{ International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations }
The Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE) was IFMSA’s first Standing Committee and was founded in 1951. Even today, it continues to be the backbone of the Federation and constitutes its longest running project. The Professional Exchange program is a full educational program offering clerkships to medical students abroad. All medical students are entitled to participate in a four-week clerkship in a chosen clinical or pre-clinical field of medicine. The language of instruction is either English or the language of the host country. In order to complete the clerkship, the exchange student must show adequate knowledge of the English language or the native language of the host country. Clerkships are purely educational and students will not receive a salary. During the exchange, the student has the chance to observe a different health care system and learn from foreign tutors. All students are assigned to a physician supervisor, who acts as a tutor and mentor.
Objectives • To offer students a unique educational and cultural experience in addition to the regular medical curriculum. • To help broaden the students’ understanding of medical and social conditions in different countries. • To produce culturally sensitive doctors armed with an in-depth knowledge of the current health care challenges that face the world in order for them to be agents of change within society.
Exchange Contracts are signed between two participating National Member Organizations and are of two types: 1. Bilateral Contracts: where the participating countries exchange two students (one from each country) between themselves. 2. Unilateral Contracts: where a single student participates in the exchange. In exchange for a participation fee, the incoming student is offered a one-month clerkship at the hospital and department of his or her choice, lodging at a student facility or with a host family, and at least one meal per day. In an effort to encourage students from all backgrounds to participate in exchanges, SCOPE has created a system whereby each outgoing student pays the fee of receiving a student in his or her place, directly to his or her own national member organization. Thus, students from developing countries will pay a fee that is relative to the cost of living in their own countries. This fee will later be used by the national member organization of that country to welcome a foreign student. In short, the student will pay for the hosting of his or her counterpart through a bilateral exchange contract. Academic quality SCOPE is constantly trying to improve the quality of its program and growing to cover even more medical schools and countries around the world. Many medical schools provide academic credit for outgoing exchange students after they have participated in a SCOPE program. In order to receive academic credit, the quality of the clerkships must be maintained. For this reason, SCOPE has introduced assessment tools for the clerkships, which include a detailed log book, checklist and evaluation form to be completed by the supervising physician. These assessment tools were developed in close collaboration with a number of prominent international health care associations. Incoming Student Package is a kit that includes a “student’s guide” as well as maps and other helpful materials. “PeriSCOPE” is a publication that details the exchange experiences of medical students from all around the world.
medical students worldwide
IFMSA Booklet
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IFMSA Booklet
Professional Exchange