Belinda’s Exchange Stories

dzień dobry!

I am Belinda, 3^rd year medical student from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. I accepted as a research exchange student at Anatomy Department in Wroclaw Medical University. I spend amazing 4 weeks did the project in the department. My project tittle is “Cadaveric Dissection and Advance Study of Human Body”. As written in the project tittle, I did a lot hands – on experiences, especially cadaver dissection, human body preservation, and observation on a lot of anatomy specimen.

Although this project and department is a new project, I am really happy to do a lot of procedures by myself, which really rare occasion in medical student phase in Indonesia. I started my 1^st week of july with introduction to the university and the department. Luckily my tutor, dr. Zygmunt Domagala MD, PhD, is the head of the Anatomy and Embriology Department. I had three doctors in total that taught me all about the dissection and preservation process, and there are two research assistant that accompany and help me during the research exchange program. Not only activities in prosectorium (dissection room), I also got chances to observe the Ultrasonography examination on patients with thyroid abnormality.

Outside the department, the local committee provide all incoming with training and workshops in a program called MED – EX . In the 1^st week, there was a yoga workshop held in the university gymnasium. At the 3^rd week, we visit the forensic museum and on another day, they held surgical workshop. We learned about basic and vascular suture and did it on the chicken or pig leg.

Aside from academical activities, IFMSA – Poland also offered national social program called NICE project. It has 2 destination, Wroclaw and Gdansk. The 3 days 2 nights trip and activities is great. I can met other exchange student from all local committees in Poland. I even met the other Indonesian exchange student at the NICE project. Beside the NICE project, Wroclaw local committee even arranged trip around my city, Wroclaw, for every weekends and the special event, National Food and Drink Party, which bihun goreng that I made became the favorite dish.

It was an amazing 4 weeks, I got a lot of cultural and medical experiences. For all CIMSA members that applied for SCORE or SCOPE Exchange program, I highly recommend you to put IFMSA – Poland as your first choice of NMO!

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to CIMSA and IFMSA – Poland for gave me this exchange opportunity and IFMSA – Wroclaw for the warm welcome and hosting.

Dziękuję, Poland!