Exchange report - incoming teachers
Home university: Universidad del Azuay
Study programme: Medicine
Exchange programme: Linnaeus-Palme
Semester: Spring semester 2017/2018
Duration: 29
Name: Carla Salgado
Email address: csalgado@uazuay.edu.ec

Accommendation

KI helped me through all accommodation arrangements. I was very satisfied with the room, it was located in a convenient neighborhood and the commute to KI was not an issue. Regarding costs of living, I kept some costs down by prepping meals at home. A potential suggestion could be to rent a bigger apartment/house for multiple professors.

Language and Culture

Classes were taught in English. In general, I believe that the temporary transition from Ecuadorian culture to Swedish culture went along smoothly, but I did know what to expect. Scandinavian culture is world known for its attention to detail and organization. One of my initial ‘fears’ was that I was not going to be able to keep up with time management as well as the Swedish culture, considering that Hispanic/Latino culture is a bit more lax regarding time (deadlines can be changed, time is expanding), but you just need to put in a little extra effort.<br>

Leisure time

I was lucky enough to meet another exchange teacher in the same module, so it was pretty easy to arrange activities. Also, people at KI were very nice and invited us to Fika :) I think it all depends on your personal tastes, there are a lot of things to do and everything is pretty easy to find online.

Miscellaneous

Plan your classes a couple of months ahead of time. It will give you the chance to contact the teachers before you arrive and you can decide which topics and areas you would like to cover.<br>

Other activities

<p>Attended the Swedish Global Health Research Conference 2018</p><p> Established research contacts during a doctoral dissertation <br></p><p>Attended a lecture part of the Health Economics, Policy and Managment graduate program</p><p> Observership at Primary Care Health Centers</p><p> Visit to Center for Advanced Medical Simulation and Training</p><p> I think our collaboration can expand. Not only in student/teacher exchange programs, but in research. I believe that small projects, carried out by students, would be a great place to start.</p>

Preparation

<div align="left">I learned about the Linnaeus-Palme teacher exchange program through the Dean’s Office Newsletter. Mostly, I reviewed the general information regarding the course in Clinical Medicine, emphasis on reproduction and development (obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics). Language was not a barrier. In fact, it was one of the reasons my school encouraged me to be one of the first professors to go attend this program.</div>

Reflections

After my experience in KI, some teachers and I have started to develop a proposal for OSCE examinations. I think this will be a great addition to our school. I also started implementing live online quizzes, the students really enjoy it and it also makes my job a little easier. Overall, I had a great experience at KI and look forward to collaborating in the future.

Teaching

I had a chance to be part of the module “Reproduction” of the core course in Clinical medicine, emphasis on reproduction and development, at Karolinska Institutet/Karolinska University Hospital Solna. I was very impressed on how seminars were handled; problem-based learning, as in my home university. However, seminars were more time-efficient; a topic was covered in a 2-hour session vs 3-hour sessions. I believe this is possible thanks to a focused approach, the goals are clear and students learn what is essential, urgent, treatable and prevalent.I had the pleasure to be a part of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination. It was a great experience since we do not have them implemented in our medical school. I could observe how the contents learned during the seminars fit perfectly with the OSCE, focusing on the essential. I could also reflect on the importance of establishing a Reproduction module, instead of learning isolated OBGYN topics on different semesters. Relationships are different as well, students call their professors by their first name, while maintaining a professional relationship. In Ecuador, you rarely see this.

Teaching hours

I was the first teacher from my school and since we were not quite familiar with how classes were arranged, I mostly observed and gave feedback, but I was not in charge of any lecture. The following is based on my participation: Teaching hours per week: 10. Seminars: 60%.Individual Supervision: 40%.Other activities: 13 hours