With each Delegates’ Assembly, swimsa changes a bit and adapts to new circumstances. This May, we were able to welcome two new candidate members, to accept new policy papers and to elect new motivated people into swimsa positions. Read more about our new members in this edition of the swimsagram, and find other things such as questionnaires on current topics and more news from the swimsa family!
your swimsa EB 21/22
Call for national positions
Interested in a swimsa national position? The next call will open on the 16th of June 2022!
From remaining positions on the Executive Board to Coordinator positions, we are once again looking for motivated people to join our midst between the 1st of September 2022 and 31st of August 2023. Are you interested in contributing to the work of swimsa on a national level? Would you like to hear more? Contact gs@swimsa.ch for more information and stay tuned by following our social media for updates.
Join our mailing list!
So many events, workshops, conferences and trainings are happening all of the time, all over the world, for medical students. How to keep track of them? You can join our new mailing lists! Just visit swimsa.ch/engagement, scroll down, and fill out the form, checking the boxes which correspond to your interests, and you will receive emails concerning events and opportunities. Still not sure what all of this means? Write an email to vpg@swimsa.ch and ask all your questions.
How important are regulated working hours and salary to you for your career choice? Would you prefer to work in a hospital or in your own medical practice? Can you imagine working abroad one day?
„What do the doctors of tomorrow want?“ is the question that is currently asked in the following survey with the aim to get an insight into what medical students from different countries in Europe deem important for their future career choices. The survey is also being distributed among medical students in Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands and Poland. The results will be analysed and presented to different stakeholders of medical education.
By participating you give the medical students - and the future doctors - of Switzerland a voice.
It takes about 10 minutes to fill out. In case of any questions, feel free to contact vpa@swimsa.ch.
Thanks for your participation.
Exchanges
Application for swimsa Exchanges
For going abroad for a month between April 2023 and March 2024, the application form on swimsa.ch is currently open and will close on the 30th of June 2022.
More information on exchanges and our contact details can be found on our website under swimsa.ch/exchanges.
Urgent call for NEO-Out Assistant
Do you want to get more involved in swimsa Exchanges and join our National Exchanges Team? We have a vacancy!
As NEO-Out Assistant you work in close collaboration with the NEO-Out (National Exchange Officer for Outgoings). The latter is responsible for all medical students of Switzerland going abroad. The NEO-Out organizes all exchange contracts with other countries and during summer, the contract signing process with other NEOs from all over the world starts.
As our next NEO-Out Assistant, one main task of yours is the coordination of our leftover spots, alongside catching a glimpse of the NEO-Out's work and helping out with student requests.
We look forward to you joining our team!
Stay tuned for the other Exchanges Coordinator positions, a call will open soon!
Call for Local Exchange Officers and Local Exchange Officers on Research Exchange
Do you want to enable students to come to Switzerland? Do you want to get active within an international exchanges network and meet like minded students from your university and all over the world? We are still looking for Local Exchange Officers (LEOs) and Local Officers on Research Exchange (LOREs), especially in the following universities:
- Zurich and Basel (LEOs)
- Bern, Lausanne, Basel and Zurich (LOREs)
If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at vpx@swimsa.ch. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Advocacy
What has swimsa been up to in terms of advocacy?
As you know from our previous newsletters, we never stop advocating for you, dear medical students. Here is a short update of what we have been up to in the past month.
At our last Delegates Assembly in May, swimsa adopted two policy papers, now officially representing the opinions of medical students. The policy papers are on the topics of "Relationship to the Pharmaceutical Industry" and "Sexual Harrassment and Gender Discrimination" and you will be able to find them on the swimsa website shortly.
Additionally, three members of the executive board recently held a meeting with Nora Kronig, the Head of International Affairs Division of the FOPH. There are some exciting projects ahead so stay tuned! Last but not least, swimsa was represented at the Ärztekammer/Chambre Médicale of the FMH and signed the Charter on Doctors' Health in the name of all medical students.
Interested in what we do? Want to learn more and contribute? Get in touch with us!
Public Health
Survey on professional health literacy
Dear Medical Students
Health professionals are often the most important point of contact and source of information for patients' health issues and therefore play a central role in strengthening health literacy.
The Careum Center for Health Literacy, is currently conducting a national survey on professional health literacy. The aim is to find out more about the experiences and challenges of health professionals - including (future) physicians - in communicating with and in disseminating health-related information to patients.
The online survey is available in German, French, Italian and English and takes about 15 minutes to be completed.
Take part and tell us more! Your opinion and experiences are important.
Health literacy is a socially and politically increasingly relevant topic, therefore we highly recommend participating in this survey!
For more information (in German), please click here. If you have any questions, please contact Saskia De Gani (saskia.degani@careum.ch).
Our Members
CCEAM - the Committee on Cultural Competence and Ethical Awareness in Medicine
Hi, we’re the Committee on Cultural Competence and Ethical Awareness in Medicine - CCEAM [seam] and we are super proud to be a new candidate member of the swimsa family!
We strive to create opportunities for medical students to increase their understanding and awareness for cultural practices, differences in customs and ethical values relevant to health and healthcare – improving treatment outcome and quality of care by future doctors in the process.
This semester we worked on improving our understanding of refugee health – did you know that the WHO estimates that as of 2021 “global forced displacement has surpassed 84 million”[1]? We were able to learn from psychiatrists, nurses, scientists and language interpreters – all so we can be better doctors in the future.
Would you be interested in supporting our cause at your university? Contact us on Instagram: @cceam_ch or via email at cceam.mail@gmail.com.
Interested in what we do? Want to learn more and contribute? Get in touch with us!
Health For Future Switzerland: Medical Students - Tackling the climate crisis together!
The climate crisis is the biggest health emergency of our times. This is why, medical students all around Switzerland raise their voices for planetary health to prevent the climate and ecological crises from escalating and protect our health. In March 2022, the first national meeting of Health For Future Switzerland took place in our capital, kindly organised by medical students of H4F Bern. As part of the Health For Future Movement the medical students organise in local groups in Basel, Bern, Lausanne and Genève and advocate towards the universities to bring planetary health into the curriculum as officially demanded by swimsa. They also work together with hospitals to reduce the harmful greenhouse gas emissions of the health care system. Since May 2022, Health For Future is officially a member of swimsa and we can’t wait to see new H4F groups growing in St. Gallen, Luzern, Fribourg, Lugano,..?
Want to join our efforts for a healthy future? We’re happy to hear from you via info@healthforfuture.ch
NC-Wiki: first ever NC-Wiki test simulation
On Saturday, the 28th of May 2022, the first ever NC-Wiki test simulation took place. Around 750 participants, 30 volunteer supervisors and the support of 50 NC-Wiki members made the event a complete success. At five different locations across Switzerland our participants got their first taste of the 235 min long exam – free of charge. Using our custom test booklet, they got to experience what it feels like to perform at their best - in packed lecture halls, constantly pressed for time, and under the watchful eyes of our assistants. I am proud of NC-Wiki and the hard work and commitment that everyone put into the project. I’d like to give a whole-hearted thanks to the universities and our sponsors for making this event possible through their invaluable financial and logistical support, and for supporting us in our mission for equality of opportunity at the Numerus Clausus in Switzerland.
Chiara Piffaretti
FaMBa: Nationale Platzverlosung für die Workshopreihe "antirassistische Räume schaffen"
Liebe Studierende,
Die Fachschaft Medizin Basel organisiert in Zusammenarbeit mit Gina Vega, M.A. Ethnologie & Soziologie, Leiterin Fachstelle Diskriminierung und Rassismus und «Beratungsnetz für Rassismusopfer», die Workshopreihe "antirassistische Räume schaffen". Die swimsa bietet für jeden der 3 Workshops je 2 Studierenden aus den restlichen Schweizer Fakultäten die Möglichkeit teilzunehmen.
Dieses Projekt wurde im Rahmen der ‘Social Health AG’ aufgezogen und setzt sich mit rassistischen Strukturen innerhalb des Gesundheitssystems auseinander. Das Ziel der Veranstaltungen ist es, dass wir (Medizinstudierende) uns kritisch mit sozialisiertem Diskriminierungsverhalten auseinandersetzen und dessen Auswirkung auf den Arbeitsalltag im Gesundheitswesen reflektieren.
Anmelden könnt ihr euch, indem ihr bis am 30.06.2022 eine E-Mail an diese Adressesendet - bitte gebt dabei eure Universität an und weswegen ihr gerne teilnehmen würdet. Falls es mehr Anmeldungen als Plätze gibt, wird per Los entschieden. Ihr werdet per Mail über eure Teilnahme und alle weiteren Infos informiert. Bei Fragen erreichst du die Veranstaltenden unter folgender E-Mail: social-health@unibas.ch.
Do you want to share your project with the rest of the swimsa family? Send us pictures and texts from your local activities to newsletter@swimsa.ch!
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Losing track of all the associations? Here a brief overview:
your local Fachschaft/ association des étudiant-e-s
This is your local association for the med students at your university. They organise social events, parties, represent you to your faculty and fight for your medical education.
The Swiss Medical Students’ Association is the umbrella organisation for all Swiss med students. Her members are all the 10 Fachschaften/associations and projects like Achtung Liebe, marrow, METIS, Teddybärspital etc. Twice per year, she organises the SMSC (= Swiss Medical Students’ Conference) with students from all parts of Switzerland. An event you MUST have experienced at least once! www.swimsa.chFacebookInstagramNewsletter
The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations is the umbrella organisation for all the national associations of more than 120 different countries worldwide! They gather twice per year in the so-called General Assembly (=GA), where 1000 students come together to discuss on global health issues and exchange ideas. swimsa is always represented by a Swiss delegation. https://ifmsa.org
In case you’re interested to get active in global health topics on a national or international level, don’t hesitate to contact us! contact@swimsa.ch
