Exchange report - incoming students
Home university: Hanoi Medical University
Study programme: Medicine
Exchange programme: INK
Semester: Spring semester 2011/2012
Name: TOAN KHAC NGUYEN
Email address: toannguyen.fsh@gmail.com

Arrival and registration

I came on 2nd January so I had my friend picked me up at the airport.

The introduction day was fine. I was impressed by the Student Union.

There was no problem with the student health centre.

Acommendation

I did not apply for accommodation through UAC.

My friend was staying in Stockholm and we shared the appartment for the first several days before I moved to my own rental appartment. The appartment was just enough for my usage (18m2) but the cost was quite high to our standard even though electricity, water and internet were included (3600kr/month).

Leisure time and social activities

I love the social programmes held by the student union and Global Friends. The information was always sent by email in advanced.

I met some Swedish students and yes, we made friends!

Pre-departure

Going to live and study as exchange student in another country is a valuable chance to know the differences between the Vietnamese developing and the Swedish advanced healthcare system. It is also a great opportunity to meet and make friend with amazing European friends and decide what I want to do in my later career.

I chose Karolinska Institutet because this institution is one of the most famous medical universities in the world which also has a tight link to my host university.

It was difficult with information getting from my university. I found it very hard to find any accurate and detailed information about the exchange programme at KI on my university's website, while reaching to the vietnamese related personel is tough. Therefore, I had to contact with the KI's international coordinator by myself first to get the registration information before asking for HMU's permission to go on exchange. The KI's process, however, was outstanding, fast and correct.

An envelop which contained detailed and various information about KI, Stockholm, life as exchange students was sent to me and I was pleased with this.

I did not have to be vaccinated or bring any certificate before going to Sweden.

Courses during the exchange period

ELAX16 : Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Great course! The supervisors were nice, friendly and esthusiasm. My classmates were dynamic and friendly, we were close. The content was enough and relevant to my degree, it was also supported by reliable resources. We were asked to perform a presentation as a mean of examination which was our own point of view on what we learnt during the course. I was very interetsted in this activity and found it very enjoyable. However, some mini-tests in the course may help improve students' attention.

Summary

The time living in Stockholm was great. I made friends, learnt a lot of things and figured out what I want to do in my later creer. This experience should be recommended to everyone.

Language and Culture

I would love to but I did not take part in any Swedish language course since I thought that it was impossible for me to study a brand new language in only 2 months.

Studies in general

I took only one course: Gynaecology and Obstetrics which is great. The course lasted for 8 weeks: 2 for theory, 3 for Gynaecology and 3 for Obstetrics. With regard to theoretical issues, besides the first two weeks, we had a 3-hour seminar every other week which focused on some given common topics with the professors from the hospitals of Stockholm, although the information about the seminars made us confused. Turning to practice, all the doctors, nurses and midwives seemed to be very eager to help and it was easy to ask. My supervisors at the hospital were really nice and took good care of us. They helped me a lot during my clinical rotation.Overall, the course was great, useful and active.

The relationship between students and supervisors was great. My supervisors were always willing to hear from us and tried their best to support our ideas and suggestions. They were listening to us patiently and then explain their points of view to us. The relationship that I experienced in Stockholm is much open, positive and better than that in Vietnam.

Theory and clinical education were close. I had examined the Swedish patients several times and participated in some labour. However, the number of patients was not very high compared to Hanoi. The most difficult thing to deal with was the language barrier. The patients would rather discuss their problems in Swedish which was completely impossible for me to understand. Thus, I was depending on the doctors and midwives translating for me.

There are many differences between the 2 education systems. In Vietnam, we have much more patients than in Sweden but we are not allowed to follow any doctors during the course and it is hard to ask when some of them are not willing to answer. Thus, we study mainly from the books, on our own and from the senior students or residents. However, we have 2 Gyn and Obs courses during 6 years of medical school.

I learnt a lot of things in Sweden and the most important thing was how to start a research.