Author: Santiago Cotobal Rodeles
Affiliation: ECG Severo Ochoa University Hospital, Leganes, Madrid, Spain
Days passed and I couldn’t take out that idea from my head so I decided to go for it and create something similar for the next EuGMS congress but what about? Then suddenly it was clear. “The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Quiz of course!”. The milestone of our specialty is the first thing that we learn when we start Geriatrics, and sometimes while going deep on other things we forgot to review and learn new content about it. So, I start preparing a draft of it to send to Anne, Benedetta, and Sabrina… and YES! They liked it and offered to talk about it at the next meeting. So, I did and ask for other colleagues who wanted to join, and fast as lighting Maria Bonnici, Rui Buzaco and Laura Monica Perez join to the group with many really good ideas and always with a smile. Soon we were making a bank of questions to choose the ones we liked the most, deciding on the app for the quiz, having new members Oliver Todd join us too, we decide on the clothes, the props, we rehearsal everything may time and like form nowhere….
The day came. Every one of us was excited, Rui couldn’t attend for personal reasons. A really beautiful and charming personal reason. The rest of us meet some hours before.
I was watching everyone's faces all of us have this kind of smile that you have before doing something important like a bit afraid but at the same time glad for all the effort that you had made.
And lights, camera, ACTION! The show started in front of us 40 Early Career Geriatricians were working in groups, learning from each other, having fun, making bonds with geriatricians from other countries, remembering some things about the CGA, and learning some things about London culture too, while all of us did our best to review the CGA with MCQ and trying them to have the same feeling about our activity as I had this time in London.
The Quiz finishes we congratulate the winners and look at each other as Hannibal Smith thinking “I love when the plan comes together” and at the same time thinking about Helsinki and how to make it Bigger, Better and Bolder because this is far from being over.
But before Helsinki, I am now here after a long shift having for the first time the opportunity to look backward and have the same smile as I had that day and knowing that the reason for this smile is my teammates and being able to do all this together. You have been the soul and the brain of this activity and I hardly can’t imagine the best company for this trip. I also will be always grateful to Anne Ekdahl, Benedetta, Sabrina, and the EuGMS for believing in us and one activity different and also for being part of it and even being there in the activity for cheering us.
And to you, who are reading this post here is my advice. If you believe in an idea, surround yourself with the best company and go for it. Everything is possible if you have good teammates and you believe in the project. See you next year at our future event and if you like the way we do things don’t hesitate and join us at our next ECGI meeting.
