Exchange report - incoming students
Home university: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Study programme: Medicine
Exchange programme: INK
Semester: Autumn semester 2017/2018
Name: Biyu Zhang
Email address: jade1308@foxmail.com

Arrival and registration

This was the first time for me to go abroad and I had expected it would be hard for me to figure out what to do and where to go. However, thanks to KI pick-up service, I felt warmly welcomed by the city! Everything went on well with me.

The introduction day was fun and well-organised. I met a lot of international students and we got to know each other through the game prepared by KI.

Acommendation

Before I came to KI, I applied for accomodation online provided by KI Housing and in the end I got my domitory room in PAX. I would definately say I love it! The room was clean, tidy and furnished with bed, table,  bookshelf, etc. Students living in the same corridor share the kitchen so it was fun to make food while talking to other students.

The view outside my window is just like a painting. When the season changes, the color of this painting also changes beautifully. It's really a pleasure to live in PAX. And if I was lucky enough, I could see rabbits running on the grass. Besides, it's also quite convenient to travel from PAX to other parts of the city. The bus station and the metro station are quite near it.

Leisure time and social activities

Before I came to Sweden, I followed Karolinska Institutet and Global Friends KI on Facebook to get information more quickly. There were a lot of social programmes for exchange students to join, such as Stockholm tour with Global Friends. I was quite interested in it but unfortunately that I had an appointment with my friends that weekend so I didn't go.

I really like the buddy system provided by Global Friends. I met my buddy and became good friends. She will come to China in December for a short vacation so I could be expected to meet her again soon! That's great! In addition, I also got to know some swedish students who were also having their clinical rotation in hospital so we took selfies together. That would be quite precious memories.

Pre-departure

As a medical student in China, I always wanted to have the chance to go abroad and see what the medical system is like in other countries because back in China we are facing a lot of pressure for reforms in medical field. So I applied for the exchange programme and succeeded in getting the opportunity. Frankly speaking, I had not known KI before I took part in the programme since most famous medical schools I heard about are in America. But when I searched KI online, I was surprised to find that it is the institution to award Nobel Prize every year and it is one of the first-rate medical schools in the world. I believe there must be quite good academic atmosphere and clinical practices. Thus I chose to go to KI.


After I made the application, I received emails from my coordinator in KI quite soon. Both KI and my home university offerd me a lot of information so that I could make full preparation for my clinical rotation. This really helped me a lot since this would be my first time to go abroad and I was a little bit worried. The only pity was that I failed to register online before I went to KI due to some technique problems. I didn't receive the email informing me the registration procedure and this caused a little trouble after I arrived at KI. Despite this problem, everthing was fine!

Courses during the exchange period

ELA005 : Internal Medicine 1
Clinical rotation in Internal Medicine was quite the same as that in China. In the morning we made the rounds of the ward and in the afternoon it was mainly about the tests and document work. Though it might be not that interesting compared to surgery because no operation to see, I still learned something from it. Most of the dialogues between doctors and patients were in Swedish. Yet the doctors would try their best to explain to me what happend to the patients as long as they had time. They would let me participate in the physical examination and do other practices so I had many chances to improve my clinical skills. The seminars were excellent and I learned what I lacked in my thinking method. I really had a good time there!
ELAX16 : Obstetrics and Gynaecology
The department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology was very good in Danderyds Hospital. I had a very carefully planned schedule and everything went in order. I had seminar every week and each week we focused on different topics and Ireceived the cases in advance so I could prepare for them. I also quite like the planned outpatient clinic and planned cesarean section because the teacher really paid their full attention to the student and the student like me could improve a lot during this process. The arrangement in Obstetrics and Gynaecology was diversified. I could follow doctors as well as midwives in outpatient clinics, inpatient ward, ultrasound clinic, delivery ward and prenatal and postnatal health care. The final exam was an oral presentation and it instructed me to search for a certain topic and did some reading in depth. I really like my experience in this department! Maybe the only pity was that the arrangement was a bit loose and much free time would make me lazy!

Summary

As an old saying goes, all good things must come to an end, so is my exchange study in Sweden. Three months was just like an instant and it passed away so fast. The memories are still visible before my eyes, from the excitement and nervousness on the first day to the attachment and relunctancy to leave on the last day.

I have seen a lot things during these 3 months. Not only the medical system but also the attitudes of the medical personnel towards medicine and patients made me ponder over the differences between China and Sweden and what I could do to help improve the situation. It's quite good to have this chance to see what medicine is like in different countries.

In addition to study, I have also learned a lot to improve other skills. Cooking was one of the things that I made great improvements. I also made friends with some Swedish students and it really touched me that other Chinese overseas students held a farewell party for my colleague and me.

Anyway, this exchange study would be a unique memory for me. I would try to come back if I have time in the future. Tack, Sverige!

Language and Culture

It is always fun to learn a new language and thanks to free courses provided by BBi Communication, I could speak some daily expressions in Swedish. It helped me in my clinical rotation as well when doctors were talking to the patients. I wished I could continue to study Swedish but the limited time here made it hard to realize.

The courses focused more on listening and speaking instead of writing and reading. That suited me well because I really needed more practice in speaking and listening. If I should have time in China, I would try to learn more Swedish through app Duolingo.

Studies in general

Studies here in KI are quite enjoyable and comfortable. The teacher paid attention to every student, listened to their voices and respected their own values. I like that kind of feeling but it's a bit difficult to realise it in my home country due to the large population. when I had the seminar with other students and gave oral presentation, the teacher was always trying to give me the inspiration instead of giving me the answer. They would lead the students to think about some serious quetions and encouraged us to express our own opinion. It's quite interesting to hear different opinions from different perspectives.

When I did my clinical rotation in hospital, the doctors would like to give me a lot of chances to do the examination and some clinical practices. They were kind and patient to explain the condition of the patients to me although they were quite busy. I was really grateful for that!