PeriSCOPE August 2012

PeriSCOPE

Official magazine of the Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

IFMSA

The mission of IFMSA

was founded in May 1951 and is run by medical students, for medical students, on a non-profit basis. IFMSA is officially recognised as a nongovernmental organisation within the United Nations’ system and has official relations with the World Health Organisation. It is the international forum for medical students, and one of the largest student organisations in the world.

is to offer future physicians a comprehensive introduction to global health issues. Through our programs and opportunities, we develop culturally sensitive students of medicine, intent on influencing the transnational inequalities that shape the health of our planet.

Imprint Editors in Chief

Yassin Almassy, Norway MarĂ­a Aroca, Spain (Catalonia)

Design/Layout Omar H. Safa, Egypt

Proofreading

Mohamed Hussein, Sudan

Special thanks to

Marianne Koch, Austria Farhood Farid Mojtahedi, Netherlands SCOPE International Team IFMSA Publications Team

Publisher

International Federation of Medical Students` Associations General Secretariat: IFMSA c/o WMA B.P. 63 01212 Ferney-Voltaire, France Phone: +33 450 404 759 Fax : +33 450 405 937 Email : gs@ifmsa.org Homepage : www.ifmsa.org Contacts : publications@ifmsa.org Printed in India

Contents ifmsa.org

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Editorial

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Namaste India

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A Story about an Egyptian SRT

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Immunology in France

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Israeli doctors fighting for their rights

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One month in Paradize

Words from the Editors in Chief

Word of the Director of Professional Exchange

Can you SRT?!

From Bulgaria to France

One month in Brazil

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General Surgery in Chelyabinsk, Russia

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General surgery in Croatia

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So similar, but still so exotic

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From Chelyabinsk to Ankara

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NEO Profile

From Brazil to Russia

From Egypt to Croatia

From Norway to Iceland

get to know your fellow NEOs

PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

Editorial Exploring India.

As one of our youngest national members, IFMSA-India has taken a leading attitiude within the IFMSA by accepting the challege of hosting the AM 2012. We are all excited about what an Indian atmosphere can bring out in terms of bringing new ideas, as well as the momentum it may mean for the Asia and Pacific Region.

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India has shown us an incredible courage by taking this chance and we are very much looking forward to seeing the changes in the Standing Committee that will take place in this GA. We owe our Indian friends our best efforts to make this GA memorable, and it seems to have all the ingridients to be: a dedicated organizing committee, and exciting country and a new and fresh NMO will be supporting the august meeting. We reached a big milestone by adapting the comprehensive new bylaws in March Meeting in Ghana. Let us aim at new heights, let us continue in this path as we will change our database; the first and most important tool to run exchanges.

This is time to make history!

Going through the online publications of SCOPE, it seems that we surprisingly are one of the youngest standing committee magazine, specially considering SCOPE was the first SC and the core of the Federation for a long time. PeriSCOPE as the organ of SCOPE have a main focus, that is to show the rest of IFMSA and students out there some of the new experiences made from exchange students but also report important efforts done in SCOPE since last GA. i.e the work with a new database, the outcomes of the regional meetings, SRTs and other amazing stuff we all have been part of.

ter and by closer personal ties we can move forward SCOPE with a greater force and compassion. Also you can find great summer exchanges reports and share the joy with your students. By sharing these stories we hope to motivate other students to go on exchange, or go another time if their first time was not successful.

We, as the periSCOPE team, are extremely grateful to all of you who made possible this new edition of the periSCOPE. All the students who submitted travel letters, all members who helped out spreading the call for articles, all NEOs who filled out the survey and gave valuable inputs.

Enjoy this edition of PeriSCOPE! We look forward to have your feedback and comments. It is together that we can keep PeriSCOPE alive as the main channel for sharing the best SCOPE stories across the globe between the General Assemblies.

At last, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the PeriSCOPE edtions of 2012. The time has come to give the baton to a new SCOPE editor. Thank you!

It not too late to excite your senses at IFMSA’s August Meeting!

Yassin Almassy & MarĂ­a Aroca Editors in Chief

In this edition we have tried to do something new by creating a page to show a NEO from each region and by this we hope to get to know each other bet-

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Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

Namaste India!

Word of the Director of Professional Exchange Marianne Koch, IFMSA SCOPE Director 2011-2012

Dear SCOPEans and medical students worldwide, I am very happy to present to the most recent issue of our official SCOPE publication. All the contributors to this edition have once again placed a big amount of time and creativity to get you closer to the world of SCOPE. You will be able take a glimpse over the shoulder of medical students on exchange and get another view on a country of which you only heard in the news so far. Maybe your next destination?

However, SCOPE is not only about the exchange experience itself- it requires a lot of organization and dedicated students, who are all working on a voluntary basis to provide over 8000 medical students worldwide with a unique exchange opportunity every year. In this edition you will get to see brief portraits of National Exchange Officers of each regions- they are sharing with you an insight in their personal lives and their work as NEOs. This year we were able to move on step further towards an even more professional organization of the SCOPE- we will start using the brand new database and we are finalizing a strategic plan for the upcoming years. The focus is directed towards evidence based work.

Another aim of this term was to support the African Region - thanks to David, Regional Assistant for the African Region, we achieved an enormous progress and I am more than proud to introduce several new african countries at the AM 2012.

Namaste India!

Having the next IFMSA General Assembly taking place in Mumbai/India, it shall be our opportunity to kick- off our next terms’ focus on the AsicaPacific region.

I am looking forward to seeing the potential of the Asia- Pacific region expanding through strengthening the countries that are already SCOPE active and supporting new NMOs.

Marianne Koch is the current IFMSA Director of Professional Exchange, and living in Vienna, Austria

As my own term is coming to an end in a few months, I would lastly like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who are involved in the biggest worldwide exchange program. This year was a fantastic one and I am more than grateful for all the support and professionalism you brought into our Standing Committee. I believe that we truly managed to move things forward and I will be happy to support my successor wherever I can.

THANK YOU! I wish you all a pleasant reading experience, Marianne Koch Director of the Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

PeriSCOPE is an IFMSA publication Š Portions of PeriSCOPE may be reproduced for non political, and non profit purposes mentioning the source provided.

Notice: Every care has been taken in the preparation of these articles. Nevertheless, errors cannot always be avoided. IFMSA cannot accept any responsibility for any liability. The opinions expressed in this PeriSCOPE are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IFMSA. Some of the photos and graphics used are property of their authors. We have taken every consideration not to violate their rights.

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PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

A Story about an Egyptian SRT Can you SRT? Amir Hamdy

Amir Hamdy National Exchange Officer on incoming students IFMSAEgypt

Under the glistening oriental sun and over the beautiful Red Sea coast, IFMSA-Egypt held a memorable gathering of 80 medical students from all over the world for its Sub-Regional Training.

Dedicated to the training of LEOs and LOREs of the IFMSA, the 1st IFMSA-Egypt SRT brought to together a series of workshops, trainings and small working groups in a collective program in a period of 3 unforgettable days joining sessions, workshops and parties you wouldn’t miss.

The SRT took place on the coastal city of Ain el Sokhna right on the dazzling blue Red Sea in Amigo Resort to where the trip was destined on the 30th of April Cairo International Airport to small Red Sea resort for an opportunity to introduce all the participants to the global environment of the IFMSA. 14 Trainings to develop and nurture various skills members would utilize during their IFMSA journey ranging from communication and presentation to leadership and designing skills. The trainings in the SRT program were carried out by 5 great trainers who conducted various IFMSA training topics including communication skills, Conflict resolution , leadership, photoshop in design, Intercultural learning and many other.

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Alongside the trainings held in our SRT, Small Working Groups and workshops were conducted including Academic quality, Marketing and advertising introducing participants to the collaborative process of producing the best outcomes and solutions to empower our Standing Committee.

The SRT also included a Training New Trainers (TNT) workshop to introduce a new generation of IFMSA-certified trainers to go back home and provide their members with informative and exciting IFMSA training sessions that will pass one of the many amazing touches the IFMSA provides to its members.

The journey was concluded on the 3rd of May with a group trip to the fabulous wonder of the world, the Giza Pyramids, and a night out with a dazzling view of the city’s skyline from above the metropolitan’s longest tower, the Cairo Tower.

Summing up, the experience was a truly unforgettable one and the skills, knowledge and friendships everyone took home were those to keep forever.

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Immunology in France From Bulgaria to France Diana Tashkova

Three years have already passed of my medical education and it was time to make the hard decision of where to go for an exchange program- so many countries, such big variety, where would be the best for me? I had a lot of doubts and questions. Taking into consideration the fact that I am a French speaker, my family and friends helped me out, and I chose France.

The results of the procedure for the exchange program brought me disappointed when I applied for any of 4 departments and 4 cities but I was accepted in another one- let us say 5th city and specialty. Even my frustration, I was a believer in the good destiny and I approved the clerkship.

Few months later, I found myself at Nîmes’ station. Nîmes is a city in Southern France with a very rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, where a friendly LORE brought me to the apartment. I was accommodated with a Czech girl in a fancy apartment near the Roman amphitheatre, 10 minutes from the center. I was introduced to the other four exchange students the same night I ar-

rived in a bar. These four people seemed to me like a new family- two Italians, a Holland girl and a Greek girl and I was right!

My practice started in the department of Immunology in CHU- Nîmes. The faculty of Nimes is part of the Medical Academy of Montpellier. In laboratory I learned different methods for immunological diseases diagnosis. I learnt a large amount of new things, but I also realized that I was missing communication and contact with the patients in this kind of medical specialization.

Usually, my clerkship finished in the afternoon, so I had free time to enjoy the city: we used to go to the cinema, to play bowling, to canoe under Pont du Gard or paint-ball. We made a great friendship in few days with the LORE. She sometimes gave us a lift by car and, we also got student card that got us discounts and entrances for free to different attractions of the city! We loved it!

During that month we organize national nights where everyone prepared traditional specialties from their home countries. We could go to the sea resorts for few hours, visit other cities and to practice French language. I find important that all students who go to France speak French- otherwise working in the hospital may be difficult and all communications can up to be a problem.

My first exchange was a real “French wave” with a great experience in the hospital, great friendship and unforgettable memories. I experienced that each clerkship is different every time and places in the world has its magic! I wish any exchanger feels this magic and the life and the world will seem really splendid!

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Diana Tashkova IFMSA Projects Publications’ Assistant 2011-2012 National Officer on Research Exchange for Bulgaria(AMSB- Association of Medical Students in Bulgaria) 2011-2012 Editor-“ The SCORPion” 2011-2012

PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

Israeli doctors fighting for their rights

By Arina Sozinova, a fourth year medical student from Kazan, Tatarstan-Russia

Arina Sozinova is a fourth year medical student from Kazan, Tartarstan-Russia.

I am a fourth year medical student at Kazan’s state medical university (KSMU). In August 2011 I went on exchange to “Rambam� medical campus, Haifa, Israel. This practice helped me to understand, how exciting working in the department of internal medicine can be. I had the chance of monitoring patients with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, pancreatitis, lymphomas, cellulites, COPD and many other diseases, but the ones I found the most interesting were erythema multiformi & pulmonary edema. I also observed pleural puncture, pelvic bone biopsy & coronary artery bypass grafting. I was allowed to take anamnesis & to perform general examination, as well as reading complementary tests, such as x-rays and ECGs. The social program was amazing indeed. Actually, I enjoyed sightseeing in historical & holy places as much as having meetings, picnics & parties in Haifa & Tel Aviv.

During the month I realized that participating in IFMSA exchange program is not only about getting new skills and spending time in clinic, but it is also a unique chance to get acquainted with public health of a country and to participate in social life of the hospital. It appears as a complete training for a future profession. That is why I would like to

write how impressed I was about the work of Israeli Association of medical workers.

In April 2011 industrial conflict appeared in the country due to the dissatisfaction of doctors with their salary. The prices on food and public utilities were getting higher and higher. The members of Israeli Association of medical workers started fighting to increase the salary, to enlarge the number of staff, to get more free time, to gain some benefits for doctors who work in the rural area and to get a better payment for the nightshifts. Different meetings, starvations, encampments could be observed last summer. I personally participated in several actions. There were days when the hospital was working in Saturday regime. This is similar to a strike, and means that health care was provided only in emergency cases. The protest ended when the salary of residents, young specialists and heads of departments of scarce specialties (such as anesthesiologists, intensive care providers, and pediatricians) was increased. Medical institutions in rural area got grants and extra hours that doctors spend in hospital became paid for the first time in the history of Israel! The number of nightshifts that residents have to take decreased to 8 per month. However, the demands of people on protest were not fully satisfied. That is why the strike is still happening.

The fact which surprised me most is that patients were not caused any harm during the protest. All the necessary procedures were performed in time.

Unfortunately, situation in my country is far from my experience in Israel. Despite the overall dissatisfaction with the salaries and working conditions, the achievements of the Russian Association of medical workers are not that significant. In fact help is being given only to singular members of the labor union in a form of paying for the extra hours spent in the hospital, helping retired specialists and giving various benefits.

The active civic stand and team spirit I saw within the Israeli medical workers community amazed and inspired me a lot. I feel so much respect towards the participants of the protest. I hope the doctors fighting for their rights will become a good example for the foreign colleagues.

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One month in Paradize One month in Brazil Stepanchenko Margarita

This year I had my summer practice in Vassouras, Brazil and it was my first experienced abroad as a medical student. I waited for that moment and, when I finally came down off the plane and met mysterious and faraway Brazil. One of my life dreams was to visit South America, but I found it was unattainable.

The surrounding atmosphere surprised me from early begining. Absolutely any single thing was different from my home country, Russia: people, customs, culture and nature. I was absolutely fascinated by the friendly and open-minded character of brazilian people.

During my SCOPE exchange I was living with 3 other students in a student’s apartment, and our contact person organized an excellent social program for us every day, and we were often invited to their home. The social experience was amazing, however the most memorable was walking to the ATV. Anyway, I need to say that the clinical experience was an exciting part of this wonderful month of my life. Certainly my daily life in Gynecology and Obstetrics in Brazil was anything but boring. I found very interesting discovering a new healthcare

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system based on a foreign culture. What surprised me the most regarding the hospital was the medical equipment of a rather small (especially for Russia) hospital. Vassouras is a 25000 habitants city, but the hospital has absolutely all the branches and departments, including mini-Oncology Center, 15 hemodialysis machines, and its own station of blood transfusion! And, what is more: every day surgeons make open-heart operations.

Medical students are not required to wear special medical clothing outside the surgical unit. Each student issued free clean surgical costumes with symbols of hospital. For students outside the operating unit was enough just to wear white casual clothes.

I was allowed us to performe various clinical manipulations, not just stand by and watch, which increased my clinical habilities and made the learning process easier to me. I felt charming to work in a friendly team where everyone aims to help.

This new memory was the brightest to me. I am pleased to tell all my friends and people around about the month I spent in the Brazilian paradise.

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Stepanchenko Margarita is a medical student from Kursk, Russian Federation.

PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

General Surgery in Chelyabinsk, Russia From Brazil to Russia Eliane K. N. Aguiar

Eliane K. N. Aguiar is a 4th year medical student from Recife, Brazil.

A dip into a Frozen Lake…

The Epiphany, celebrated in Russia on January 19th marks the Baptism of Jesus in the Orthodox Church calendar. Russians all over the country cut holes in the ice of lakes and rivers, often in the shape of a cross and a priest blesses the water before it starts. Participants in the ritual generally dip themselves three times under the water, honoring the Holy Trinity, to symbolically wash away their sins from the past year and to experience a sense of spiritual rebirth. Before arriving at one of the lakes, which was placed in front of an Orthodox Church, I was wondering how that could be possible to be done. Because it was almost one o’clock in the morning, -27ºC and I was freezing with my coat on.

I confess that I’ve thought to myself: “-They must be crazy!” But when I finally got there, I’ve found my answer: faith and a strong mind. It was incredible to see: women, old people, skinny people; dipping into the lake. From that moment, I realized there was nothing to do with the body and physical preparation, it was all about getting your mind focused in what you believe and then nothing is impossible.

This experience was amazing and very inspiring, made me think about all that I had done in 2011 and what I should do differently for now on. Maybe the ones who dip into the water are not the only ones who get some kind of purification.

Continuing my adventure threw the Russian Culture, I think it’s time to take a break and grab a bite to eat. In the beginning when I wasn’t with my Russian friends or the restaurant didn’t have an English menu or a waiter/waitress who spoke English, I can compare buying and eating Russian food to a Kinder Egg. Why? Because, you only get to know the surprise that’s hidden inside, after you eat it. Despite the odds, I just had very pleasant and tasty surprises. Moreover, once you learn a bit of the Cyrillic alphabet, you can order: Peraski, Borscht, Pelmeni, Russian pancakes and Russian salty pies; knowing exactly what the waitress will bring.

Although the Russian language was a challenge, communicating was not a brain surgery.

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Chelyabinsk’s citizens were always kind and helpful, even the ones who didn’t speak English. One thing I’ve learned: Brazil is a very powerful word there! Whenever my roomies and I needed some help at stores, supermarkets, pubs, restaurants; we just had to say in Russian, that we were Brazilians and we didn’t know how to speak Russian. Quickly, the other person would try to communicate using mimics and saying the very few words in English that they knew and in the end it always worked out. That was when I discovered the first similarity between Russians and Brazilians: we do it all to help someone in need, especially foreigners.

Cutting to the chase…

Most people take surgeons as the medicine butchers: it’s all about blood, flesh, muscles, bones and organs; just cutting you open, repairing the damages and closing you up. Thinking about the experiences that I’ve had so far in my country and in Russia, I can prove them wrong! During my clerkship at Chelyabinsk’s Railway Hospital I realized that the Russian surgeons do care about building a good doctor-patient relationship, like in Brazil. In addition to that, my roomies and I were extremely surprised about how humble the Russian surgeons are. Most of them are as good as the Brazilian doc-

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tors but without the typical arrogance that we are used to.

Every Monday I would go with Dr. Dmitry Smirnov and other doctors to make the post-operation rounds and he translated everything to me. The rest of the week, I used to spend assisting Dr. Dmitry in general surgeries or watching the Plastic Surgeon perform face lifting’s. Dr. Dmitry Smirnov is an exceptional doctor and a very attentive tutor; he did all that was possible to make my clerkship perfect.

I remember one specific Inguinal Hernia procedure when I was helping him up and suddenly the radio station started to play “Bossa Nova”, a well-known style of Brazilian music from the 1950s and 1960s.

It was unbelievable and also unforgettable, made me feel at home! We continued the surgery talking about what he knew about my country; surprisingly it was way beyond samba and soccer.

Furthermore, it was very rewarding to see the patients getting out of the OR thanking Dr. Dmitry, the nurse and even me. Those were the most meaningful “spaseebas”-thank you(s)-that I’ve heard and the most remarkable “pajalstas”-you’re welcome(s)which I’ve said. Among all doctors, I believe the surgeons should be the most careful ones, because underneath their precise incisions, clamps and sutures rests more than a body, but a soul. That’s the kind of doctor who I want to be, the type who heals the body and takes care of the soul.

Cutting to the chase…

The social program couldn’t have been better!

Therefore, I must thank all IFMSA students and my roomies: Bruno Ceranto, Fernanda Gurgel and Leonardo Schiochet. If you’re thinking about the names and wondering if they were all Brazilians…

You’re right! I was pretty lucky to meet them and to have them by my side making history in Chelyabinsk.

We went to: clubs, pubs, parks, restaurants, the zoo, the ballet, a hockey match. Moreover, we en-

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gaged into some winter sports: ice skating, snowboarding and skiing. I have to admit that it wasn’t easy, but we had some fantastic teachers helping us up.

Trips? Yeah! The first one was to a Frozen Lake, on where I even had a running race against my friend Natalya Borovaya, in the middle of the night. When we got to the other side of the lake, each one of us took our turn sliding down a ramp. The next day, we had barbecue for lunch. I’ve never thought that I would have a barbecue in Russia, especially in the wintertime. Our second trip was to Yekaterinburg, which is placed almost on the border between Europe and Asia. This city is also famous because the Romanovs (the last Royal Family of Russia) were murdered there. We had the chance to visit “The Cathedral on the Blood”, which stands on the site of the Ipatiev House (where the Romanovs were killed).

As you might know, Gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. But it was impossible to remain as a pure Christian during the Russian and Brazilian dinners at Elena Belyantseva’s house. We ate, laughed and danced a lot at both dinners. Our Russian friends taught us how to dance according to the Russian tradition and in return, we taught them how to dance: samba, forró and frevo (three completely different styles of Brazilian music).

The end of my stay in Chelyabinsk was marked with that old cliché: if you’re Brazilian, you know how to play soccer. So we played snow soccer twice and I’ve had tons of fun on both days.

Some people might say that one month is nothing; I disagree, because it felt like a lifetime. So that we incorporated part of the Russian traditions, such as receiving a friend’s visit with cookies and tea and also bringing gifts every time we were invited to a friend’s home. Furthermore, the friends that I’ve made in there are responsible for giving me the best time of my life.

Tears of Joy… Dr Seuss once said: “-Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”. Therefore, no tears were dropped! Instead of sadness, we chose: tight hugs (to say how much we care about each other), big and honest smiles (to show how much fun we had together) and an “I’ll see you soon” (in place of a hurtful Goodbye). I must say thank you again to all of my Russian friends, specially the IFMSA students, for doing everything to make me feel at home and have a great time.

I decided to finish this article with a quote from a movie - The Lovely Bones -because it expresses perfectly my feelings about the exchange in Chelyabinsk: “-Sometimes the dreams that come true are the dreams you never even knew you had”.

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PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

General surgery in Croatia From Egypt to Croatia Ismael Essam Elhalaby

I have always wanted to go to Croatia because I have heard a lot about this country and its interesting history, I also had some friends who went there on exchange and they recommended going there.

Ismael Essam Elhalaby is a fourth year medical student from Tanta, Egypt.

My first impression about Croatia was really great, it is completely different from Egypt and it has its own taste, I was also very thrilled when I heard stories about the austro-hungarian empire and former Yugoslavia as there are some things you would never know about unless you witness and see it with your eyes and concerning the language barrier, I was surprised by how great is the English of Croatians, almost everybody there can speak English which was really helpful to us.

I chose to go a few days earlier before my clerkship because I wanted to stay for longer than one month, so I went there 4 days earlier and stayed at a hostel in the city centre and although I didn’t expect it but these 4 days were one of the best days during my whole Croatian stay, I was meeting new people every day and I was discovering new things about the city.

My contact person lily met me at the airport and she accompanied me to my hostel, she was very helpful before and after arrival at Zagreb and

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provided me with all the necessary information, she also took me around the city in my first days and gave me quite well background about it.

Scientific program My scientific program was at hospital dubrava which is one of the youngest and best Croatian hospitals, I chose to attend at abdominal surgery department, the doctors there were very helpful and the hospital was very organized and I enjoyed being in the hospital, in addition, I have attended many laparoscopic operations and assisted in an operation which was quite great experience to me as I didn’t expect to share by my own hands.

There was also something interesting about my doctor, his name is kristijan and he was previously working in CROMSIC so he basically knew how things proceed and he was very easy going , the stuff working in the hospital were also very understandable that on one day I was a bit sick and they urged me to go back to dorm and to have rest , I liked the way they cared about me actually , the only disadvantage was that the hospital was really far from the dorm ,so I had to wake up very early and take a tram for around 30 stations then a bus for 5 minutes , but I was falling asleep anyway during this period!

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I recognized how great was my scientific experience when I came back home and started to attend my classes for the next year as I found that these days at the hospital added a lot to me.

Stay I was lodged at student dorm stejpan radic which I think was quiet good , it is 30 minutes away from city centre by tram and the place is organized and vibrant with lots of students, some of the students in my group didn’t like it but I suppose that it serves for the function which is staying for a short period of time and sleeping, it was also cool to stay in this dorm cause it allowed me to experience the way of living of Croatian students, I had also a roommate Gabriel, he was from brazil and I really enjoyed accompanying him, he was an amazing guy. In my group, there were also people from Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania,Egypt and we all stayed at the same dorm.

Boarding During my stay in Croatia I didn’t cook as the dorm wasn’t provided with anything for cooking!

We were having 2 meals at the hospital in working days and although they weren’t that good, we managed to have meals in our dorm for very cheap prices using a card which was given to us by some Croatian students in the dorm, there are also plenty of great restaurants in Zagreb for affordable prices.

Social Program Unfortunately there was no social program as the association in Zagreb don’t provide it during September, but we were able to go around Zagreb and visit other Croatian cities like zadar, split, Rijeka and Dubrovnik, these places are extremely great and the whole Croatian coast is amazing, you shouldn’t miss going to these places if you ever went to Croatia.

One of the greatest things about Croatia is its location as it has great neighbors like Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia, so you can basically visit any of these countries as well and compare for the differences between the cities of former Yugoslavia by yourself!

Personally I think Zagreb is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, it is influenced by former Yugoslavia, former Hungarian empire and old history of slavics, which makes a great mix, it also has a great night life in the many clubs on the jarun lake and a lot of great museums like the museums of naïve art, contemporary art, broken relationships, and as I always said, Croatia is the best place for first time exchange , try not to miss it ! This experience truly changed my life!

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PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

So similar, but still so exotic From Norway to Iceland Yassin Almassy

Yassin Almassy is a 6th year medical student from University of Oslo, Norway.

After my 3rd SCOPE exchange, I can easily argue that when you’ve experienced the beauty of the SCOPE exchange program, you cannot ignore putting up a SCOPE exchange in the planning of your next summer holiday – that is if you are planning to work. For a medical student, at least to me, the SCOPE experience is a cool alternative to the traditional way of going on summer holiday. But SCOPE summer is simply much more fun!

July 2011, I was accepted for 3 weeks in Cardiology and Emergency care department at the one and only University hospital, Landspítali, in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. But why Iceland? Some would argue; what is less exotic for a Norwegian student then going to Iceland for exchange?

Iceland forms the pentagon of Nordic countries; Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.

We seem similar in many ways to most foreigners.

But Iceland is especial, not only in the physical sense, since we are talking about an isolated island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, but Iceland is also a social experiment to none. It is an island that is born purely out of the natural volcanic force of Mother Earth and populated by 320.000 inhabitants - one of the most homogeneously people on earth. Even the Icelandic horses are purely Icelandic, no mixing of horse races is allowed on the island.

A couple of Icelandic friends said to me that the Norwegian ancestors migrated from Iceland to Norway. At some point in history Iceland was part of the Norway I know and Danish is mandatory in

primary School so obviously there some similarities can be tracked. Even their language, when spoken sounds like old Norwegian spoken 1000years ago by the Vikings. They argue that the Viking, Leif Eriksson, the first man to arrive America, way before Columbus is an Icelandic adventurist. We claim him ours. He was born in Iceland but lived in Norway. There’s no doubt who pays most attention to this historical person. The tallest statue on Iceland, the one of Leif Erikson in Reykjavik speaks for itself.

International family in your own backyard The flight is not more than 2.5 hours from Oslo.

I was picked up by Lára from the local committee in Reykjavík, and got to an empty big house. Everyone was gone out to the Blue Lagoon, one of the must see attractions in Iceland. Later that day we’re full house; 13 students from 11 different countries that were placed in a big and cozy house on the outskirts of the city and next to the psychiatric building of the hospital. I shared room with 2 other roommates and we all shared kitchen and 2 bathrooms. The lodging couldn’t be better; we got pretty close, like a big family taking care of each other i.e we had to schedule shower time in the morning since most of us left at the same time from the same bus station, got back to the same house for dinner and for washing clothes etc. We ate lunch, sometimes we had brunch at the hospital canteen where we got discount. .

Hospital & Boarding I was with my roommate, Roy from Taiwan in the department of Cardiology the first week and got involved in the morning rounds and discussion on different ward patients. The doctors were helpful and translated, we interpreted ECG cases, followed a PCI, placement of a pacemaker and endovascular blocking at close. The first week went fast. The 2 last weeks I was in ED where I met a couple of great teaching doctors and consultants in Emergency Medicine that spoke both Norwegian and English fluently. I got to see patience on my own, did refer the case and got comments back. But most of the time I shadowed the doctors and some Icelandic medical students on summer clerkship which was great and I learned a great deal.

Different from Norway, in Iceland they have spe-

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Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

cialized ED doctors, most of them had been in USA or Sweden for residency and got their specialization there - since Iceland cannot afford to educate specialist in all fields of medicine. In that sense, most of the consultants are very internationally educated.

One of the differences in the healthcare service between Norway and Iceland is that, at least the way I saw it, was the lack of capacity of healthcare services such as homecare or nursing homes that could be used instead of hospital beds. I got the impression that some patients stayed longer at the hospital instead of being discharged to home care or to a lower healthcare level with less expense.

The best of Icelandic nature and countryside Before I got there, I read that the average temperature in July was 13 C! Not typical summer temperature, not even close to, even for this part of the world. There’s a Norwegian proverb: “there’s no bad weather, just bad clothes”. We had barbeque on the beach, we slept in tents outside and went horse riding in the wild and my favorite; hiking in lovely sunny weather.

The Icelandic are really amusing themselves during summer time with mass gathering for summer music festivals in beautiful natural surroundings.

One of the unforgettable moments in to the wild

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was the weekend trip to Vestman Islands - populated by 1400 inhabitants, mostly fishers - where we saw the youngest formation of volcanic islands in Iceland. We hired a cozy traditional hut and the weather was clear sunny and we had great barbequing outside, playing the guitar, playing games and some hours of sleeping in sleeping bags outside was just great company. We went up and down hills together and got closer to the awesome Icelandic students. This was for sure the highlight of my stay in Iceland.

I profited from time and got up quite early and had a running session in the sun and climbed a hill in the morning before breakfast. Just a perfect start for a day! I went up another hill with some friend and at last me and a Danish exchange student climbed the tallest hill and got sunburned during the afternoon. Being sunburn in Iceland was something I would never have thought off. No doubt, we were lucky with the weather - according to local it was exceptionally good - and I was very fortunate to be part of this magnificent weekend. Iceland was to me a great variation of beautiful places and unforgettable moments simply! I had my best exchange and discovered that even in such a short distance from Norway, I would find great SCOPE adventures! I’m grateful.

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PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

From Chelyabinsk to Ankara Mikhail Tyumentsev

Mikhail Tyumentsev is a medical student from Chelyabinsk, Russia.

In the year 2011 I underwent IFMSA practice in Ankara. Born outside of the glorious capital, in the town placed somewhere between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, I was no more than a regular guy studying in the local medical academy. I was doomed to save lives of my fellow citizens in one of the hospitals on daily basis for decades before I would finally pass away. But when I decided to participate in an exchange, I obtained an opportunity to die in air crash which happens to be way more interesting. So, the city of my choice was Ankara.

There was a reason for me to be distant from sights, rich history and amazing culture of Istanbul but close to the serious business of the capital. For my compatriots, the republic of Turkey is no more than a typical touristic place to spend vacations on the seashore and buy some souvenirs. And since I was raised in a common cultural field, I wasn’t able to evade the influence of my society. So I wanted to break this pattern and behold republic from another point. In order to achieve this I went to the True Capital, to the city of Ankara. True Capital arose from couple of rural towns in just 50 years and not a single city can compete with it in the matter of contemporaneity.

We, the exchange students, were hosted at the Ankara University hostels, where we met people of different origins, who helped our cultural enrichment. Speaking about the culture, I’m supposed to describe cultural differences. But just as I said, my intention was to see republic not as some Martian country. Rather similar than different. Well, we can say that after more than fifteen wars people of our countries can relatively easy understand each other.

Since I’m most interested in immunology, I chose department of Allergology. There, me and three local students conducted physical examinations and immunological tests under the guidance of local doctors. Then we analyzed the results of the examinations and laboratory tests and discussed interest-

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ing cases. Head of department scheduled me some individual lections, so I also had time to discuss various aspects of clinical practice with specialists in allergology including some of the differences in medical care. Therefore my exchange also helped me to get a glimpse of actual amount of this “endemic fauna” in my lexicon. It was also interesting to learn from other exchange students that in some countries medical education (along with many other subjects) conducted in English only.

Current futurological trend tells us about Technological Singularity but I don’t want to rely on hypothetical happening of uncertain probability.

Proceeding from the assumption that I have just 5060 more years to live (and it is the most optimistic scenario!) I decided it is too wasteful to do only one thing at a time. I asked other exchange students if I can come to see their projects too. Lately it turned out that I began visiting one of them almost on regular basis. It was the molecular biology unit of the university. Though it wasn’t my official project, I easily found common ground with people who worked there and their explanations about matter of their work were really interesting.

Though I’m really OK with studying history and geography from books, not from my own experience, I enjoyed national tours, particularly due to the opportunity to meet exchange students from other cities. And as for our social program in the city – it was both entertaining and diverse.

If this is not enough to make you think that exchange experience in the Republic would be great, I have just one more thing to say. There are a lot of cats (in case you have an allergy, you still wouldn’t have any problem, since they are walking outdoors).

Think about it. Cats are nice..

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Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

NEO profile get to know your fellow NEOs We asked some new SCOPE members to share with us a few words on their thoughts regarding these questions to get to know each other better in person and give everyone a picture of how and what NEOs are doing and what they think.

Questions:

Africa

• How did you get active in SCOPE in the first time?

• What motivates you in the work as NEO? • What strength and weakness do you see in your own SCOPE work?

• What are the three main issues you will work on in SCOPE? • How much do you time do you use approximately on NEO work in a week?

The Americas

Makena Mbogori (Kenya) In SCOPE since: 2012 How did you get active in SCOPE in the first time?

During the 2011 African Regional Meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya What motivates you in the work as NEO? I Love SCOPE and what it does so I am more than happy to implement it in my NMO What strength and weakness do you see in your own SCOPE work?

Weakness because it is our first time so we are making a lot of mistakes and also quite confused.

Strength is that there is so much potential for SCOPE in MSAKE and very many people are interested What are the three main issues you will work on in SCOPE? Still setting up SCOPE, so mainly that. Also creating relationships with other NEOs and hopefully have a successful first active SCOPE year.

How much do you time do you use approximately on NEO work in a week?

Like 2hrs 4 or 5 days a week.

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Kevin Stephen Acosta Velásquez (Colombia) In SCOPE since: May- 2011 My activity in SCOPE started since I discovered the committee. Then I realized what I can do helping other students to go in an exchange. Knowing that meeting the needs of other countries can help the students in their education and therefore in the professional exercise, motivates me to give at least half an hour of my day to this awesome work.

I find as strengths in my work the fact that I am always motivated and I have the availability to get my work done. As a weakness I see that I’m not able to assist to all of the IFMSA events, and for this reason I cannot reach all the team members on a personal level.

The three main issues I will work in SCOPE include: Academic quality, validation in credits and accessibility.

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PeriSCOPE - Edition 6, August 2012

Asia-Pacific

Mega Iriani Putri (NEO Incoming) - Galih Arya Wijaya (NEO Outgoing), Indonesia In SCOPE since: 2009 How did you get active in SCOPE in the first time?

Me (Mega) and Arya came from same Local in our NMO. We start our experience in SCOPE as a member and followed a project also the meeting in SCOPE National. That was a great time to know deep about SCOPE that makes us more interested.

Eventually we decide to give more dedication to SCOPE, Arya become the LEO and I become LO for SCOPE National (part of National Exchange Committee). That’s the start of our SCOPE’s journey.

• Lack of education: we usually received a student that don’t know what they have to do in Professional Exchange. They usually come with uncompleted document and lack of information.

• Visa for outgoing students. The completeness of visa for outgoing should be helped by the desired country and also the preparation from us, but maybe the miscommunication is the root of this problem.

How much do you time do you use approximately on NEO work in a week?

After become the NEO, it need a 24 hours from us to ready to be called by everyone. We understand that we live in Asia and we all have different time zone. But we usually start to working on NEO task maybe 2-3 hours per day after we finished the study and medical student task.

Is there anything you miss or would like to see more of in SCOPE? Our hope to SCOPE in the future is seeing SCOPE develop more to build a Professional Exchange in the world. An educative program, one step ahead exchange plan, good preparation for both Incoming and Outgoing and finally can release a best experience for all the students through medical education.

What motivates you in the work as NEO? After we felt many experience in SCOPE session, it motivated us to learn and give more contribution to SCOPE. Not only in SCOPE but also our NMO-Indonesia. Because from exchange, we can share everything and introduce our country to the world through medical education and students.

What strength and weakness do you see in your own SCOPE work?

We see a lot of potential member and activities here. The strength of SCOPE is depending on the quality of member, creativity and enthusiasm and the sense of belonging from each member of SCOPE. Nowadays, because people can reach easily the high technology helps us to keep in touch each other. About the weakness, it usually come from our medical school schedule that demand us to do a lot of task and we have to stabilize that What are the three main issues you will work on in SCOPE? • Cancellation: this thing can never be predicted but we should face it immediately. It could be from the Incoming and Outgoing.

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Standing Committee on Professional Exchange

EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION

EUROPE

Alejandro Majan Rodriguez (Catalonia) In SCOPE for 3 years Mustafa Hawezi (Kurdistan/Iraq) In SCOPE since: AM 2011 How did you get active in SCOPE in the first time?

We became active after i came to Denmark ( AM 2012 ), I learned all about SCOPE and it’s team and when I returned we started looking for initiatives and giving them an intense course of SCOPE knowledge with the help of (Leila Amin and SCOPE-D Marianne) and now SCOPE Kurdistan is running successfully.

What motivates you in the work as NEO? The idea of exchanging students throughout the world really interests me personally and I want medical students to travel abroad to learn about the different systems of health care, also to show our system of health care to the arriving students.

What strength and weakness do you see in your own SCOPE work?

Strength points: the support of all IFMSA Kurdistan plus SCOPE international team and awesome NEO friends Disadvantages: since it’s our first exchange, we are still young and we only need a couple more years to establish an great exchange experience.

What are the three main issues you will work on in SCOPE? • To open another LC in Duhok (it’s a small city which is very active and new in IFMSA Kurdistan).

• To make a good handover booklet for the future SCOPE Kurdistan Team so that the elected team learn from previous ones and improve the exchange program.

• To increase the amount of exchange contracts so that we can accept more awesome students and sends more of our students (to contribute to the awesome SCOPE EX-change).

How much do you time do you use approximately on NEO work in a week? well, since I’m the first official NEO active (in and out) I spend about 7-10 hours a week at the beginning but now when everything is set, I spend about an hour a day (about 5-7 hours)

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How did you get active in SCOPE in the first time?

First time I was in contact with SCOPE was 3 years ago when I started to organize exchanges for first time in Girona, a new LC by the time. We carried out these exchanges successfully. Because of that success we decided to carry on working, and nowadays we have 24 exchanges during the summer period!

What motivates you in the work as NEO? Once I was getting knowledge about how SCOPE works, and meeting all the people that works on it, I have decided try to know IFMSA deeply, and I think that there is no better way to do it like being NEO, isn’t it?

What strength and weakness do you see in your own SCOPE work?

Strength: I have worked as a LEO for the past 3 years, reason why I know how SCOPE works.

Weakness: I don’t live in the principal Catalonian City (Barcelona).

What are the three main issues you will work on in SCOPE? The main issue that usually a NEO have is the time to work, and also the deadline of many different things..

How much do you time do you use approximately on NEO work in a week?

I’m starting my work as NEO during this days so it is difficult of my to know how many hours I’m going to spend, but I think I’ll use more or less 20 hour /week Is there anything you miss or would like to see more of in SCOPE? I believe NEOs must be in contact in a more personal level, just to have knowledge about the person you are talking to while you are sharing mails

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Algeria (Le Souk) Argentina (IFMSA-Argentina) Armenia (AMSP) Australia (AMSA) Austria (AMSA) Azerbaijan (AzerMDS) Bahrain (IFMSA-BH) Bangladesh (BMSS) Belgium (BeMSA) Bolivia (IFMSA Bolivia) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BoHeMSA) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Rep. of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (DENEM) Brazil (IFMSA Brazil) Bulgaria (AMSB) Burkina Faso (AEM) Burundi (ABEM) Canada (CFMS) Canada-Quebec (IFMSA-Quebec) Catalonia - Spain (AECS) Chile (IFMSA-Chile) China (IFMSA-China) Colombia (ASCEMCOL) Costa Rica (ACEM) Croatia (CroMSIC) Czech Republic (IFMSA CZ) Denmark (IMCC) Ecuador (IFMSA-Ecuador) Egypt (EMSA) Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt) El Salvador (IFMSA El Salvador) Estonia (EstMSA) Ethiopia (EMSA) Finland (FiMSIC) France (ANEMF) Georgia (GYMU) Germany (BVMD) Ghana (FGMSA) Greece (HelMSIC) Grenada (IFMSA-Grenada) Haiti (AHEM) Hong Kong (AMSAHK) Hungary (HuMSIRC) Iceland (IMSIC) India (MSAI) Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI) Iran (IFMSA-Iran) Israel (FIMS) Italy (SISM) Jamaica (JAMSA) Japan (IFMSA-Japan) Jordan (IFMSA-Jo) Kenya (MSAKE) Korea (KMSA)

Kurdistan - Iraq (IFMSA-Kurdistan/Iraq) Kuwait (KuMSA) Kyrgyzstan (MSPA Kyrgyzstan) Latvia (LaMSA Latvia) Lebanon (LeMSIC) Libya (LMSA) Lithuania (LiMSA) Luxembourg (ALEM) Malaysia (SMAMMS) Mali (APS) Malta (MMSA) Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico) Mongolia (MMLA) Montenegro (MoMSIC Montenegro) Mozambique (IFMSA-Mozambique) Nepal (NMSS) New Zealand (NZMSA) Nigeria (NiMSA) Norway (NMSA) Oman (SQU-MSG) Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan) Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine) Panama (IFMSA-Panama) Paraguay (IFMSA-Paraguay) Peru (APEMH) Peru (IFMSA Peru) Philippines (AMSA-Philippines) Poland (IFMSA-Poland) Portugal (PorMSIC) Romania (FASMR) Russian Federation (HCCM) Rwanda (MEDSAR) Saudi Arabia (IFMSA-Saudi Arabia) Serbia (IFMSA-Serbia) Slovakia (SloMSA) Slovenia (SloMSIC) South Africa (SAMSA) Spain (IFMSA-Spain) Sudan (MedSIN-Sudan) Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden) Switzerland (SwiMSA) Taiwan (IFMSA-Taiwan) Tanzania (TAMSAz) Tatarstan-Russia (TaMSA-Tatarstan) Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA-Macedonia) The Netherlands (IFMSA-The Netherlands) Tunisia (ASSOCIA-MED) Turkey (TurkMSIC) Uganda (FUMSA) United Arab Emirates (EMSS) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Medsin-UK) United States of America (AMSA-USA) Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)

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