Sixth-year students’ professional practice at the clinics of the University of Southern California

30 July 2019

Our School’s students had the opportunity for the first time to complete a two-month professional practice at the clinics of the University of Southern California (Keck School of Medicine – USA). A three-year long work has preceded the establishment of this relationship. The University of Pécs Medical School is the first and only in the country from where four medical students had the opportunity to apply for the two-month professional practice.

The active and enthusiastic members of the West Coast Club of Hungarian Scientists helped establish the relationship; they are doctors and engineers graduated in Hungary. They participated in guiding the students and they organised programmes for them as well. In April 2018 Teresa Cook, Director of Medical Education Administration at the Keck School of Medicine of USC visited our School.

Four students can be admitted, mixed from the Hungarian, English and German programmes. The School’s Committee on International Affairs choose these students every November. The criteria for applying are a written application and an oral hearing following it. They expect a minimum C1 level of English language use, in the second round a video interview takes place with the students. The host university provides a free of charge practice and the abroad expenses are provided by the Campus Mundi scholarship opportunity, with individual application.

Students interested in the programme can find information on the website of the UP MS Office for International Relations and Erasmus Programme: http://aok.pte.hu/en/egyseg/almenu/1780/99 or they can ask Anett Tomózer personally, who readily gives information about further details.

Besides the practice in Los Angeles, students have the opportunity to participate in conferences, lectures and workshops as well, organised by the partner university.

This opportunity is professionally important for our graduates, not to mention the personal experience. It turns out from the accounts our graduates wrote – we quote from these.

Réka Lendvai’s account:

 “I was at the children’s emergency department of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in February 2019 and in the LAC+USC Medical Center, and at the nephrology department of the Keck Medical Center in March. During the children’s emergency practice, I got acquainted with the system and the structure of the emergency department. A lot of doctors and nurses work there, life does not stop for a second, they are working in four stations at the same time and it is still not rare that more than hundred patients are waiting for treatment in the waiting room. The department is extremely well equipped; almost every little patient has their own hospital ward. First, a nurse treats the patient; they record the vital parameters, and then comes a resident who reports to the fellow or the attending. Depending on which station someone is assigned to, usually they have to follow a resident or an attending. They let me participate in the examinations, I could listen to the patient and I could touch them too. Although they spent less time on this than we do, the results of the laboratory and imaging tests arrived much faster than at home.”

Márton Schandl’s account:

 “The time spent in the hospital had many surprises for me. The doctors’ attitude towards the patients was exemplary; they were treated with the utmost patience and respect. I liked that there was also time for my questions and for me to examine the patients at the emergency department. At the neonatology, I had to follow-up two premature babies about whose condition I reported every day during the rounds. It was an honour that they have entrusted me with such a noble task. I got to know many people and I could learn different things from each of them. I found the American people very nice; they were always ready to help me whenever I had any problems. It was surprising that I felt safe even in the middle of the night; no one called me out or looked at me badly. I had the opportunity to try the Korean, Indian, Mexican, and the Japanese cuisine as well. As a huge sports fan it was my pleasure to see two NBA games in the Staples Center: the games of the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. I am also grateful for having been able to spend a magical day in the Universal studio where I could see the filming locations of several famous movies.

I got to know a lot of people in both the West Coast Club of Hungarian Scientists and in the Hungarian house; I hope we will keep in touch and will see each other as soon as possible.”

Dalma Ruzsics’s account:

 “I spent a one-month internal medicine practice in the haematology consultation team at the LAC+USC Medical Center, and I spent a four-week emergency practice at the children’s emergency department of the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. About the internal medicine practice, I can say that it was very useful but at the same time very hard as well. I feel fortunate to have been welcomed and helped by so many inclusive and helpful people. The American medical student, Tam, helped me a lot with the administration and the paperwork, and he was with me during the entire time of the practice. He comes to Hungary in May; we have made a lifelong friendship. From the residents I would like to highlight dr. Emad Mogadam and dr. Wilson Kwant who both helped me a lot as well. My tasks included the follow-up of two or three consultation patients, which means that I had to present at the rounds and I had to provide up-to-date information about them. Besides this I participated in seminars as well, which were very interesting, I have learnt a lot from them. I was present in the specialist practices as well; these are very different from those in Hungary. There only the fellows have regularly treated patients, in one specialist practice they treat 3-4 patients in high quality. The residents have a constantly changing patient pool; they treat 7-8 patients per practice. It was very new but it works well. Every Thursday we visited the prison hospital, which was an extremely exciting, new experience. The prisoners welcomed us kindly and they were surprisingly helpful when it came to physical examinations. On Fridays, we participated in the grand rounds at the haematology. In such a grand round, an attending doctor held a scientific lecture during which they processed more than thirty articles.

I liked the way they bring science and research into practical patient care very much. I have learnt a lot from humanity and science.”

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