SCOME Manual - 8th edition

SCOME Manual

for National & Local Officers on Medical Education

8th Edition

October 2014

IFMSA Imprint Editors in Chief Ahmad Badr, SCOME-D Stijntje Dijk, LOMEi SCOME International Team Ahmad Badr - Egypt Stijntje Dijk - The Netherlands Zamzam Ali - Sudan Victor Echeveste - Mexico Ying-Cing Chen (Angel) - Taiwan Abdulrahman Nofal - Jordan Rachel Bruls - The Netherlands Publications Support Division Firas Yassine - Lebanon

The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students worlwide. IFMSA was founded in 1951 and currently maintains 123 National Member Organizations from more than 100 countries across six continents. With over 1.3 million members, IFMSA is recognized as a nongovernmental organization within the United Nations’ system and the World Health Organization. It is also the student chapter of the World Medical Association.

For more than 60 years, IFMSA has existed to bring together the global medical students community at the local, national, and international levels on social and health issues.

Publisher International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)

This is an IFMSA Publication

Notice

International Secretariat: c/o Academic Medical Center Meibergdreef 15 1105AZ

© 2014 - Only portions of this publication may be reproduced for non political and non profit purposes, provided mentioning the source.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Disclaimer

Phone: +31 2 05668823 Email: gs@ifmsa.org Homepage: www.ifmsa.org

This publication contains the collective views of different contributors, the opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of IFMSA.

All reasonable precautions have been taken by the IFMSA to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material herein lies with the reader.

Contact Us publications@ifmsa.org

The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the IFMSA in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.

Some of the photos and graphics used in this publication are the property of their respective authors. We have taken every consideration not to violate their rights.

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Table of Contents

Foreword.........................................................................3 Introduction to IFMSA.......................................................4 Letter from the SCOME-IT.................................................5 Introduction to SCOME.....................................................6 SCOME Structure..............................................................7 History of SCOME............................................................8 History of Medical Education..........................................9 Basics of Medical Education...........................................13 How to join SCOME?.....................................................16 National SCOME Session..............................................17 IFMSA Programs..............................................................18 International Meetings & Opportunities.........................20 Policy Statements.............................................................22 External Partners..............................................................23 Working with Student Organizations...........................25 How to keep in touch?...................................................26

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Foreword The following document has been produced by the SCOME Permanent Small Working Group (PSWG) on Internal Operations; its main purpose is to briefly introduce what SCOME is, how it is structured and what its functions and aims are.

The manual is intended for restricted use by only National (NOMEs) and Local (LOMEs) Officers on Medical Education of National Member Organizations (NMOs) of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA).

Permission to copy and distribute this document is only granted by the Director on Medical Education (SCOME-D), provided that: 1. the copyright and permission notices appear on all reproductions, 2. use of he document is for non-commercial, educational and scientific purposes only, 3. the document is not modified in any way.

Should you have any input, improvements or additions for the manual, or should you want to receive additional copies, please contact the SCOME-D at scomed@ifmsa.org or the Publications Support Division Director at publications@ifmsa.org.

1st - 3rd editions were compiled by Jan Hilgers, Director on Medical Education 2005-2006, and Liaison Officer on Medical Education issues 2006-2008.

4th - 5th editions were compiled by Nikos Davaris, Director on Medical Education 20082009.

6th - 7th editions were compiled by Margot Wggemans, Director on Medical Education 2009-2010.

This present edition was compiled by Stijntje Dijke, Director on Medical Education 20132014. The following SCOME members have taken part in the compilation process: Yameen Hamid, Zamzam Ali, Rachel Bruls, Ying-Cings Chen, Amrutha Denduluri, Victor Echeveste, Raiza Kasilag, Orkun Kiliç, Pedro Correia de Miranda, Abdulrahman Nofal, Agostinho Sousa and Firas Yassine.

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Introduction to IFMSA

“A world in which all medical students unite for global health and are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to take on health leadership roles locally and globally” - IFMSA Vision Statement

The year was 1951, as the world was rebuilding itself after the world war II, when medical students from eight countries (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, England, The Netherlands and Austria) gathered in Copenhagen to start a non-political organization that would represent medical students. The purpose of such an organization was to “study and promote the interests of medical student cooperation on a purely professional basis, and promoting activities in the field of student health and student relief.” Hence, the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) was born.

Initially three committees were formed: Standing Committee on Medical Education (SCOME), Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE), and Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH). One year later the first General Assembly (GA) took place in London, 30 students participated, representing 10 countries. Over the years, the original eight member countries have been joined by many more. IFMSA is the world’s largest and oldest student organization representing medical students, maintaining 123 National Member Organization (NMOs) from over 100 countries.

IFMSA unites medical students worldwide to lead initiatives that impact positively the communities we serve. IFMSA represents the opinions and ideas of future health professionals in the field of global health, and works in collaboration with external professionals in the field of global health, and works in collaboration with external partners. IFMSA builds capacity through training, project and exchange opportunities, while embracing cultural diversity so as to shape a sustainable and healthy future. The core purpose of IFMSA is to bring together the global community of medical students at the local, national and international level on social and health issues.

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Letter from the SCOME-IT Dearest SCOMEdians, We are quite excited that you are viewing the SCOME Manual. As a team, and through endless meetings, workshops, seminars, and discussion groups, we aspire to (1) improve medical education systems in the world, (2) educate young leaders about medical education, and (3) represent the voice of the youth in the process of change.

SCOME - and IFMSA - might be overwhelming for the newcomer with a lot of abbreviations, a seemingly complex structure, and a lot of activities, and events. That’s exactly why we have created the SCOME Manual, a very simple and concise guide that will introduce you to all what you need to know and give you a quick orientation to get you started off your feet.

Throughout this manual, you will understand more how IFMSA SCOME operates, where can you find more information about our work, and how to get involved. Furthermore, the manual will dive a bit to give you an idea about what is medical education and its history.

We remain at your disposal for any extra help, and would be more than glad to answer your queries and provide you with the necessary support to become an active SCOMEdian , and how to start up SCOME in your NMO.

Ahmad BADR, SCOME-D

Stijntje DIJK, LOMEi

Zamzam ALI, RA Africa

Victor ECHEVESTE, RA Americas

Ying-Cing CHEN (Angel), RA Asia-Pacific

Abdulrahman NOFAL, RA Eastern Mediterranean

Enjoy Reading!

With love, Your SCOME Super Nerds (a.k.a SCOME International Team) Rachel BRULS, RA Europe

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Introduction to SCOME

There are six existing Standing Committees within the IFMSA: Professional Exchanges (SCOPE), Research Exchanges (SCORE), Public Health (SCOPH), Human Rights and Peace (SCORP), Sexual & Reproductive Health including HIV and AIDS (SCORA) and finally: Medical Education (SCOME).

Medical Education should be a concern of every medical student as M.E includes both curricular activities and extracurricular activities; hence, it shapes not only the quality of future doctors, but also the quality of healthcare.

As medical students are directly exposed to medical curricula, they are the first quality check of medical education and they should rightfully have an influence on the creation of new curricula and curriculum development. It is often the medical students who are the strongest proponents for adapting their education to the needs of their community. We are concerned with facing the needs of healthcare in a modern society and are willing to commit to make sure our education prepares us for them. Here SCOME enters the game.

The purpose of the SCOME is to gather students from all over the world who would be interested in playing an active role in their medical education; how to analyze it and then advocate adapting it to the present and future needs as future doctors.

As medical students are direct SCOME offers an international platform for medical students to come together, to be empowered and receive capacity building trainings to enhance their impact on the local level through projects and

advocacy, and on the other hand forms a tool that represents the voices of medical students worldwide through international organizations such as the World Health Organization, World Medical Association, World Health Organization, World Federation for Medical Education and many others.

Throughout the year, our members come together in two General Assemblies (March and August) and in five Regional Meetings, can participate in online meetings or in Small Working Groups on specific topics, and are constantly updated by the International Team on activities that are going on globally. In this annual report you will find the highlights of the activities from this term.

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SCOME Structure The IFMSA Director on Medical Education (SCOME-D) leads SCOME. (S)He is elected on a yearly basis by the IFMSA General Assembly during the August Meeting. As per IFMSA bylaws, the SCOME-D oversees and coordinates the work being done within SCOME, be it by the National Officers or the International team. The SCOME-D is also in charge of preparing and guiding the Standing Committee meetings during General Assemblies and Regional Meetings. At the start of the term in October the SCOME-D appoints members of the international team to assist carry out these tasks.

As SCOME collaborates with multiple external organizations working in the field of Medical Education, the position of Liaison Officer on Medical Education Issues (LOMEi) was established in the year 2000. The LOMEi is also elected on a yearly basis by the IFMSA General Assembly, and is tasked to represent both IFMSA and SCOME to externals; you can find a list of the externals that SCOME works with later on in Chapter 12 of the manual.

To ensure continuous coordination, monitoring and support to all SCOME activities across National Members Organizations (NMOs), the SCOME-D appoints the Regional Assistants with the consultation of the Regional Director and the LOMEi. Their tasks include, but are not limited to: - Keep in touch with the national SCOME groups within their respective regions; - Provide personal and professional support to National Officers on Medical Education;

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- Encourage and assist the development of SCOME within their respective regions (identify problems/weak points and work alongside National Officers and the SCOME-D to solve them); - Assist and support new comers; - Encourage and maintain cooperation within SCOME groups of their respective regions; - Prepare and lead the SCOME sessions at the respective regional meetings; - Encourage and maintain cooperation between regions; Each NMO within IFMSA that is a member of SCOME is required to have a National Officer on Medical Education (NOME) or a similar contact person who should be elected according to the NMO’s bylaws. Tasks of NOMEs include encouraging and promoting SCOME activities within their respective countries and reporting back to the Regional Assistant and/or SCOME-D. NOMEs are recommended to attend IFMSA General Assembly meetings in March and August, where they can network with each other, exchange ideas and expertise, and gain new knowledge to bring back to their national and local committees.

Local Officers on Medical Education (LOMEs) are in charge of local improvement in Medical Education and related activities at the different local medical faculties of a National Member Organization. They are elected locally based on their NMOs’ respective bylaws and are responsible for tackling local problems.

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History of SCOME

Medical Education should be a concern of every medical student as it shapes not only the quality of future doctors, but also the quality of healthcare. The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) has a dedicated organ that aims to implement an optimal learning environment for all medical students around the world – the Standing Committee On Medical Education (SCOME).

SCOME was one of IFMSA’s first standing committees from the beginning of its foundation in 1951. It acts as a discussion forum for students interested in the different aspects of medical education in the hope of pursuing and achieving its aim.

Important moments in the history of SCOME: - First policy statement of IFMSA: Impact of Technology on Health Education (19511970); - Declaration on Primary Health Care and Medical Education, (1979); - Policy declaration on Primary Health Care, (1980); - Policy Declaration on Medical Education, (1980); - Resolution on Medical Education, (1983); - Global Policy on Medical Education, (2014)

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History of Medical Education Medicine as we know it today is fairly different from that of ancient times, nevertheless, it is based on that developed in those times. With this evolution of medicine over the ages, medical education was also transformed. So, it would be interesting to take a brief look back in time to learn more about this evolution.

Before embarking on this fun mission, we should have some background on the development of medicine itself to understand the development of medical education. At first, many nations believed that the gods inflicted diseases, to the extent that the Greeks dedicated a god, Asklepios, to healing. As such, it is not surprising that a combination of rituals, magic and herbs were used to treat ailments. Once a ‘cure was found’ it was propagated amongst generations by word of mouth and memory. So, the concept of formal education was not as solid.

Perhaps the earliest form of documented medical education came from the Ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egyptians were the most advanced civilization at the time in medicine, that they

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influenced subsequent civilizations, including the Greeks and Romans. Along with the Babylonians, they introduced the concepts of physical examination to reach a diagnosis and a prognosis to diseases - processes that are still in use today. It is in this civilization, that documentation of procedures first appeared.

Ancient Egyptian physicians and students referred to procedures documented on papyri at the Peri-Ankh (House of Life). The Greeks and Romans then learned from this civilization, and slowly became important figures in medicine. In the 5th century BCE, the Greeks contributed the Hippocratic Oath, which is still sworn today (although modified). Hippocrates also contributed significantly to medicine by somewhat separating spiritual rituals from symptom-lead treatment of patients. The romans further improved medical procedures. In fact, some of the procedures and theories introduced by the famous roman surgeon, Galen, are still implemented today. However, with the fall of the Roman empire, and the restrictions imposed on medicine by the church, the science of medicine deteriorated in the west. Meanwhile, the Islamic scholars advanced medicine, learning from the Greeks. Their physicians made significant contributions to medicine during that period. A prominent physician, Ibn Sina (also known as Avicenna), authored “The canon of Medicine”, which collated existing medical knowledge and diagnostic techniques for diseases including breast cancer, hepatitis, and diphtheria, among others. Later, Italian physician, Rogerius, documented surgical practices in book Practica

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History of Medical Education

Chirurgiae or “The practice of surgery”.

Through this brief trip through history, we come to realize how medicine began evolving from a spiritual experience to a more scientific-based field. Physicians during that time were mostly trained by apprenticeships. Many did not attend a formal teaching institution. ‘Schola Medica Salernitana’, in Salerno - south Italy, was the first medical school to exist. It was founded in the 9th century AD. Its curriculum constituted 3 preclinical years, followed by 5 clinical years, and comprised of Greek and Arabic texts translated into Latin. Medical universities, thereafter, where founded in other countries across Europe. The most prominent of these where the University of Padua, the university of Bologna in Italy, and the university of Montpellier in France, which was the leading medical university in the thirteenth century. These universities taught the works of Hippocrates, Galen, Ibn Sina, and Aristotle.

Focus was mainly on theory rather than clinical work and dissection.

Yet, many physicians did not graduate from medical schools. In fact, as late as the 1840s, this was the case in the U.S.A. Thereafter, light started being shed on the importance of developing and maintaining standards in the

medical field, primarily through the reform of medical education, and institutionalizing medicine. During the 20th century, new professions were developed for physicians, and the 21st century further advanced medicine through research. Female physicians in the Soviet Union, were the majority, yet, they received lower pay than their male counterpart. As for the U.S.A, it was difficult for females to enter the profession prior to 1970s. The first American female to receive a formal medical education was Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910).

Today, there are a number of medical systems in effect around the world. Details of how each of these emerged cannot be tackled in a brief document such as this. Nevertheless, a number of trends seem to have emerged in several, if not all, of these medical educational systems.

Firstly, as highlighted previously, the importance of developing standards surfaced, and each country developed methods of ensuring that new physicians met these standards. Accordingly, medical systems developed their educational programs to create better-educated physicians.

Meanwhile, a number of medical advances were surfacing, re-enforcing the importance of research and science.

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History of Medical Education

As better drugs were being developed, and surgical improvements made, physicians reached a level of unprecedented victory over disease. Unfortunately, with these key advancements in curing diseases, the students were beginning to focus more on the scientific aspect of medicine, while overlooking their chief roles as healers. There was a schism between the patient as a whole and the disease. Factors such as the patient’s mood were not taken into consideration, as physicians thought that their roles ended once they treated the disease. In the past, the patient-physician relationship wasn’t merely one of curing the illness, but rather one of trust, care and compassion. Many medical schools then began realizing the importance of this relationship. Therefore, another round of reform in some medical systems has taken place to include trainings in proper patient-physician relationship. Furthermore, medical ethics was also integrated into most curricula, as ethical challenges in the medical field surfaced.

Whenever local curricula were found to be inadequate, informal education filled part of the gap. Informal education refers to education that is not in the standard school setting, and where no credits are earned. One such example would be IFMSA’s training sessions in various subjects, wherein students with more experience in particular fields train interested students, who then themselves acquire this knowledge. The value of the informal education was strengthened through the use of multimedia, which allowed more people to communicate together and share information.

Many students now refer to online videos, or

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smartphone applications to complement their learning. Perhaps this trend is overshadowed by the shift in education from a didactic learning process to an adult learning process, where students are expected to learn the material on their own, with the guidance of the teacher.

Hence, the student is no longer merely a receiver, but rather an active learner.

Multimedia has also found its way to the formal curriculum, with the integration of simulation labs (for heart sounds etc.), educational videos, and online applications into the curriculum. This integration began as early as 1969, when the Ohio State University implemented a computer program for the teaching of basic medical sciences. Over the years, the use of multimedia, allowed the development of distance-learning programs, and online continuing medical education trainings.

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History of Medical Education

Once medicine shifted from being a physicianpatient relationship, to an institutional effort, medical education had to reform to account for that. Hence, in the development of some curricula, more emphasis began being placed on the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and nutritionists together form the medical team that takes care of patients’ lives. Miscommunication and/or disrespect amongst members of this team can lead to detrimental effects in the quality of care provided to patients. Therefore, several approaches to attaining this goal are being employed by some of the medical curricula today.

In short, in the development of the recent medical curricula, more emphasis began being placed on research, adult-learning, better patient-physician relationship, and ethics. Other subjects were also included in training medical students, to ensure they were overall well-rounded individuals.

***

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Basics of Medical Education

Education can bring positive changes in a society, it is the only weapon that can empower an individual in particular and a whole society in general, alleviates poverty and eradicates disease. What if the cure of cancer is trapped inside the mind of someone who can’t afford an education?

Medical education is the bedrock on which healthcare is built, and acting on medical education is acting on the knowledge and skills of future doctors, on the quality of care that patients receive, and on the public and global health system. It’s one of the most important pillars to the creation of high-quality healthcare.

The dictionary defines medical education as the practice of being a medical practitioner, which is composed by the initial training to become a doctor (medical school and internship) and the additional training thereafter (residency and fellowship).

It is a process through which doctors deliberately transmits accumulated medical knowledge, skills, values to the next generation.

In general, there are two types of education: - Teacher-centered education, in which teachers are the primary source of education; - Student-centered education or outcomebased-learning; The move to outcome based-education has been one of the most important trends in healthprofession education in the recent years. An outcome is a culminating demonstration of learning; it is what the student should be able to do at the end of a course.

This is why medical education should be a concern of every medical student. After all, aren’t we directly exposed to medical curricula? Aren’t we the first quality check of medical education?

We, as medical students, should rightfully have an influence on improving our education. We, as medical students, should rightfully have an influence on improving our education.

But what is medical education?

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Outcome-based education is an approach to education in which decisions about the curriculum are driven by the exit learning outcomes that the students should display at the end of the course.

In outcome-based education, Product defines process. It can be summed up as resultsoriented thinking and is the opposite of inputbased education, where the emphasis is on the educational process and where we are happy to accept whatever the result is.

But since outcome-based learning is based on the students’ performance, what exactly should the assessment be based on?

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Basics of Medical Education

Should we assess the students’ fund of knowledge, procedural skills, professionalism, or interest in learning? Should we consider things like diverse backgrounds of students, theory of multiple intelligence, or diverse learning styles?

Should we choose the formative assessment (guiding future learning, providing reassurance, promoting reflection, and shaping values) or the summative one (making an overall judgment about competence, fitness to practice, or qualification for advancement to higher levels of responsibility) ?

In this perspective, The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (CanMEDS) have defined the criteria for a medical expert:

A medical expert is a: 1. Communicator: as communicators, physicians effectively facilitate the doctor-patient relationship and the dynamic exchanges that occur before, during, and after the medical encounter.

2. Collaborator: as collaborators, physicians effectively work within a healthcare team to achieve optimal patient care.

3. Manager: as managers, physicians are integral participants in healthcare organizations, organizing sustainable practices, making decisions about allocating resources, and contributing to the effectiveness of the healthcare system.

4. Health Advocate: as health advocates, physicians responsibly use their expertise and influence to advance the health and wellbeing of individual patients, communities, and populations.

5. Scholar: as scholars, physicians demonstrate a lifelong commitment to reflective learning, as well as the creation, dissemination, application and translation of medical knowledge.

6. Professional: as professionals, physicians are committed to the health and well-being of individuals and society through ethical practice, profession-led regulation, and high personal standards of behavior.

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Basics of Medical Education

The main goal of this assessment is to ensure quality improvement and globalization of standards. Indeed, the graduates should be able to meet the standards of the medical profession, of their healthcare systems and the needs of their communities. But they are also concerned with facing the needs of global health.

Thus, we need to make sure that their education prepares them for it.

Another check of medical education is to make sure that faculties are adapting their curriculum to the needs of healthcare, which is changing in an unprecedented rate and at multiple fronts.

But the reality is that medical schools are not or only slowly introducing changes in their curriculum.

And since students are facing the needs of healthcare in a modern society, they are the strongest proponents for adapting their education to the needs of their community. ***

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How to join SCOME?

Once established, a national SCOME committee has the opportunity to get in touch, through its local and national officers, with Regional Assistants and other national and international SCOME officers in order to benefit from their experiences and adopt some of their activities, events and campaigns.

How to get involved?

[All of the following are just suggestions on how to run SCOME in your NMO, it is ultimately up to each NMO how they want to conduct their work according to the Bylaws of the NMO and the bylaws of the IFMSA]

First you have to find out if you have a SCOME (Standing Committee on Medical Education) in your LC (Local Committee). Ask around, look for website, read about their activities or attend their meetings and become a volunteer of SCOME. If there is an active local committee for medical education one of the best ways is to get in touch with the LOME (Local Officer for Medical Education). The LOME coordinates all the activities on a local level so (s)he can give you a comprehensive overview on the SCOME activities in your faculty and he can also explain further how you can get involved on a local level. The LOME also is in touch with the NOME (National Officer on Medical Education) so (s)he can inform you on the national activities.

(See more about SCOME structure.)

A lot of information is public and you can probably find it online, however by getting in touch with the LOME you can find ways of bringing input and working on medical education issues in your faculty, volunteering in current project and

eventually coordinating projects or activities as well as developing new ones, creating new opportunities for students to get more from their medical education.

If you do not have a LC, try to get in touch with the NMO in case there is one and get their support for creating one, however if you do not have any national organization feel free to contact the TO for help.

Check the list with all IFMSA NMO, and see if yours is on the list and if SCOME is active or not.

Contact your LOME if: - You want to know more on the local activities; - You want to get involved in the current activities; - You have an idea for a project or an activity; - You have identified a particular problem in ME in your faculty and would like to approach it; Contact your NOME if: - You do not have a local SCOME in your faculty and your local committee would like to develop one; - You’re a LOME. You probably should keep in touch; Contact the SCOME-D or the RA if: - You do not have national SCOME and your NMO would like to create one; - You’re a NOME; Get on the international mailing list by sending a mail to ifmsa-scome-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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National SCOME Session A SCOME session is a space for all the SCOMEdians around the world to gather, during regional and international GAs, to discuss the basics of medical education, the latest news and the problems that SCOME face every day.

It’s a real opportunity to exchange experiences, ideas and thoughts about medical education.

It’s also a chance to write Policy Statements about some up-to-date topics in the IFMSA or in the medical education world, and to present the reports and updates of the SCOME international team and the Small Working Groups that have been working during the year.

The SCOME session aims to help the NOMEs through their mandate, by giving them some working tools, tricks and ideas of new projects, to keep SCOMEdians updated about the recent changes about medical education and to take positions.

Usually, a SCOME session is conducted by the SCOME international team and some other facilitators among the SCOMEdians. Sometimes, there are also highly-qualified externals that can be very beneficial for students.

Besides the session, that is mostly a space to work, there are some very interesting trainings to develop useful skills, Joint sessions with other standing committees to discuss the common subjects and SCOME regional meeting to talk about issues related to the region.

***

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IFMSA Programs

What are IFMSA Programs?

The systematized plan adopted by IFMSA from the previously followed defective projects system into the centralized theme-based structure.

What are the changes?

The change process includes the initiation, enrolment, reporting, timeline, monitoring, GA representation, and capacity building.

Initiation: EB initiates program under theme proposed by standing committee directors, preventing singular quantitative additions and sparking mass interest response.

Enrolment: Projects, workshops, campaigns, events, celebrations, or theme-based publications as NMO activities to be send in an application and evaluated by IFMSA Program Coordinator and Standing Committee Director overlying the theme submitted under. After receiving response in 2 weeks, activity to be carried out according to timeline followed by the crucial step of report submission.

NMO Reporting: Upon conclusion of predetermined activity timeline marking termination point, report is to be send to Program Director with the following information: - Expected vs. achieved outcome comparison; - Activity participants feedback; - Significant numerical data and activity briefing;

Program Director Reporting: After collection of NMO end-of-activity report, data analysis is to be performed and collected in IFMSA Impact Report presented on 1st of July for adoption in August Meeting. Impact Report is to be used for external representation through Liaison Officers and amongst National Member Organizations for IFMSA global influence resources.

Timeline: IFMSA Programs clears load of openended or unclear timeframes of activities through implementation of the predetermined timeline upon application as well as termination marked by report at endpoint. Timeline is preserved upon suspension of Program Coordinator with ensuring of handover to interim elected by IFMSA EB. Monitoring: Executive Board and Standing Committee Directors will monitor Program Coordinator certifying preservation of mission and vision of IFMSA and concepts of respective committee to the overlying theme. Program Coordinator is entitled to review and suspension

by Executive Board under complaints from either: - 2 Team of Officials members; - 2 National Member Organizations; - 1 Team of Officials and 1 National Member Organization;

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IFMSA Programs GA Representation: 3 – 5 persons can represent each program, eliminating unnecessary duplication and chaotic work pressure.

Capacity Building: Program Coordinator will coordinate with Training Support Division Director for capacity building of programs through workshops, skills set, tailored training material and tool kit, and geographical scale opportunities.

What is the difference between Activity Coordinator and Program Coordinator?

Activity Coordinator will work on the level of his NMO activity belonging to the theme. Program Coordinator is on an international level and receives the reports of the Activity Coordinators.

How do the Standing Committees and Training Support Division relate to the Program Directors?

Standing Committee Directors are proposing the programs, each of which coordinated by a Program Coordinator. Training Support Division Director will focus on tailoring and providing tools and training to the National Member Organizations functioning under the Program Coordinator.

So how does it go again?

Standing Committee Directors propose comprehensive topics in line with their committee aims forming a limited yet demanded set of themes under which will fall adopted NMO activities. Those activities will be reported at end of their determined timeline with comparison of outcomes to the Program Coordinator. Upon collection of isolated activity reports, Program Coordinator will perform date analysis and

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statistical resource. Throughout the process, capacity building and tools supplementation is being continuously provided as well as monitoring by the Standing Committee Directors and IFMSA Executive Board ***

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International Meetings & Opportunities

For every SCOMEdian, international meetings are an incredible occasion to learn new things about Medical Education, to meet inspiring external speakers, to share ideas and experience. A great number of collaborations between NMOs have begun during an international meeting and, even if there’s no official collaboration, meeting other SCOMEdians can result in long-lasting friendships across different countries.

Here’s a brief overview of the most important meetings in SCOME: IFMSA General Assemblies (GAs) The IFMSA gathers twice a year, in the two General Assemblies: the March Meeting and the August Meeting. The GAs last seven days, they usually take place in the first half of the month (March and August). The GAs are usually preceded by a group of short events, called PreGAs, with different topics every time.

Often, one or two PreGAs are SCOME-oriented or somehow pertinent to Medical Education, creating another opportunity to discuss in depth a specific aspect of Medical Education. During the GAs, there are a lot of things going on: plenaries, trainings, the theme event, sessions, and activities fair… indeed, attending a GA can be confusing.

However, the best parts and maybe the most important parts of the GAs, for us SCOMEdians, are the Standing Committee sessions. During these sessions, SCOMEdians get together and discuss meaningful topics, carefully selected by the SCOME Director, the LOMEi, and the Regional Assistants. In the SCOME sessions, SCOMEdians from all over the world make the Medical Education advance, by sharing their own experience and learning from each other. Also, the GAs are the place where the decision-making of the IFMSA takes place, so in the SCOME sessions there are also discussions about the policy statements and relevant official aspects of the Federation.

IFMSA Regional Meetings (RMs) The Regional Meeting is the yearly appointment during which all the NMOs from a single region get together to address the topics most relevant for that region. Within IFMSA there are five regions and consequently five RMs, each taking place at specific times during the year.

- Asia Pacific -- September; - Africa -- December; - Americas -- January; - Eastern-Mediterranean -- February; - Europe -- May; These four-day-long meetings also include SCOME sessions. These sessions are arranged by the Regional Assistant of each region, with the collaboration of the Director, the SCOME International Team, and the Regional Team. The SCOME sessions at the RMs are very rich in content, even though they last less than those at

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International Meetings & Opportunities the GAs, because there are fewer people, so it’s easier to keep focused. Also, all the participants come from the same geographical region, which usually implies that the issues they have to face in Medical Education are more similar.

Sub-Regional Trainings (SRTs) Sub-Regional Trainings are initiatives arranged by a single NMO, but shared with the other NMOs of the region and the whole IFMSA. Therefore, participants can attend from all over the world. SRTs usually last 4-6 days and don’t involve plenaries or official decision-making, therefore content is the main protagonist of these meetings. SRTs are about specific topics, mainly oriented on one or two Standing Committees. For SCOME, important SRTs are: SCOME-Camp, ESME (Essential Skills in Medical Education), WAMTE (Workshop on Access to Medical Training in Europe). During the SRTs, participants spend most of the time with their trainers, who are experts in that field. The SRTs aim to give knowledge, competences and skills to the participants, so that they can use them back in their own NMO to enhance their work, either in SCOME or in other aspects of their organization.

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Association for Medical Education in Europe AMEE Conference Every year, in September, the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), arranges a huge seven day-long Conference, during which experts in Medical Education from all over the world talk about Medical Education topics, challenges, experiences and ideas. Every year, over 3000 people meet in one place to be a part of this meeting: Med Ed experts, professors, Education enthusiasts, innovators, commercial sponsors and students. Students play an important role in the AMEE Conference. Every year, IFMSA and EMSA put together a Student Task Force. This group of students work for the Conference, showing people around, carrying papers, markers, forms and other materials to the right conference room, dealing with the lost-and-founds. In exchange, they can attend the Conference for free and, sometimes, they can provide meaningful insight from the student perspective to the older generation.

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Policy Statements

Policy statements can be used for a variety of reasons by any organization, including IFMSA. Generally, they are used to allow a group to assert its beliefs and values regarding a specific issue, in our case, related to Medical Education.

Example policies from the outside world could be the policies coming from the World Health Assembly or the policy of a National Medical Association policy. In each of these and other cases, the policy is used to convey the organization’s position in relation to the issue in focus, outlining key points or expectations regarding that issue.

Creating and writing policy statements gives members the opportunity to have a say in what issues IFMSA works in and what position we as medical students worldwide take. External organisations and the general public can understand what the IFMSA believes in. Policy statements can often be used to mandate members within for example the IFMSA Team of Officials to take action in a defined area. They can also be used as a reference point when your NMO wants to make a statement at a local or national level, as it gives you more leverage.

IFMSA currently has one policy statement that overarches the majority of the topics that SCOME has worked on in the past few years.

This document is called the “Global Policy in Medical Education.”

This document addresses IFMSAs beliefs in the following areas: 1. Lifelong Learning; 2. Sustainability; 3. Research and Innovation; 4. Education, and the Teaching Mission; 5. Readable and Comparable Degrees; 6. Mobility; 7. International Openness and Global Health Education; 8. Social Dimension, Equitable Access and Completion; 9. Quality Assurance; 10. Governance; You can read the entire policy by following this link.

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External Partners SCOME does a lot of work in the field of Medical Education; however there are many other organizations that are key players within this field. SCOME tries to set up collaborations with partners worldwide to create learning opportunities for its members as well as to give medical students a voice on the international playing field. Although our number of partners and collaborations are constantly changing and expanding, we will list two of our major official collaborations below as an example.

World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) The World Federation for Medical Education was founded in 1972 and has its office in Copenhagen, Denmark. The federation serves today with the purpose of being an umbrella organization for its regional associations for medical education, following the regional structure of the World Health Organization. Four other institutions related to the field of medical education are also members of the WFME Executive Council.

The WFME’s regional associations are: - Association for Medical Schools in Africa (AMSA); - Pan-American Federation of Associations of Medical Schools (PAFAMS); - Association for Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (AMEEMR); - Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE); - South-East Asian Regional Association for Medical Education (SEARAME);

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- Association for Medical Education in the Western Pacific Region (AMEWPR); The four institutions sitting on WFME’s EC are: - World Health Organization (WHO); - World Medical Association (WMA); - Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG); - International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA); WFME aims at enhancing the quality of medical education worldwide, taking initiatives with respect to new methods, new tools and new management. It covers all phases of medical education (graduate education, specialist training and continuing medical education).

The general objective of WFME is “to strive for the highest scientific and ethical standards in medical education, taking initiatives with respect to new methods, new tools, and management of medical education.”

At the WFME Executive Council (EC) meeting in Vienna in 1997 it was decided that IFMSA should be represented on the EC, at that time IFMSA was represented by the president. Currently IFMSA representation on the EC is through the Liaison Officer for Medical Education issues.

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External Partners

Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) is the European regional association of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME). AMEE helps teachers, doctors, researchers, administrators, curriculum developers, assessors and students keeping up to date with developments in the rapidly changing world of medical and healthcare professions education. AMEE’s activities include the annual conferences, Publications including Medical Teacher and AMEE education guides, courses and several projects.

Each year since 1973 AMEE has organized an annual conference in a European city. AMEE conferences now regularly attract over 3000 participants from around the world and the event has become one of the major gatherings for all interested in medical and healthcare professions education to get together to network, share ideas and hear the best of what’s happening in medical education throughout the world. IFMSA helps to coordinate the Student Taskforce during each year’s AMEE Conference and through this has the opportunity to give around 60 medical students a chance to attend this meeting for free. IFMSA also takes part in the AMEE Executive Committee as one of the two Student Representatives. ***

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Working with other student organizations IFMSA has, for long, believed on the utmost importance of interprofessional collaboration in medical practice, but also in medical education.

SCOME has been taking the lead in exploring this concept, and the creation of a Small Working Group on Interprofessional Medical Education is the proof of it.

At an educational level, there is therefore a huge potential on collaborating with other student organizations. Weather because it is important to implement this concept on student’s mindset, or because when doing external representation we can speak out with much more meaningful impact, or even because by sharing knowledge, skills and best practices, we learn how to do a better job; the importance of interprofessional collaboration is not questioned anymore.

IFMSA works, mainly, with IPSF, the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation; IADS, the International Association for Dentist Students; IVSA, the International Veterinarian Students’ Association; and EFPSA, the European Federation of Psychology Students Association.

The WHSA - World Healthcare Student Alliance, was established between IFMSA, IPSF and IADS, in 2013. This alliance is the most adequate means and aid for a strong collaboration between the involved organizations, both at an external representation level, to advocate for youth engagement within global decision making processes, namely WHO and its main events; and internal level, where capacity sharing enhances all federations.

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The WHSS - World Healthcare Student Symposium is an event held every two years and brings together hundreds of students from all healthcare settings.

However, IFMSA’s interprofessional collaborations are not limited to healthcare student organizations.

ICMYO - the International Coordination Meeting for Youth Organizations is a meeting that happens in New York City every September, parallel to the United Nations General Assembly and together with IANYD: Inter-Agency Network for Youth Development. ICMYO is coordinated by a taskforce that has 8 members, and IFMSA is one of them since September 2013. This group regularly meets online (average once a month) with the purpose of following up work done during UNGA. ICMYO’s main, long term, goal, is the creation of a UN Permanent Youth Forum, and advocacy is done across the world to engage main stakeholders with this idea.

IFISO - the Informal Forum on International Student Organizations is a network of 27 organizations. There are 2 meetings per year, that an amazing opportunity to, in an informal manner, network with other organizations, sharing knowledge and expertise, getting to know new organizations, and exploring new collaborations.

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How to get in touch?

Contact the SCOME International Team Your lovely international team is always here to help you. You can always find them on the following emails SCOME Director: scomed@ifmsa.org Liaison Officer for Medical Education: lme@ifmsa.org Regional Assistant for Africa: ra.scome.africa@gmail.com Regional Assistant for the Americas: ra.scome.pamsa@gmail.com Regional Assistant for Asia-Pacific: ra.scome.asiapacific@gmail.com Regional Assistant for EMR: ra.scome.emr@gmail.com Regional Assistant for Europe: ra.scome.europe@gmail.com

IFMSA SCOME Facebook group Keep in touch with more than 5000 SCOMEdians from all over the world on the Facebook group by clicking this link.

Follow IFMSA online Website: click here Wordpress blog: click here Facebook page: click here Twitter account: click here Instagram account: click here YouTube channel: click here Publications hub (Issuu): click here

IFMSA-SCOME mailing list Do you want to follow all the latest news of SCOME? Do you want to get informed of all the opportunities, deadlines and the events that are happening within SCOME? Join the IFMSASCOME mailing list by sending an empty email to ifmsa-scome-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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