Exchange report - incoming students
Utsikt över sjukhusområdet på CMC
Home university: Christian Medical College, Vellore
Study programme: Medicine
Exchange programme: INK
Semester: Spring semester 2011/2012
Name: Amith Balachandran
Email address: abc4peace@gmail.com

Arrival and registration

Arrival At Arlanda


I was contacted by a host student from the Global Friends Circle before departure , who came to receive me at the airport when I arrived, accompanied me to the place of accommodation and educated me about many practical aspects about life in Stockholm.

 

Student Health Centre


 An appointment was arranged for me at the Students Health Centre at Karolinska Hospital, Huddinge the very next day for the MRSA Testing.Following that we had a small introduction about the first rotation in the Department of Endocrine and Breast Surgery. The Department was well set to welcome us.

Trafiken i Vellore kan vara avskräckande till en början, men fungerar förvånansvärt bra med goda kommunikationer mellan campus och sjukhuset

Acommendation

I applied for accommodation through the University Accommodation Centre. I was accommodated in Pax,Emmylundsvagen , Vastraskogen which was easily accessible from both the KI campuses. I got an apartment with private bath and shared kitchen. I was very happy with the quality of the accommodation.

Matsalen där man intar många måltider

Leisure time and social activities

I was a member of the Global Friends Circle. Sadly , there were no activities conducted by them when I was in Sweden.However i met a lot of Swedish and other exchange students during the courses as well as at the apartment and made some good friends.
En strand på Andamanöarna.

Pre-departure

Choosing to go on an exchange program

 

More than the academic input that I may gain out of the exchange programme, what made me chose to go on an exchange programme is the desire to know how the healthcare system in another part of the world will be like. I wanted to observe and learn the differences and similarities in the health care sector and broaden my perspective on health care. It is also my wish to interact with some of my counter-parts from another part of the world, walk in their shoes, share thoughts and know where I stand among the future medical

professionals.

 

Choosing KI


My home university offers exchange programme to 3 universities. Karolinska Institutet, being one of the most renowned universities in Europe was obviously my first choice. I also thought I have so much to learn from a country that has achieved so much in the field of Health Care and why things don’t work similarly here. I aspired to interact with some of the world class faculty there and learn from their experience. Also KI offers a wide range of courses to choose from , for it’s exchange students and my seniors who have been to KI on an exchange had a very high opinion on the programme

 

Information


The International Relations Office of KI and its website provided a lot of useful information about all aspects like the application procedure, applying for accommodation, Global Friends Circle, Student Life in Sweden , The Stockholm City etc.

 

Vaccination


I did not take any extra vaccination before the programme. However I underwent a screening for MRSA according to the university recommendations which was repeated after I arrived at KI.

 

Courses during the exchange period

DVKX01 : Medical Development in Europe
The Course on Medical development in Europe was one of the best experiences in my Life.It is an elective course conducted jointly by Karolinska Institutet , Kaunos Klinikos,Kaunas,Lithuania and Università degli Studi di Firenze,Florence,Italy and had students from each of these universities enrolled in it.It consisted of a week of classes in each of these universities.The exchange students had a week's sessions on Medical Development in Sweden preceding the course.The course gave an overview of life, health, disease care in three different regions in Europe,Introduced us to the study of medicine, clinical practice and research in various European countries, gave us an insight about the current medical knowledge and advancements in clinical medicine (especially on the ongoing research in each of these universities) and gave a quick Introduction to the EU and its importance in health care and medical research in Europe. The course comprised of lectures, Clinical Rotations and Group study.We also had time for lots of social activities which gave us oppurtunity to meet and interact with students from other universities of different countries and share ideas.The evaluation was based on a Super Case , Information Search and Presentation and was apt for the course.The course was well planned out and the course administrators were very helpful.
ELA005 : Internal Medicine 1
My Clinical Rotation in Internal Medicine was at Sodersjukhuset,South Stockholm . I was posted in the units of Diabetes Mellitus & Metabolism and Hematology for a duration of 2 weeks each.I was assigned to a senior Doctor , whom i followed for the ward rounds and Out Patient Clinics during the posting.I also had the opportunity to observe and perform some procedures. There were Clinical case discussions and Bedside Clinics once a week which was extremely useful.There was ample Self-Study time as well.The grading was based on a clinical case writ-up and presentation on a case that was observed during the posting.I felt that it was an innovative way of evaluation of our performance.
ELAXX6 : Surgery 1
I was posted in the Department of Endocrine and Breast Surgery of Karolinska Hospital, Solna fo a month.The clinical rotation was very well planned out and was also flexible according to the Students' interests. I was able to assist in Surgeries and follow senior doctors during ward rounds and out-patent clinics. There was session at the Surgical Skills Lab which was an interesting experience.During the course we were required to do an Evidence Based Critical Appraisal of a Topic (CAT) , which was also the basis of our evaluation . The course co-ordinator was Dr Jorgen , who has also authored a book on EBM and it was a privilege learning from him.
Utanför RUHSA

Summary

The three months of Exchange studies at KI was one of the best times in my life.It was an enriching experience and contributed greatly to my academic knowledge as well as influenced my personality.I would actively recommend the programme to others. I am extremely grateful to KI for the fruitful experience.

Language and Culture

I was enrolled for a Swedish language course, but had to discontinue it during the course on Medical Development in Europe. The course was appropriate course for exchange students and it started from the basics.The course materials were provided for free according to the agreement with KI. I was a good experience to try and learn a different language.
However, I was able to manage with English almost entirely during my course of stay in Stockholm.
Om man gav några mynt till tempelelefanten så fick man en välsignelse

Studies in general

Medical Education In Sweden ( Vs India )


I felt that medical education in Sweden is much more spaced out and less hectic than in my home country.It also gives significant important to research and research oriented subjects.I also noticed that Students get a lot of self-learning time and a lot of learning is done by themselves. A high standard of Education is maintained and technological advancements are well used to modify the pedagogical system.


Teacher-Student Relations


The Teacher-Student relationship that I experienced at KI was amazing. It surprised me when I learnt that teachers are addressed by their 1st names by the students. My tutors took good care of me when I was under their guidance.


Statyer och tavlor på grundaren av CMC finns över hela Vellore Town, här precis utanför biblioteket.