Observational internship, Nefes Psychoneurological Health Center, Baku · 1 July – 31 August 2024
I was the youngest observer the center had accepted. Under supervision, I sat in on consultations and therapy sessions and attended multidisciplinary case discussions across psychiatry, clinical psychology, neuropsychology and speech therapy. I also trained in clinical documentation, patient confidentiality and healthcare ethics.
I held no clinical responsibility, made no assessments and took no part in diagnosis or treatment. I was a guest in other people’s hardest hours, and that was the first thing I learned there.
A patient’s relative asked me what had been said in a session I had observed. I told her I couldn’t say, referred her to staff and reported it to my supervisor. The answer came out automatically, and I still don’t know if that was a decision or a reflex.
Near the end I asked the chief psychiatrist why his field has almost no blood test, no scan, no number. Part of it, he said, is that the biology isn’t understood. Part of it is that nobody has built the instrument.
I went in expecting to learn about patients. I came out believing that a field can only be as honest as its tools, which is the idea behind the imaging tool and the reason I want to work on measurement.
Dr Vafa Shirinova, Executive Director, and Dr Ikram Rustamov, Chief Psychiatrist. Letters available on request.