The IFMSA exchange system
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations
November 2011
Please read this page very carefully.
If you are thinking about spending your summer holiday somewhere else,
and are keen on having the most unique and splendid time of your life,
then you should really consider this system. The IFMSA exchange system is
a well-known students’ exchange program that was developed many years ago.
It’s not just a system that gives medical students from all around the
world a chance to discover and practice what they’ve learnt throughout
their study; it also gives them a chance to explore a wide new range of
information they couldn’t have known about, bringing them a chance to meet
the “real, interesting” medicine.
The experience of traveling and learning somewhere else couldn’t be
more exciting. You can spend days of your life learning at the most
exotic places, having both work and pleasure at places you would just
dream of visiting. This is also a chance of meeting hundreds of other
medical and even non-medical students from all over the globe. We
believe you “MUST” give it a shot.
Alright, why would I apply for your system?
Simply, because the IFMSA students’ exchange program gives you a chance
of studying abroad for a period that’s about a month. During this period,
you will enjoy a completely exciting social program that would leave you
feeling like a spoiled tourist. The idea of merging both sides will bring
you a lifetime adventure you will never be able to experience anywhere else.
And what are the available countries this year?
SCOPE (Standing Committee on Professional Exchange):
Switzerland (French or German are mandatory),Turkey (2 units),Macedonia (2 units),The Netherlands ( Student MUST have an EU passport),Germany,Catalonia Spain,Spain,Hungary,Czech Republic,Croatia,Poland,Slovakia,Romania and Serbia.
SCORE (Standing Committee on Research Exchange):
Catalonia Spain ( August Only ),Italy (August Only ),Poland,Russia,Romania,Tunisia and Indonesia.
The student is also highly recommended to check all the items of the exchange
conditions of the desired country such as languages spoken and lodging facilities.
You should get back to the local exchange officer for any questions or inquiries
regarding the exchange conditions of the desired country. These are links
to the two main pages of the exchange conditions; you should open the page
and search for your desired country.In the application form you will find other countries than those mentioned above, you can choose from those countries as its possible to get some other countries!
For the SCORE countries (the research exchange): Click
here
For the SCOPE countries (the professional exchange): Click
here
So how can I apply and how much does it cost?
You can
apply now by filling the Online Application Form
The form will give us an idea about you and your personal preferences
and experience.
Early registration of the system would cost you 80 EGP. You can pay any day before the exam at
Account Name: الجمعية العلمية لطلاب طب القصر العيني
Account No. : 143/1/15294 - Misr Banque
Late registration would cost you 100 EGP.
It can be done next to the written exam session place.
You have to show the receipt for the registration fees to enter the exam.
NB: The registration fees are non-refundable by any means or conditions.
If you were lucky to win a contract, you will pay 2750 EGP including 150 EGP for the insurance system.
The Required Documents:
The list of required documents that have to be present at the time of registration:
1- Passport copy
First page if the passport was the new form and the first 9 pages if the passport was the old big form; including any pages among the passport that have Visas or official stamps. The passport has to be valid for at least six months at the time of the clerkship.
2- A passport size photo
A photo of yourself "your face", in the size used in your passport.
3- A Language certificate in case you have any.
You will probably have the Cambridge certificate if you have the IG certificate. In case you don't have any, there's no problem.
4- A curriculum vitae (CV) of yourself.
Including the following:
Name, age, year of study, sex, date of birth, telephone number, mobile phone, E-mail, address, citizenship, marital status, languages spoken, professional qualifications or events attended, and any training attended.
5- Certificate of enrollment (Shehadet Kaid)
In English, to be presented to the SSS
Please note that late or incomplete required documents will
immediately rule you out of the program i.e. you will be prohibited from
attending the exam.
You need
to prepare all your required documents in advance as you have to present
all the required documents before you enter the exam.
If you win a contract, you will have to present extra required documents as stated in the exchange conditions of your desired country. For example, Health and travel insurance, Vaccinations, and any other documents.
According to the exchange conditions that differ from one country to
the other, there are different documents that are strictly needed to
maintain the clerkship of the student. They’re also a bit different from
those documents present at the time of registration. You need to prepare
the required documents at the time of registration. But if the student
was lucky enough to get the clerkship in a certain country, the student
has to provide all the required documents as stated on the official
exchange conditions webpage.
Selection Process:
Unfortunately we don’t have an unlimited number of chances for every student. So, we have to make a fair selection of the students we see eligible enough to take the chance. After you finish filling in the online application form, you will pass through 2 steps of examination. The first will be an oral exam. This exam will help us estimate your language and communication skills. It will help us create a rough estimation about your personality. After that, you will be subjected to a written exam to assess your language skills, general knowledge, medical experience, and even your IQ.
Remember, when you travel abroad, you represent Egypt, Kasr Al Ainy, the
SSS, and needless to say, yourself.
Tell me more about the written exam.
The exam is quite easy. You don’t have to prepare yourself reading or studying
anything. However, you can do whatever it takes if you think you need any
extra work. You have to clear your mind, focus, and believe in yourself.
The written exam consists of the following parts:
Language skills 20
Medical Knowledge 20
General information 10
Egyptology 5
IQ 5
Writing Skills (Essay) 10
TOTAL 70 marks
The date of the written exam: 11-12-2011
What should I do about the oral examination?
You have to do “Nothing”. You don’t have to dress formally or cut
your hair. You just need to calm down and take it easy. Just be
yourself, have faith in what you have and keep breathing and the whole
thing will be just fine. The oral examination will assess your language
skills concerning your pronunciation and vocabulary. We are also
interested in viewing some of your thoughts about different issues. How
you represent yourself will base our judgment during this examination.
These are the points assessed by the interview;
Communication skills 10
Presentability 10
Language skills 10
TOTAL 30 marks
The dates of the interview (dd-mm-yyyy): 11,13,18-12-2011
And how will I know the results?
The results will be sent to you via E-mail and might be published anywhere
else. It won’t take long to appear, and we will inform you as soon as they’re
out.
Research Exchange:
We give the medical student the possibility to take part in a research
project of a specialized course abroad in order to deepen the student’s
knowledge in a specific subject. It's guided by a tutor who introduces
the student to basic principles of research, such as collecting data, scientific
writing, laboratory work, statistics, and ethical aspects of medical research.
Professional Exchange:
A Professional Exchange or clerkship is the exchange of medical students
who undergo a medical clerkship in a hospital abroad. The student will
perform his/her medical studies. Students will not receive any salary for
their clerkship. A Pre-clinical Clerkship is defined as the rotation of
a student working or studying in a preclinical department at a Medical
Faculty/School or Hospital.
A Clinical Clerkship is defined as the rotation of a student in a clinical
department of a hospital or clinic, or at a general practitioner.
Regulations and Requirements
- You need to be a medical student of Cairo University
- Faculty of medicine.
- You have to be a student of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th
year new system (Only females) and 6th year
old system (Both males and females).
- If you are a student of the 4th, 5th, 6th year new
system,
you can apply for both the professional and the research exchange program.
- If you are a student of the 6th year old system, you can apply for
the professional exchange program only.
- If you are a student of the 3rd year, then you can
apply for the research exchange program only.
- You MUST have excellent language and communication
skills.
- You MUST be open-minded, and willing to meet other
cultures.
- You should attend the sessions held by the SSS
to be informed about all the aspects of the system.
- The organization is only responsible for providing
the IL (Invitation Letter) for the exchange student which is used for
VISA extraction.
- If the exchange student didn’t receive the IL 3 weeks
in advance of the clerkship starting date, the organization is obliged
to refund him with the contract fees. The refund is to be done in January
of the following year.
- The contract fees cover the accommodation and the clerkship
in the hosting country for 4 weeks.
- Accommodation in the hosting country depends on the
conditions of the hosting Local Committee. Accommodation may be in
hotels, youth hostels, private apartments, or at a hosting family's
residence.
The SSS is not responsible by any means if you don’t like the hosting
conditions of the country or the city that you have been accepted at,
and it’s none of the SSS's business to provide you with other conditions
of accommodation, so please do not get back to the SSS local exchange
officer in such conditions.
- Boarding (meals) is completely, partially or not provided by the hosting
Local Committee. You might be provided with meals directly, or with meal
cards that allow you to get your meals for free or for low costs. Sometimes
you might be provided with daily, weekly, or even monthly pocket money
instead of meals.
- The contract fees do not cover travel, personal, or
any other expenses. The contract fees only cover the scientific program,
and the accommodation wherever it is and regardless of its status. By any means, the contract fees will never cover
any changes you do to your accommodation. The SSS is not subjected
to paying any extra fees for you.
- Substitution of contracts is not allowed by any means
or for any reason. If you accept the contract and pay the money, you will
have to travel. You might be accepted in cities or departments that you
have not included in your application form. The SSS has no authority to
place you in specific city or department, so please do not
ask the local exchange officer for such things.
- In case of serious problems that prohibit the student
from travelling in the specified period, the insurance system will
refund the student next year partially or totally. Serious problems
include cases of death or exam failure. Such problems have to be fully
explained to the local exchange officer to decide whether this is a
case that deserves an insurance refund or not.
- The contract fees are to be paid after the results
within 48 hours; otherwise this is considered contract cancellation, and the
contract will be distributed to whoever is next on the list.
- Paying attention to the deadlines is a MUST. Ignoring
any deadline or delayed responses can lead to immediate contract cancellation.
The student will not be subjected to money refund in such cases. Regular
E-mail check or other forms of keeping in contact with the local exchange
officer is recommended.
- The student is responsible for providing all the required
documents stated at the official IFMSA-NMO (The International Federation
of Medical Students’ Associations – National Member Organization “the
desired country”) website. Missing any of the required documents, delayed
response, or providing false data may cause contract cancellation that
does not subject the student to money refund.
- Changes to these terms or conditions can take place
according to the conditions of the new term. Students will be informed
about any changes through the official forms of communication.
You can always contact the local
exchange officer asking for any information. Don’t hesitate to ask for any
piece of advice anytime. We are always happy to help you out.
This page has been designed and approved by
the Local Exchange Officer. All terms and conditions have been converted
to adapt the local committee in Cairo University. The local committee “SSS”
is a representative and a direct affiliate to the IFMSA (International
Federation of Medical Students’ Associations).
Good Luck through it all! If you need anything don't hesitate to contact me!
Nadine Ebeid
Local Exchange Officer - Outgoing Division
leo_out@ssscairo.org
+2-01144922074