neurosurgery residents, while spending her pre-college gap year in Jerusalem.

“From the size of the hospital to the advanced technology, everything seemed to amaze me,” she said. “My time in Hadassah Hospital soon became the absolute highlight of my year. I enjoyed a near constant rush of adrenaline as I continued to learn and be exposed to different areas of the field as I shadowed physicians who constantly moved throughout the hospital to provide the best treatment possible to all of their patients.”

Planning to begin her undergraduate studies at Harvard this fall, Yaelle came to Israel with Young Judaea’s Year Course program. With the help of Hadassah’s Office in Israel and Hadassah Senior Neurosurgeon Dr. Guy Rosenthal, she was able to spend two months at the hospital, learning about neurosurgery.

Yaelle was given the opportunity to view five different surgeries where, she said, she learned how surgeons choose the proper treatment in an active, real time setting. “It was incredible to observe the different strategies the Hadassah neurosurgeons employed and their many ways of approaching and treating patients,” she notes.

“My two months at Hadassah not only allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the field of neurology,” she adds, “but also taught me about the responsibilities and values physicians and their staff must uphold. I am extremely grateful to have been afforded this incredible opportunity: to be alongside the esteemed Hadassah medical staff. I know that I will always remember this experience and will forever cherish the time I spent at Hadassah Hospital.”