I was placed in the General Surgery Course, however, it was actually Endocrine Surgery. The Swedish students were not a part of this course. The course consisted of observing a different physician each day either in the OR or clinic. There was one assignment, and evidence based medicine literature search, due at the end of the 4-week rotation. There were no lectures.
Clinic was conducted entirely in Swedish with some translation, depending on the mentor. Surgeries were also in Swedish mostly, again with translation depending on mentor. The rotation was very different from my home institution in that it was more of observing rather than having an active role with the patient. This was in part due to the language barrier, but also a difference in student expectations.
The schedule in general was much more relaxing, with responsibilities never starting prior to 8:30 and often ending at 15:00. Weekends were entirely free.
In general, this rotation could have been improved with clear student objectives and a more active role for the exchange student. I also think a minimum of lectures on select topics would have been helpful. Perhaps topics could in surgery or Swedish healthcare.