Showing posts with label Incoming Students' Impressions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Incoming Students' Impressions. Show all posts
A brazilian student's short reflection on his exchange in Athens!
“I consider a unique experience for medical knowledge.”
The exchange internship in Athens-Greece was an opportunity that all medical students should have during their graduation program.
To know another country with different culture, habits and language is incredible.
To observe different medical conducts and different health services only increases our knowledge and will to dedicate to medical practice.
All the doctors and medical students that I met here in Athens work within ethics and respect towards the patients and their staff and they treated very well all the students that realized this exchange program.
I want to thank everyone at Hippokrateion General Hospital and all the Helmsic members!
Luiz Augusto Cardoso Lacombe
Brazil - 2010
Exchange in Athens (January 2010)
A once in a lifetime opportunity
To be able to know another country, its culture, its people, its language and among all gain medical knowledge and experience, to see new diseases and learn new conducts and to evaluate another country 's health system has been a unique and wonderful experience for me.
To be able to see medicine where it all began and to live where modern civilization started is incredible. All the Greeks are really friendly and they all know english so well.
I have only to thank everyone at Agia Sofia Children’s Hospital, especially the doctors and medical students for their kindness and patience explaining every case to me and answering all my questions. “Thank you” Doctors Alexandra, Manolis, Jerry, Stavroula, David, Athens, Ilias, Irine, Katerina, Sofia. And “thank you” doctors to be: Elena, Eliana, Patty, Vaggeliw, Christina, Lucy and Dimitris.
Thank you all my new friends that lived this moment during a month by my side. The adventures we had together will never be forgotten and the friendship that we built will last forever!
“Thank you” Luiz Augusto, Julieta, Saint Claire, Tiago, Marina, Renata, Karine and Gabriel.
Last but not least, a special “thank you” to all the Helmsic members. Without you none of this would have been possible! And congratulations on your organization. The dormitory, the food, the survival guide and the social programs were all amazing. Also thanks for all you help whenever we needed it and for always being so kind towards us. “Thank you” Evgenia (Jenny, the BEST and sweetest contact person ever), George, Xenia, Dimitris, Thomas and Helen.
Debora Lins Franciotti - Brazil
HelMSIC Exchange in Crete, July 2008
My HelMSIC exchange in Crete could not have been more successful.
I did a clinical clerkship in the University Hospital of Crete, Heraklion, in the department of Orthopedics.
I stayed in Amoudara, holiday town 5km from center and shared a room with a girl from the Czech Republic. Amoudara was a very convenient place to stay as all other exchange students were staying there as well and it was located on the beach, which made it easy to combine the work and the holiday.
From the very beginning, my Greek contact person hosted me and showed me all the essential things that was to know about. The local medical students had their final exams in July, so they were quite busy with studying.
The Department of Orthopedics was a very good choice for improving my clinical skills as it is quite practical field of medicine. My greek being very poor, I obviously faced some language barriers in the hospital work but I was fortunate to have doctors explain to me all the main points in everyday work. Depending on the day, I followed and assisted the operations, followed the ward rounds and helped at the polyclinic and at the emergencies. I got lots f hands-on teaching which will help me in my future studies.
Apart from working at the hospital, Crete provides everything one can wish for a holiday. I was lucky to meet other exchange students from around the world. During the weekends, we travelled around the island and saw important sights, such as gorges of Samaria, the laggon of Balos and Elafonisi, the archaeological site of Knossos and also visited the city of Chania, Rethymnon and Agios Nikolaos.
The exchange was a perfect way to combine medicine and greek holidays. I really enjoyed the delicious greek food, although I probably ate too much feta cheese. It was very interesting to discover the greek culture and the working habits in the hospital. Most of all, I learned to appreciate the relaxed greek lifestyel and friendliness of the people!
Castren Eeva
Medical student in Finland
When Egypt meets Greece!!!
Well... if I would describe my trip to Greece in one word, I would say WONDERFUL!!!
And I am gonna ask for more words to say and describe this amazing trip!!!...
It all started back in my city Mansoura when I decided to go for exchange and applied for the exchange just two hours before the deadline... I put Greece and Netherland as my only options and I didn't realize how I was so lucky ot get Greece until I went there.
My first days there were so hard actually, it was the new year's time and everybody was back home and busy with their family and I was the only exchange student, so I was a complete stranger and in a strange country who can't find a single shop in the street opened to buy something to eat, so I spent my first night with an empty stomach and I was just feeling homesick, I stayed alone for the first five days until my lovely friend Olympia invited me to her birthday party and that was my first time to meet with everybody, I was amazed how everyone was so welcoming, so friendly and so warm in the very first meeting... Well, I was just being myself!
So after this day, everything was suddenly changing, I started to meet with lots of Greeks and by the 10th of January, I made great friends and had a wonderful time with them... they were having their exams, but that actually didn't keep them from taking me to every place they go, and organize me lots of nice stuff and lots of times in the library and watching them studying while me just writing down some stories.
This month was actually one of the bet in my life, and not just because of the nice time I spent there, but also because of my friends there, I met very special people there that I will never forget about them for the rest of my life. It is amazing how the Greeks are so so so frinedly, so warm and so humorous that you wouldn't miss your home...
The things that really took my breath away while I was in Greece were the nature, the pretty girls :) and the FOOD!!! It's the most delicious food I have ever tasted in my life, I gained about 8 kgs when I was there and then when I left Greece to Hungary for spending antother two weeks with my friends there, I lost the 8kgs as I coudn't eat anything other than greek food, I was actually addicted to it :)
If I was in earlier year of Medicine, definitely I would go in exchange to Thessaloniki again, really it's amazing and not just the city which is amazing, but it's so amazing just because og its people, because of the lovely friends who are volunteering back there in HelMSIC... so if you are an exchange student needing an advice where to go for a summer exchange, I would tell you for sure that you don't even have to think... cause you should go to Thessaloniki, otherwise you' re gonna miss a lot of things, a lot of really nice caring people.
My greeting and all my love to every friend I know back in Greece just searching for a stronger word other than "Thank You" to express my deep gratitude to them.
Now, though am back home, but sometimes I feel homesick and I would like to return to Greece, I just feel that it's actually my home!!!
Abdalla E. Mossad
Medical Student,
Mansoura Univerity, Egypt
Abdalla E. Mossad
Medical Student,
Mansoura Univerity, Egypt
IFMSA Brazil / HelMSIC Exchange Program
Greece and Its History
The reasons that lead me towards choosing Greece for this exchange program is mainly due to its historic role in developing the "rational medicine", not based in myths nor superstitious. The most ancient medical information came from the works of Homer. The physicians were highly considered.
One of the "doctor-hero", Asclepius, was divinized in the beginning of Arcaic Age and became the most important god of Medicine. The Temples of Cure spread out all over and the people would dream that they were cured by him.
The Medicine in Greece of 21st Century
Greece, through HelMSIC (Hellenic Medical Students' International Committee), is one of the countries for the IFMSA exchange program. At Aristotle University, in the city of Thessaloniki, I attended the Professional Exchange Program (SCOPE), in Internal Medicine. The program took place at the AHEPA University Hospital.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the biggest university in Greece and its medical school has over 2000 students. It also counts with 4 large hospitals Hippokrateion, Papanikolaou, Central and AHEPA. The Medical School has 9 Departments: Anatomy and Pathology, Physiology and Pharmacology, Biological Science and Preventive Medicine, Radiology, Medical Physics and Informatics, Sensorial Organs, Children Health, Neuroscience, Surgery and Internal Medicine.
University's Campus
I was introduced to professor Dr. Karamitsos, who explained shortly how the Department worked. Activities started at 9 o' clock A.M., through 2 o' clock P.M. I would be supervised by a sixth year student, and would be dismissed in case of lectures (that were in Greek). Everyday, I would help the attendance of 3 patients.
The doctors and the student use 3 different colors of pen to identify basic vital parameters: temperature, pressure and heart frequency. There is a table at the patient's bed, in which those parameters were constantly written.
AHEPA University Hospital
Besides the activities in the hospital, I attended the group of studies of sexually transmitted diseases. Professor Dr. Alexiou, was responsible for those activities, and in the first day I explained shortly about the AIDS in Brazil and the free distribution of anti-HIV medicines.
A very good thing in Greece is the free education. They have free new books every semester and two free meals every day - from Monday to Friday.
Final Considerations
This exchange program was more than politic - cultural - philosophic - economic learning and realizing. It made me think about Hippocrates' phrase about love; and iit does not establish limits or respect boundaries.
To take care is much simpler than diagnose and threat, but it goes beyond. Though I didn't speak Greek, only to touch amd to smile were eough to comprehend the meaning of love and for the art of healing. And this lesson I'll carry for all my life!
Leonardo Horacio de Brito, 2007
Medical Student in Brazil
Spanish students in Athens (September 2009)
“This experience for me was gratifying for three main reasons: the medical experience because now I know how they work in the department of paediatrics in another country, the trip to Athens because it is a wonderful place, really nice and with a huge cultural interesting and, of course, all the great friends that I made in these exchange. I have never could forget them. Finally I want to thank all IFMSA members for doing possible this kind of experiences and I want to encourage us in order to continue with our IFMSA exchanges.”Tina Martin Gonzalez, Spain, September 2009
“I didn´t expect so much of everything...the country with its wonderful islands and ancient towns, getting used to a different hospital organization, those nice students taking care of all the incomings and, the most important to me, knowing so much people of different parts of the world and living 24 hours a day with them, because they are now real friends.
An experience you must live. Definitely”
Paloma Lopez, Spain, September 2009
INCOMING STUDENTS' IMPRESSIONS
ATHENS
Zsuzzanna Kerekes-Hungary-July 2008
Zsuzzanna Kerekes-Hungary-July 2008
I attended General-Surgery in the capital of Greece,Athens.I stayed in an apartment,where we were two girls in the room,four in the flat.The flat washuge,with air-condition,the centreand th medical school was so close-I liked it!!The hospital was 10-15 minutes on foot,very easy way.About the boarding,we got lunch and dinner for free were delicious.
About my clerkship,I would like to help in the operation rooms,the doctors didn’t want students to help.I only followed the doctors on ward rounds.I gained overall impression of the foreign medical system,but not so much theoretical and practical knowedge.
About social program,I enjoyed staying in the city of Athens,because Athens never sleeps.I Came in contact with other exchange students and local students and people.
About my clerkship,I would like to help in the operation rooms,the doctors didn’t want students to help.I only followed the doctors on ward rounds.I gained overall impression of the foreign medical system,but not so much theoretical and practical knowedge.
About social program,I enjoyed staying in the city of Athens,because Athens never sleeps.I Came in contact with other exchange students and local students and people.
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