Daniela Köck

Working environment and professional experience

I completed my internship at the Hospital São João in Porto in summer 2016 where I worked in the fields of immunohematology, molecular biology and microbiology. São João is one of the biggest hospitals in Portugal in addition to the Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon and has all the latest tech-nology. First I worked in the field of molecular biology. The Hospital São João is undertaking intensive research into HIV-2 because this type is much more common in Portugal than the rest of Europe. The melting curve analysis is used here to distinguish factor V and factor II. Analysis of HCV, HBV and HIV is fully automated using cobas® 6800. Instead, sequencing requires manual skills. It takes around five days to carry out HIV resistance determination and any small mistake requires the anal-ysis to be repeated. I only had one contact in immunohematology due to the language barrier. So my working times depended on that person’s schedule. I carried out the standard antibody identification using the gel card method but also applied modifications of this technique. My contact was carrying out research into antibodies such as anti-G, which always appears in connection with anti-C and anti-D. I also carried out cross-matching and issued blood supplies myself. Beforehand, I tracked the pro-cessing of the blood components and carried out quality controls on the blood supplies. I spent the last three weeks in microbiology. Initially I gained a taster of the mycobacteria field and later began to use the MALDI TOF principle for identification purposes.

Porto: arrival and city life

It is virtually impossible to get a direct flight to Porto for a reasonable price. I flew via Brussels but you can also fly via Lisbon. The capital is only three hours from Porto. I found my accommodation on Facebook shortly before I arrived. But it wouldn’t be a problem to find accommodation after you arrive in Porto. Porto itself is a very diverse city of endless possibilities. In summer in particular, there is a festival virtually every weekend featuring musicians like Elton John. I was lucky enough to be in Porto in June – the month when St São João is celebrated. There are concerts in the city and fireworks by the river on the night from 23 to 24 June. You can meet people from all over the world here. The custom of hitting people over the head with a plastic hammer takes some getting used to but is really fun! Porto is very affordable, unlike many other cities and you can eat for 5 euros, for exam-ple. Each region also has its delicious desserts which you really must try! Especially Pastel de Nata – custard tart.

I am very grateful for this exceptional summer. In addition to acquiring professional skills, I was also able to make some new social contacts and get to know new cultures.