DR. LUKE CICCHINELLI, DPM

01:29 – Meeting Dr. Cicchinelli

Dr. Barrett shares how he recently became acquainted with Dr. Cicchinelli at a meeting in the Grand Canary Islands. Focus shifts to Dr. Cicchinelli’s remarkable journey of moving to Spain, learning the language, and training Spanish surgeons in podiatric surgery.

03:28 – Timeline of Moves to Spain

Dr. Cicchinelli outlines his three moves to Spain:

• 1994-95: First move to Madrid (15 months) right after residency
• 2007-08: Second move with three young children (ages 8, 6, and 4) for one year
• 2015-present: Permanent move to Vigo, Spain with teenage children (ages 16, 14, and 12)

05:48 – Learning Spanish

Discussion of language acquisition journey. Dr. Cicchinelli spoke no Spanish initially, learned through complete immersion during 1994-95 in Madrid. He carried notebooks, studied dictionaries nightly, and experienced the challenges of language immersion without modern technology (no Google, internet, or cell phones).

08:05 – The Immersion Process

Details of the intensive language learning experience – approximately 9-10 months of headaches and struggle before fluency began to emerge. Dr. Cicchinelli learned by ear, developing a Madrid accent while simultaneously learning medical terminology in Spanish.

10:00 – Current Language Use at Home

After 33 years of marriage, Dr. Cicchinelli and his wife now speak more Spanish than English at home, especially with Spanish-speaking family members and their children’s significant others living with them.

12:55 – Licensing and Bureaucracy

Discussion of the European licensure process. Dr. Cicchinelli obtained full Spanish medical licensure and European Union citizenship through Italian heritage. The bureaucratic process took 5+ years, including an 18-month period of “administrative silence.”

15:00 – Healthcare System Differences

Comparison of European socialized healthcare versus U.S. system. Key differences include prescription prices, healthcare insurance costs, and university education expenses. Spain offers an ideal mix of capitalism and socialist healthcare infrastructure.

18:31 – Moving to Vigo

Story of how Vigo became home base. In 2004, Dr. Cicchinelli was invited to teach at a Master’s program in Madrid. This led to annual Spanish cadaver courses and eventually a connection with a colleague in Vigo. In 2007, during a course in Vigo, Dr. Cicchinelli proposed training a resident there for a year while relocating his family.

24:54 – Serendipitous Connections

Dr. Barrett shares his own story of connecting with Spanish physicians through a simple email exchange, illustrating how life pathways unfold unexpectedly through taking initiative.

29:09 – Regional Languages and Culture

Detailed discussion of Spain’s linguistic diversity. Catalán in Barcelona, Gallego in Galicia, and Castilian Spanish. Dr. Cicchinelli’s children learned both Gallego and Spanish in school, with half their classes taught in each language.

34:05 – Language at Home

Clarification that Dr. Cicchinelli and his wife speak Castilian Spanish rather than Gallego at home, though they understand Gallego and patients would speak to him in it.

38:36 – Biggest Challenge: “Purposeful Ambiguity”

The single hardest aspect of the transformation was adapting to Spanish culture’s looser approach to punctuality, formality, and written commitments – a stark contrast to American medical training’s strict structure and precision.

44:35 – Quality of Life and Community

Discussion of Spain’s relaxed pace, emphasis on socialization, leisurely meals, and community involvement. Key cultural differences:

• Walking distances and urban design promote spontaneous social interaction
• Public spaces serve as community gathering places rather than private home entertainment
• Multi-generational socializing with children included at all hours
• “Work to live” versus American “live to work” mentality

47:13 – Professional Training Reflection

Dr. Cicchinelli reflects on his intense Atlanta residency training under Dr. McGlamery, recognizing both its value and the unsustainable lifestyle it promoted. Early recognition that physicians in the U.S. function as “blue collar pawns” within the third-party payer system.

49:14 – Recipe for Transformation

Two-part answer to making such a life change:

1. The Stumbling Block: Getting out of the comfort zone. Americans feel trapped by the linear path of checking boxes (degree, house, loans, accumulation) and fear leaving that security.
2. The Tipping Point: Getting into the “courage zone.” Dr. Cicchinelli shares his philosophy influenced by loss throughout his life – childhood friend, high school classmates, mentors, family members. Key insight: “Mortality awareness is life-affirming” (Joseph Campbell).

Essential ingredients:

• Strong partnership with spouse on the same page
• Not wanting to “die with the song still in you” (Thoreau)
• Recognizing you won’t put surgical accomplishments on your gravestone
• Acting while children are still in the nest to give them the gift of cultural experience
• Fortune favors the brave (ancient Roman wisdom)

53:18 – Closing Thoughts

Dr. Cicchinelli emphasizes that families who made the leap never look back – they find a new, elevated comfort zone. His now-adult children (ages 26, 24, and 21) all prefer the Spanish-American blend and consider the experience transformative.

Special Offer: Save 15% Using Code “SBPOD” At Checkout

Special Offer: Save 15% Using Code “SBPOD” At Checkout