Exchange report - incoming students
@ Dam
Home university: Universitetet i Tromsø
Study programme: Medicine
Exchange programme: NordPlus
Semester: Autumn semester 2013/2014
Name: Caroline Håskjold Nordbakken
Email address: cnordbakken@hotmail.com

Arrival and registration

The introduction day was great. You get to meet the coordinators from KI that will help you through the  semester. They will give you all the information you need and answer questions that you might have. The contact with the student healt care centre worked really great.

Acommendation

I applied for housing through UAC and KI housing. I got a lot of information about how to apply through the exchange coordinators before i arrived. Just remember to check early when you can start to apply for housing since the rooms are limited. I lived at KI-Housing1sapartments at Jägergatan 20. Right behind Södersjukhuset at Södermalm. There you live in a corridor with a a lot of other people. You get a private room with a bed, a desk and a sink and some cabinets. the kitchen, showers and laundry area is common. This worked really great for me. I loved Södermalm. But there are many different accommodations all around the city, with dfferent standards and sizes. You can apply online for the different accommodations.

Leisure time and social activities

There were several social activities that you could attend during the semester!  The med.students have a lot of traditions and I would recommend to participate on all the activities if you can!

Pre-departure


Why did I choose to go on exchange? Why did I choose KI?
I always knew I wanted to go on an exchange program on my 4th year of med.school. It is a really great opportunity to practice medicine in a different country and get to know new people. I decided to go to Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm because it had a really good reputation. All the former exchange students from Tromsø that had been to KI recommended it. Another reason is that Sweden is really similar to Norway when it comes to epidemiology, and that makes all the subjects and pathology very relevant for me since I'm from Norway. The last big reason why i chose KI, was of course the city itself, Stockholm! It is a beautiful city! 

The exchange information given by Ki and my home university.
The excangen information given by both KI and the University of Tromsø (UIT) was really good. The helped me with all questions and I got a lot of e-mails explaining everything that I needed to know about the exchange programme and lists over all the things i needed to fix before i came to Stockholm.  Before i could start my clinical rotation i and to take an MRSA-test at KI. All this is arranged by KI, and they will explain when you need tp show up and where to take the test. 

Courses during the exchange period

D10X01 : Clinical medicine-emphasis on reproduction and development
Pediatrics Huddinge: The content and quality of this corse was very good. The course lasted for 6 weeks. We rotated between the different specialties and had one week at the ER, one at the internal medicine dept etc. We had clinical rotations from monday - thursday from 08:00-16.00, and seminars each thursday from 12:00-16.00. Each friday we had lectures all day. The course was very relevant. We got to examine a lot of children. The doctor in charge often wanted the student to examine and talk to the patient first. They wanted the student to decide what they would like to do next, what diagnoses teh student was concidering and what tests should be ordered etc. After the student was done, the doctor would examine the child and then give feedback to the student. This worked really well. We had to work some nightshifts and shifts during the weekend, but it was a great experience. The examination was a written test at the end of the semester plus an oral examination. We also had a test midway through the semester that you had to pass to finish the second part of the course. Gynacology Södersjukhuset: Thsi course also had a very relevant and good content. The all over quality was very good. The course had the same structure as the pediatric course. It lasted for 6 weeks. You rotated to different departments each week, and had clinical rotations from monday -thursday, and each friday was lecture day. We also had seminars each week. You had to prepare for the seminars. The examination was a written test by the end of the semester plus an OSCE. The OSCE was a really great experience. At the middle of the course we also had a small written test to check if you would be suited to finish the last part of the course. We had shifts following midwifes and/or gynecologists. I learned so much! I got to deliver several babies and got to assist on many sectio's.

Summary

My exchange period at KI was amazing! The teaching was really great, and the doctors and the other students were very friendly and helpful! I got to know a lot of great people, and I will recommend this programme to everyone! 

Language and Culture

I did not participate in any swedish language course.

Studies in general

How did I experience the relationship between students and teachers/supervisors?
The relationship between students are great. I I studied with med.students that was on their last year (6th year) even though I was on my 4th. I thought that that would be difficult, both social and school vise. But the students were all so nice and welcoming and they were really friendly and helpful! The relationship between students and teachers are good. It was professional but in the same way laid back. This creates a really good learning environment. You feel like you can ask questions about everything, and they always want to help, explain and teach. They expect you to do a lot of the examinations and to talk to the patients.

Relationship between theory and clinical education. 
We had clinical rotation every day from 08:00 - 16:00 from monday to thursday. On thursdays we had clinical rotations from 08:00 - 11:00 and then we had seminars from 12:00-16:00. On fridays we had theory from 08:00-16:00. I really liked this way working and learning. As you can see, most of the week was clinical education. We rotated between different hospitals and different specialties every week. You almost always got to follow one doctor alone. This is a unique opportunity to learn a lot!

Differences between KI and UIT.
At UIT we have a lot more theory and less clinical rotations compared to KI. But the study programmes are designed vey differently so it is very hard to compare the two. But the biggest difference is that at KI, you get to follow a doctor all day alone.This is very good way to learn. You get to do a lot and you get to talk to every patient if you want to.  At UIT you have to follow a doctor with a group of students. That means that you don't always get to examine or talk to the patients because there are too many students. 

What did I learn?
I learned so much, it is hard to explain. I got to examine so many patients! I was challenged every day, and I learned more than i could ever have hoped for! It was just amazing! I