THE MSAKE GUIDE TO IFMSA First Edition (2017/18)
1
Authors Note - - - - X You opened the manual
.
That is a crucial step towards knowing how the IFMSA works. When I started taking part in IFMSA (and by extension MSAKE) activities back in 2014, I was told that it was a “Rich Kids club”. Well, truth be told, it is. Taking part in the federation’s activities is a quest to be rich in experiences and opens your doors (and eyes) to the various opportunities available outside our Kenyan borders. Furthermore, it also gives you the opportunity to broaden your horizons and networks and appreciate the various cultures and nationalities the world has to offer. However, over the years, I found myself having more questions on how the Federation works; with each question having varying answers depending on who you ask. Hence the reason I thought of writing this guide so as to make your understanding of MSAKE’s parent body a little bit easier i.e. having as much information as possible available less than one roof. Special thanks goes to the 2017/18 MSAKE Publications Secretary Jackline Ngigi for giving me the green light to do this, Nyambura Muroki (UoN) and Punam Raval (KU) for reviewing the manual, Carlos Acosta, the IFMSA President for taking time off his busy schedule to give his address as well as Antonia, Rusa and Elizabeth from the 2017/18 IFMSA Africa Regional Team for providing me with the reference links for their respective standing committees. Feel free to peruse this summarized document. Please note that this is just the first edition. Therefore, your feedback is highly appreciated on msake.publications@gmail.com or mcwangari.wm@gmail.com. Remember, “For You, For Medicine, For MSAKE”. Yours in service, Marie-Claire (MC) Wangari 2016/17 IFMSA NMO Development Assistant, Africa Region & 2016/17 MSAKE Secretary General
mcwangari©
2
IFMSA President’s Note - - - - X Dear Members of MSAKE-Kenya My name is Carlos Acosta and I am currently the IFMSA president. It is with great pleasure that I’m writing to you today to welcome you to our family or if you have been an IFMSA member for a while now, to give you a warm embrace with the many things that IFMSA provide us in our daily lives as medical students. I would like to let you know that IFMSA is a space that we want to make each time more inclusive. For this reason I would like to inspire you to participate and share your ideas with us! IFMSA is a space to power your dream and we need your ideas, your motivation and your hard work to have a more sustainable future for generations to come. Your ideas and your projects are worthed! It was Nelson Mandela who said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and the best part is that we can teach and learn to/from each other. In order to change the world let's take a will to change our surroundings and our community. Only here we will find our start to change our lives and the lives of others. Give love, always and protect each other from harm. At last I would like you to know that IFMSA is your home and a place to meet others and embrace other’s differences. It is in these that we can find the answers to the future and also give ourselves a lesson of tolerance and respect Keep up the good work for Africa!
Love, Carlos Acosta 2017/18 IFMSA President & 2016/17 IFMSA SCORA Director
mcwangari©
3
mcwangariŠ
4
Table of Contents Authors Note
1
IFMSA President’s Note
2
Table of Contents
4
Chapter One: Introduction to MSAKE & IFMSA Chapter Two: IFMSA Regions
5 7
Chapter Three: IFMSA Leadership structure
9
Chapter Four: IFMSA Standing Committees
13
Chapter Five: IFMSA Capacity Building
16
Chapter Six: IFMSA Opportunities & Events
20
International:
20
IFMSA General Assemblies (GAs)
20
Medical Students International Edition(MSI):
26
IFMSA External events
27
Regional
28
IFMSA Regional Meetings(RM)
28
IFMSA Sub-Regional Trainings (SRTs)
28
IFMSA WHO offices Internships
29
Regional NMO events:
29
National
30
MSAKE National General Assembly
30
MSAKE Standing Committee Events
30
Other MSAKE events:
31
Chapter Seven: IFMSA Programs:
32
Chapter Eight: Application Writing for IFMSA Opportunities:
34
Important Things to note:
37
Chapter Nine: Other Organizations:
38
The Federation Of African Medical Students’ Associations (FAMSA)
38
Appendix One: References
39
Appendix Two: IFMSA Contacts
40
Appendix Three: MSAKE Contacts
41
mcwangari©
5
Chapter One: Introduction to MSAKE & IFMSA MSAKE: The Medical Students’ Associations of Kenya (MSAKE) is one of the largest student organizations in Kenya. MSAKE was founded in 2007 and is a nonprofit, non-political organization that represents all medical students in Kenya through their respective medical schools. MSAKE’s main objectives are health advocacy and expansion of the medical students’ academic as well as career space. MSAKE’s full members currently include but are not limited to Kenyatta University (AKUMS)
JKUAT (JKUMSA)
Moi University (MSAMU)
University of Nairobi (AMSUN)
KEMU (KEMUMSA)
Uzima University (MSAUU)
Egerton University (EUMEDSA)
MKU (MKUMSA)
Maseno University (MUSOMSA)
You can find more information on MSAKE from the current MSAKE Constitution MSAKE is also the official National Member Organization (NMO) (a fancy IFMSA way of saying Kenyan representative) in the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA)
mcwangari©
6
IFMSA: The International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) was founded in 1951 and is one of the world’s oldest and largest student-run organizations. 1It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students worldwide.
As of August 2017, the IFMSA currently has a membership of 136 National Member Organizations from 127 countries across six continents, representing a network of 1.3 million medical students. The Federation envisions a world in which medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally; so to shape a sustainable and healthy future. Furthermore, IFMSA is recognized as a nongovernmental organization within the United Nations’ system and the World Health Organization; and works in collaboration with the World Medical Association. You can find more information on the IFMSA from the current IFMSA Constitution
1
IFMSA 2017 Presidents’ Manual. Table of Contents
mcwangari©
7
Chapter Two: IFMSA Regions2
IFMSA is divided into five regions – Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean and Europe based on the WHO classification of regions. The regions were created more than ten years ago to make it easier for members to tackle similar issues on the regional level. Each region is led by a Regional Director, who is elected by the members of the respective region and who works with regional assistants of the different standing committees and a capacity building assistant (more details on IFMSA Leadership structure in the next chapter) so as to support and facilitate the development of member organizations based in their region. This
2
https://ifmsa.org/regions/
mcwangariŠ
8 structure helps to maximize the representativeness of the members and diversity of cultures within IFMSA international working platform. MSAKE falls under the Africa region which comprises of 24 NMOs and three sub-regions: East & Central Africa, West Africa and Southern Africa. The Africa region members are as follows: East & Central Africa
West Africa
Southern Africa
ABEM-Burundi
AEM-Burkina Faso
LEMSA-Lesotho
MSA-DRC
CAMSA-Cameroon
UMMSA-Malawi
EMSA-Ethiopia
UniGAMSA-Gambia
MESANA-Namibia
MSAKE-Kenya
FGMSA-Ghana
SAMSA-South Africa
MEDSAR-Rwanda
AEM-Guinea
ZIMSA-Zimbabwe
MedSin-Sudan
APS-Mali
ZAMSA-Zambia
TAMSA-Tanzania
NiMSA-Nigeria
FUMSA-Uganda
FNESS-Senegal SLEMSA-Sierra Leone AEMP-Togo
To stay up to date on events happening within the Africa region subscribe to the IFMSA Africa server by sending a blank email to: ifmsa-africasubscribe@yahoogroups.com or check the Region's Facebook page
mcwangari©
9
Chapter Three: IFMSA Leadership structure34
An IFMSA term starts at 0000 hours GMT on October 1 each year and ends on September 31 at 2359 hours GMT of the following year. The IFMSA leadership structure consists of the following:
3 4
IFMSA 2017 Presidents’ Manual; Page 3: IFMSA NMO manual; Page 8-10
mcwangari©
10 Executive Board (EB): the Managing Body of IFMSA and responsible for the management of the federation. It consists of seven (7) officials who are voted upon during the March Meeting General Assembly: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
President Vice-President Vice-President Vice-President Vice-President Vice-President Vice-President (VPPRC)
for for for for for for
Activities (VPA) Finances (VPF) Members (VPM) External Affairs (VPE) Capacity Building (VPCB) Public Relations and Communication
The Team of Officials (TO): It consists of seventeen (17) officials who are voted upon during the August Meeting General Assembly. These include: ● Regional Directors: Each region is overseen by a Regional Director whose main role is to coordinate the work within the regions both internal and external in coordination with the Liaison officers. ●
Liaison Officers: The Liaison Officers together with the Vice President for External Affairs are in charge of the official relations of the IFMSA with other organizations. They work on establishing and maintaining contact with IFMSA partners and other relevant organizations and to make sure IFMSA Policy Statements are put into action. IFMSA has the following Liaison Officer positions: a. Liaison Officer to Student Organizations (LOSO). b. Liaison Officer to the World Health Organization (LOWHO). c. Liaison Officer for Medical Education Issues (LME) d. Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues (LPH) e. Liaison Officer for Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues, including HIV/AIDS (LRA) f. Liaison Officer for Human Rights and Peace Issues (LRP)
●
Standing Committee Directors: Standing Committees form the core working areas of the Federation. A Standing Committee
mcwangari©
11 works to benefit a specific field of interest and to promote capacity building among IFMSA members. The Standing Committee Directors coordinate the internal affairs of the Standing Committees in addition to supporting development of Standing Committees within NMOs and supervising IFMSA Programs
NB: Executive Board Elect (EBE): These are the individuals voted upon in a March Meeting to serve in the subsequent term. Confusing right? Let me explain: Remember I said that an IFMSA term starts at 0000hours GMT on October 1 each year and ends on September 31 at 2359hours GMT of the following year. I also said that the EB is voted for during the March Meeting. Hence the 2018/19 EB will be voted for in March 2018. So between their election and September 31 2018, 2359hours GMT they will be called Executive Board Elect (EBE)
. (Same thing applies to the
elected TO member in August.)
Supervising Council: The Supervising Council (Supco in short) is responsible for overseeing the actions and decisions made by the EB and TO of the IFMSA. They are an active resource body to assist and advise the Officials if necessary and consist of a maximum of seven members and a minimum of three members at any given point in time as per the IFMSA Constitution and bylaws. International Assistants: These are a group of members who act as the link between the Federation’s global work and the national and local officers in each NMO (after all IFMSA’s motto is “Act Local, Think Global”) Program Coordinators: As the name suggests, they coordinate IFMSA programs and are appointed by the Executive Board elect after
mcwangari©
12 consultation with the Executive Board, relevant Team of Officials and the program coordinators in office.
Secretariat: The IFMSA International Secretariat is situated in Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam. The function of the Secretariat is maintenance of the IFMSA Institutional memory and to assist the Team of Officials in various administrative and management tasks. Board of Recommendation: This refers to a group of esteemed professionals/authority figures who agree to pose as IFMSA advocates and can be asked to give advice to IFMSA and act as a reference to IFMSA, based on their availability and capacity. Alumni: Alumni consist of IFMSA members who are no longer actively holding a position. They can among others support IFMSA in sharing knowledge and experience, as well as, donating funds.
To know who the current 2017/18 IFMSA Team of Officials and Supervising Council please click HERE
mcwangariŠ
13
Chapter Four: IFMSA Standing Committees IFMSA and by extension MSAKE is composed of various standing committees that focus on various aspects of medicine. These include:
mcwangariŠ
14
STANDING COMMITTEE
Details
SCOME:
Focuses on
Reference Materials https://goo.gl/ uxDb1V
academic issues as well
Email subscription link
ifmsa-scomesubscribe@yahoogrou ps.com
MSAKE Contact:
msake.nome@gmail .com
as current and innovative ways of learning. SCOPE:
Focuses on
https://goo.gl/ sGhhqB
international
ifmsa-scopesubscribe@yahoogrou ps.com
neoin.msake@gmai l.com
student exchanges as well as exchanges with relevant medical organizations e.g. WHO SCOPH:
Focuses on general community
https://issuu.c om/marwadal y/docs/scoph _manual_2014
ifmsa-scophsubscribe@yahoogrou ps.com
msake.scoph@gmai l.com
health issues e.g. TB, Cholera as well as global health issues.
mcwangariŠ
15
SCORE:
Focuses on
https://goo.gl/ nRNkRU
ifmsa-scoresubscribe@yahoogrou ps.com
score.msake@gmai l.com
https://goo.gl/ 7rsaZH
ifmsa-scorasubscribe@yahoogrou ps.com
msake.scora@gmai l.com
https://goo.gl/ umciyz
ifmsa-scorpsubscribe@yahoogrou ps.com
scorp.msake@gmai l.com
developing skilled student researchers who are intent on shaping the world of science in the upcoming future. SCORA:
Focuses on sexual and reproductive health issues as well as HIV/AIDS
SCORP:
Focuses on promotion and protection of human rights and peace as well as humanitarian action.
mcwangariŠ
16
Chapter Five: IFMSA Capacity Building5
May 2016 IFMSA/MSAKE Training of Trainers Graduands
There are various types of capacity building trainings available as listed below:
5
IFMSA 2017 Presidents’ Manual; Pages 24-27
mcwangari©
17
IFMSA TARGET AREA
CAPACITY BUILDING EVENT ●
Training New Trainers (TNT)
●
Training Old Trainers (TOT)
●
Capacity Building Issues
●
Training Medical Education Trainers (TMET)
●
Advanced Medical Education Training (AMET)
●
Professional Exchanges Training (PRET)
●
Training New Exchange Trainers (TNET)
●
Public Health Leadership Training (PHLT)
●
IPET: The international Peer education Training
●
Women's’ Reproductive Health and Access to Safe Abortion(Ipas)
●
HIV Education and Advocacy Training (HEAT)
●
V2V (From Victim 2 Victory
●
Training New Human Rights Trainers (TNHRT)
●
Human Rights for Medical Practitioners
CAPACITY BUILDING
SCOME:
STANDING COMMITTEES
SCOPE: SCORE: SCOPH:
SCORA:
SCORP and / LIAISON OFFICERS
or LRP
mcwangari©
18
LWHO OTHERS
●
Refugees’ Mental Health & Psychosocial Support
●
International Training on Disaster Medicine (ITDM)
●
WHO Simulation (details on how to conduct one HERE)
● ●
Presidents’ Pre-GA From Idea to Impact (Reference is made to their Manual Here) IFMSA Global Health Advocates Financial Management & Administration Intercultural Interactions in
● ● ●
IFMSA
Internationally, any of these trainings can be offered during the IFMSA Pre-General Assemblies, Pre-Regional Meetings or during the IFMSA SubRegional Trainings. (I know I’ve used some Greek there but the explanation of those events is coming in the next chapter
)
Locally, the trainings can be organized by the National Committee of the MSAKE Standing Committees or the MSAKE Secretary for Capacity Building
mcwangari©
19
mcwangariŠ
20
Chapter Six: IFMSA Opportunities & Events International: 1. IFMSA General Assemblies (GAs) I F M S A G A s a r e t h e s u p reme decision making bodies of the federation and are held twice a year i.e. One General Assembly Meeting is held within the first seven days of August (August Meeting/AM) and the second General Assembly Meeting is held within the first seven days of March (March Meeting/MM). The GAs usually takes place for approximately 5 working days and is preceded by a 3-4 day Pre-GA that consists of trainings in an
mcwangariŠ
21 effort to build the capacity of the federation (reference is made to the Capacity Building Section of the manual for the various types of trainings available.) Furthermore, the GAs are anteceded by a Post-GA which gives participants a chance to sight see the GA host nation. Details on Pre-GA, GA and Post-GA dates, prices and locations are usually found on the IFMSA channels as well as the GA websites. For example details on the 2018 March Meeting can be found here on their Website or Facebook Page. While early information on the August Meeting can be found here on their Website or Facebook Page The GAs consist of the following sessions6: a. Plenaries: This is the highest decision making body of IFMSA. Simply put, this is like a highly organized Kenyan Parliament where IFMSA legislature is carried out. Just like any legislature, it has a set of (at times complicated) procedures. Reference is made to following Youtube videos for more information on how plenaries work.
6
AM 2017 Presidents’ Sessions Survival Kit; Pages 5-7
mcwangariŠ
22 b. Sessions: Standing Committee, NMO management, and Presidents’ Sessions all run in parallel. GA delegates would have chosen which session they plan to attend, when they registered for the General Assembly. c. NMO Hour: During this time you are to meet with your fellow MSAKE Delegates so as to get updates on the different sessions they attended, as well as to discuss the points which will be voted upon at the plenary. d. Rex Crossley Awards (RCA): The RCA is an NMO's chance to showcase their best Activities to the rest of IFMSA. MSAKE was fortunate to have its WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project end up in the top 10 at the 2017 March Meeting (pictured). You can read more about it Here(page 32) and Here
e. Activities Fair: This is an opportunity for (almost) every activity in your NMO to be presented before delegates of the General Assembly. MSAKE actively participates in the fair as a means of knowledge exchange and capacity building for future projects.
mcwangariŠ
23
If you have a project, initiative or event to share then please contact the MSAKE President on msake.president@gmail.com or msake-kenya@ifmsa.org to know more on how to submit your activity for the fair. f.
Programs sessions: These sessions are delivered as miniworkshops in parallel to the regular programme. Details on what IFMSA programs are can be found here.
g. Trainings: This is usually a 2 hour training session that aims to build capacity of the IFMSA members present at the GA. This is because trainings provide the skills for the members present in order to better organize themselves, their work, and their team.
mcwangariŠ
24 h. Regional Sessions: During this session, the delegates from the Region will meet with their Regional Director to tackle regionspecific issues such as Regional Meetings, improving work in certain areas among other. Also, during this time there will also be regional Presidents’ Sessions in parallel with a regional Standing Committee Sessions to discuss matters on both those levels. i.
Theme Events: This is the academic part of the General Assembly that tackles a specific topic, in an interactive manner.
j.
Social program events such as: ○
Networking/NMO Buddies Time: This is a chance to meet GA delegates from across the globe and exchange ideas or even catch up with IFMSA friends (Networking time). NMO buddies are a set of NMOs’/ countries that are grouped and spearheaded by an EB or TO member at the start of each term and used as a means of knowledge exchange and NMO capacity building. Therefore the time can be used to meet and catch up with your NMO buddies
mcwangari©
25 face to face. ○
National Food and Drinks Party (NFDP): As the name suggests this party provides NMOs’ with the opportunity to share their food and drinks as a means of cultural exchange and interaction
○
Cultural Night: This night provides NMOs’ with the opportunity to share their cultural dances and/or practices as a means of cultural exchange and interaction
mcwangari©
26 Medical Students International Edition (MSI): This is the IFMSA biannual magazine, which focuses on global health perspectives brought by medical students worldwide. It is published both in print and online, in relation to the March and August General Assemblies, and each edition has a specific theme (the GA theme mainly). This provides MSAKE members the opportunity to share their views, activities or initiatives on a global platform without necessarily being at the General Assemblies in Person. Previous issues are available at: http://goo.gl/LpwMxE. NB: IFMSA Sponsorship Opportunities to attend General Assemblies:
Due to the financial constraints that IFMSA members face, scholarships to attend IFMSA GAs are available as follows: i.
Travel Assistance Fund (TAF): The Travel Assistance Fund aims to maximize medical students’ representation in IFMSA by supporting delegates from financially disadvantaged, current or potential, National Member Organizations to attend the General Assembly meetings. Applicants must approach the IFMSA NMO President (who is the MSAKE Secretary General in our set up) if interested in applying for TAF. The requirements/ TAF coverage includes: ●
Requirement: A maximum of two TAF application per NMO is permitted and selected TAF Applicants are
mcwangari©
27 considered part of their delegation (However, only a maximum of 8 delegates per country can be sent if the NMO is awarded TAF) â—?
TAF Coverage: IFMSA GA registration fees, Visa Fees reimbursement (must provide proof of payment) and Flight ticket fees.
ii.
Professor Erik Holst Fund (PEHF): Professor Erik Holst was one of the IFMSA founding members. The fund usually awards a General Assembly scholarship of Euros 500 (Ksh 50,000-70,000) to promising GA attendees from any IFMSA member-country. The award recognizes the contributions the students have made at a local level and their potential to contribute to the activities of IFMSA. More details on the PEHF can be found here: https://erikholstfund.com
2. IFMSA External events IFMSA is usually present in various external events at international level asides from their GAs, this includes: WHO Executive boards meeting, United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP), World Health Assemblies, United Nation General Assemblies just but to list a few. To know more about such events all you need to do is subscribe to the following IFMSA mailing lists by sending a blank email to: ifmsa-general-subscribe@yahoogroups.com you can also read more about it here
mcwangariŠ
28
Regional 1. IFMSA Regional Meetings (RM)7 The NMOs of IFMSA in a particular region hold their own Regional Meetings once per annum. The content of these Meetings vary and are decided upon by the Regional Team. Attending a Regional Meeting is a good way to get into contact with regional members. The focus is often on capacity Building and this is a perfect place to discuss matters which are specifically relevant to the region. Some NMOs prioritize to send newer members to the regional meetings because it is less overwhelming. The RM happens around the same time each year for each region and any NMOs can apply to host a regional meeting. For the Africa region, the Africa regional meeting (ARM in short) is usually held every December in a NMO that has been voted upon the previous year. To know more on how the regional meeting and regional affairs are conducted, please refer to the Africa Region Internal Operating Guidelines.
2. IFMSA Sub-Regional Trainings (SRTs) This is a conference that brings together members from a particular sub-region and aims at building capacity as well as equipping participants with vital skills they will need in their future profession(s). More Details on it can be found HERE.
7
IFMSA 2017 Presidents’ Manual; Page 18
mcwangariŠ
29 3. IFMSA WHO offices Internships
There are various internships available at the WHO offices, especially the WHO Africa Region Office located in Congo, Brazzaville such as this one. For more details please subscribe to the IFMSA mailing list: ifmsa-generalsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
or check the IFMSA channels
highlighted at the end of the document.
4. Regional NMO events:
MSAKE members are invited to attend General Assemblies and/or other events of any of the IFMSA National Member Organizations (NMOs). These events provide an opportunity for our members to grow themselves as well as showcase any work they have done; be it a project, a research abstract etc.
mcwangariŠ
30
National 1. MSAKE National General Assembly8
This is the annual general meeting for MSAKE members. It is usually convened by the Secretary General and takes place once a year at a date and location previously agreed upon by the Presidents’ Council (preferably, within one month of the appointment of the Executive Board of the Association)
2. MSAKE Standing Committee Events
Each of the six IFMSA standing committees can have events within their term of office (usually between 6-12 months). These events shall be coordinated by the National Committee of the standing committee that comprises of the MSAKE National Officer (NO) and the local chapter Local Officers (LOs) based at each of the MSAKE member universities.
8
The MSAKE constitution; article 9; page 22
mcwangariŠ
31 3. Other MSAKE events:
MSAKE is free to host/participate in other events outside of the IFMSA based ones in an effort to make as many opportunities as possible available to its members.
mcwangariŠ
32
Chapter Seven: IFMSA Programs9:
IFMSA Programs are centralized streams of activities, which are organized by IFMSA NMOs at an international level. They address problems within a specific field that we as medical students and global health advocates stand up for while connecting local (University based), national (MSAKE based) and international (IFMSA based) activities and opportunities that contribute to the final outcome. All IFMSA Programs connect the work of NMOs locally and nationally with the IFMSA vision and mission. NMOs decide which programs are to be adopted by IFMSA by voting on the Programs proposed by the Executive Board during the General Assembly. Programs are led by Program Coordinators and supervised by the IFMSA Standing Committee Directors and Executive Board to ensure their quality of implementation, consistency and sustainability of the programs. It is important to note that one of the major aspects of IFMSA Programs is to ensure a way to measure the impact of the IFMSA and its NMOs on the societies/communities we serve.
All NMOs and members of NMOs locally and nationally are encouraged to join an IFMSA Program by enrolling their activities such as projects,
9
http://ifmsa.org/programs/
mcwangariŠ
33 campaigns, celebrations, workshops, events, trainings or theme based publications. These activities are coordinated by Activity Coordinators at a local and/or national level or internationally with the help and support from Program Coordinator and the relevant Standing Committee Director. Internally, these activities do not need to be just projects, campaigns, events, etc. but different research and capacity building activities as well as organized advocacy efforts on local, national and international level. For more information, you can refer to the Programs Toolkit or the graphic below:
mcwangariŠ
34
Chapter Eight: Application Writing for IFMSA Opportunities: Due to the vast numbers of IFMSA members, majority (if not all) IFMSA opportunities require that interested individuals submit the following documents during their applications. 1. Filled Candidature Form (CF): Signed and stamped by the NMO President (in this case the MSAKE Secretary General). Reference is made to the example below of a correctly stamped and signed form
mcwangariŠ
35 2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) adapted to the position 3. Motivation Letter (ML): Most times no more than 1 page long, highlighting previous IFMSA experience (MSAKE experience counts as IFMSA experience by the way). The document highlights the main reason(s) an interested individual wants to attend the said IFMSA event (fun is a good reason but it shouldn’t be the main reason) 4. Plan of Action (PoA): Most times no more than 2 pages long. This document highlights what you aim to do when selected to attend the event and what you aim to do with the knowledge learned at the said event once you get back home. 5. High-resolution, coloured, passport-sized photograph: For publication purposes especially for individuals vying for IFMSA officials positions. 6. Technical Data Card (TDC): For IFMSA officials positions especially. This card contains the applicant’s Bio-data as well as contact details. Reference is made to the example below of a correctly filled form
mcwangari©
36
mcwangariŠ
37 Important Things to note:
1. Almost all IFMSA deadlines are date and time set. The time is usually in 24 hour system and in GMT +0 and Kenya is GMT +3 so that means if the call says that the deadline is December 1 2017 at 2359 hours GMT the deadline in Kenyan time will be December 2 2017 at 2:59am. Please note that IFMSA keep time (just like the SGR trains). Same applies when paying for IFMSA opportunities such as General Assemblies etc. 2. From personal experience, it is better to start running around with the stamping and signing/ anything involving looking for the NMO president. Running at the last minute never turns out well (i.e. missing the deadline) 3. Read and re-read the calls; if you are not sure what to do then ask the MSAKE Secretary General or anyone with IFMSA experience in MSAKE to help you. Candidatures/Applications are usually invalid (not considered) due to petty mistakes. Be especially careful with applications with page or word limits. Like I mentioned earlier, IFMSA Keep time and they also respect the instructions given. 4. Don’t be disappointed with application rejections… Take it as a stepping stone to learn and improve on your application writing skills for the next opportunity. IFMSA has 1.3 million members and limited slots for its opportunities so not everyone who applies is chosen (Remember Business studies about demand being more than supply… Well this is a perfect example) 5. Just because I said demand is more than supply does not mean you shouldn’t give it a shot… If you feel like applying go ahead… You have nothing to lose
mcwangari©
38
I wish you the best with your application writing
Chapter Nine: Other Organizations: The Federation Of African Medical Students’ Associations (FAMSA)10 Established in 1968, the Federation of African Medical Students’ Associations, FAMSA, is an independent, non political Federation of Medical Students’ Associations in Africa. The FAMSA vision is to become a strong network of medical students, aware of global health issues and responsive to the current questions facing the medical profession and global health. FAMSA seeks, among other things: ● To be the forum for medical students throughout the African continent to discuss topics related to health, education and medicine to formulate action plans from such discussions and to carry out appropriate activities. ● To act as a mechanism for medical students’ professional exchange and projects ● To be an advocacy body to sensitize and redirect African government's’ policies towards the path to sustainable health and development ● To act as a mechanism for organizations under its membership to raise funds for projects recognized by FAMSA For more details please check their website or refer to their constitution. You can also check their Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages for more details on what they are up to
10
http://famsanet.org/
mcwangari©
39
Appendix One: References
MSAKE CONSTITUTION IFMSA CONSTITUTION IFMSA NMO MANUAL IFMSA PROGRAMS SCOME MANUAL SCOPE MANUAL SCOPH MANUAL SCORA MANUAL SCORE MANUAL SCORP MANUAL
mcwangari©
40
Appendix Two: IFMSA Contacts
Website:
http://ifmsa.org Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/IFMSA Twitter Handle:
https://twitter.com/ifmsa Instagram Handle:
https://www.instagram.com/youifmsa/ Issuu:
https://issuu.com/ifmsa Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ifmsaonline
mcwangari©
41
Appendix Three: MSAKE Contacts Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/IFMSA.MSAKE/ Instagram Handle:
https://www.instagram.com/msake_kenya
Twitter Handle:
https://twitter.com/MSAKE_Kenya Issuu:
https://issuu.com/msakepublications Website:
http://www.msake.org/
mcwangari©
42
#ForYou #ForMedicine #ForMSAKE mcwangariŠ