The
NOME Manual
IFMSA Imprint Standing Committee Director Arij Chatbri - Tunisia International Team Alexander Lachapelle - Canada Katerina Dima - Greece Dino Mehic - Austria Twenda Ongas - Kenya Pablo Estrella Porter - Ecuador Rahoul Gonsalves - India Salma Bouguerra - Tunisia Aleksandra Likonska - Poland Layout Design Firas Yassine - Lebanon
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization representing associations of medical students worldwide. IFMSA was founded in 1951 and currently maintains 136 National Member Organizations from 127 countries across six continents, representing a network of 1.3 million medical students. IFMSA 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. 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.
Publisher International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)
This is an IFMSA Publication
Notice
International Secretariat: c/o Academic Medical Center Meibergdreef 15, J0-208
© 2017 - Only portions of this publication may be reproduced for non political and non profit purposes, provided mentioning the source.
1105AZ Amsterdam,
Disclaimer
The Netherlands 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
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.
vpprc@ifmsa.org
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.
Contents
Welcome Message Page 3
About IFMSA Page 4
Introduction to SCOME Page 5
What is a NOME? Page 7
What is a LOME? Page 8
SCOME Format Page 9
NMO Activities and Activity Management Page 12
www.ifmsa.org
Team Management Page 13
Planning Your Own Sessions Page 15
Advocacy: What and Why Page 17
Training Medical Education Trainers (TMET) Page 20
Opportunities Page 21
Welcome Message hi there! Oh, hi Oh, there! So, you have just been elected as NOME and don’t really know where to start? Well, let’s start from the beginning! First of all, congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of SCOME. Despite what many people might tell you, it’s not just black or white but an infinite set of colors waiting to be discovered. And we are more than happy to have you on board with us! You have come to just the right place to help you get started and get an organized idea about the work you will be doing. In this document, you will find all relevant information from your job description to tips on activity management, the differences between SCOME formats worldwide and what opportunities IFMSA can provide for you, as well as your duties towards IFMSA (because every relationship is a two-way street). Of course, some of this information will not be relevant to your NMO and you might need to adjust a few things here and there. This is, after all, a document to support you and show you the various paths you can follow. The choice will always remain in your hands. This journey you have embarked on is going to be wonderful; yet, only if you allow it to be. Sometimes you might feel frustrated or demotivated, yet other times (most times) you will burst with inspiration and excitement. As we mentioned already, it’s not just black or white: an array of emotions awaits you at the next stop.
What are you waiting for? Take a deep breath, and let’s dive right in!
The NOME Manual
3
About IFMSA The year was 1951. Medical students from 8 countries (Austria, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland) gathered in Copenhagen to start a non-political organization for medical students. The purpose was to “study and promote the interests of medical students’ cooperation on a purely professional basis, and promote activities in the field of student health and student relief.” So was born the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA). Initially, 3 committees are formed: the Standing Committee on Medical Exchange (SCOME), the Standing Committee on Professional Exchange (SCOPE), and the Standing Committee on Students’ Health (SCOSH). A bureau of information was set up in Geneva to establish contact between all members and international organizations. A year later the first General Assembly (GA) took place in London, where 30 students took part, representing 10 countries. This year, in 2016, IFMSA celebrated its 65th anniversary. The 8 founding member countries have been joined by many more. IFMSA is now the world’s largest studentrun organization, representing medical students from 127 countries worldwide. Over the past 65 years, the structure and functions of IFMSA have been changed several times. The IFMSA principles have been further defined in the present constitution, and state: • The Federation pursues its aims without political, religious, social, racial, national, sexual or any other discrimination, • The Federation promotes humanitarian ideals among medical students and so seeks to contribute to the creation of responsible future physicians, • The Federation respects the autonomy of its members.
4
IFMSA Vision 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 Mission 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 partners. IFMSA builds capacity through trainings, projects and exchange opportunities, while embracing cultural diversity so as to shape a sustainable and healthy future.
www.ifmsa.org
Introduction to 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 which aims to implement an optimal learning environment for all medical students around the world, the Standing Committee On Medical Education (SCOME). Through all our joint efforts we work to create sustainable changes around the world, for ourselves as medical students, for the generations to come and for our future patients and our communities who are in fact the final beneficiaries of our education.
History SCOME was one of the first standing committees of IFMSA, since its founding in 1951. This committee acts as a discussion forum for students interested in the different aspects of medical education in the hope of pursuing and achieving its aim.
SCOME Vision Medical students attain an optimal professional and personal development to reach their full potential as future doctors for better health care worldwide.
Today, SCOME works mainly on medical education capacity building. SCOME provides several platforms and methods to educate medical students worldwide on various medical education issues. Through this knowledge, it empowers them to advocate to be a part of the decision-making chain. SCOME believes in medical students as important stakeholders in creating, developing and implementing medical education systems.
What do we do? We support active involvement in education on an
SCOME Mission Our mission is to be the frame in which medical students worldwide contribute to the development of medical education. Students convene in SCOME to share and learn about medical education in order to improve it as well as benefit the most from it on a personal and professional basis.
individual level encouraging students to take the initiative and responsibility for their education both curricular and extracurricular, through: seeking educational experiences and opportunities for further development, participating in extracurricular activities that simultaneously enrich them and benefit their peers or the community, collaborating with the faculties by forming and expressing informed opinions and providing appropriate feedback in an
We organize projects that promote and provide opportunities and tools for medical students to improve their knowledge and pursue their goals, provide information to students about relevant issues in their education, centralize students’ opinions, facilitate communication with the faculties or other institutions.
effort to elicit necessary change, as well as with national
We seek to promote best evidence medical education
and international bodies in order to contribute to global
practices for efficient delivery, advocate for improvements
improvement of medical education.
in faculties, national medical education systems and
The NOME Manual
5
Introduction to SCOME international guidelines. Through all our joint efforts we work to create sustainable changes around the world, for ourselves as medical students, for the generations to come and for our future patients and our communities who are in fact the final beneficiaries of our education.
SCOME Structure: The Director on Medical Education (SCOME-D) is elected each year by the National Member Organizations, during the IFMSA General Assembly in
Director in whatever task may arise during the term and be flexible according to each situation. Keep in mind that such a position might change in nature across time, depending on the SCOME-D. The Development Assistant (DA) is as well appointed by the SCOME-D and assisting the director mainly on Capacity Building within SCOME. The main focus of their tasks is sharing information and materials, assisting during the process of planning workshops and the follow up of TMETs. He/She is also working in cooperation with the other members of the international team on the SCOME-related Programs and the strategic plan.
August. They coordinate the work that is done by National Officers, projects coordinators and other SCOMEdians. The SCOME Director is responsible for the SCOME meetings during the IFMSA General Assemblies. The positions of Liaison Officer for Medical Education issues (LME) was established in 2000 to represent IFMSA and SCOME towards international associations in the field of medical education (e.g. World Federation
Join Us Online If you are a medical student that want to get involved and learn more: Subscribe to SCOME mailing list by sending a blank email to the following address: ifmsa-scome-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You can also join our Facebook Group: IFMSA-SCOME.
for Medical Education - WFME). The SCOME-D and the LME work closely together during the year and the GAs. The Regional Assistants (RAs) are appointed by the Medical Education Director. Their main task is to keep in touch with the national SCOME-groups in the other region, provide SCOME members of the region with personal and professional support, encourage and assist the development of the SCOME in the Region, establish priorities and work on the development of a regional plan of action. The General Assistant (GA) is also appointed by the SCOME-D, with a main task of handling the SCOME related social media and interaction with members, assist the Director in coordinating the SCOME IT, support preparations for the General Assemblies and take care of all SCOME related documents (public or not). More importantly, however, the work of the GA is to assist the 6
www.ifmsa.org
What is a NOME? The National Officer on Medical Education (NOME) is
• Planning SCOME related Capacity Building
responsible for managing and developing the Standing
events on a national or international level (e.g.
Committee on Medical Education, where that is existent,
TMET, SRTs etc.);
in their own organization. They coordinate the Medical
• Smooth functioning of National SCOME Team,
Education related activities and the National SCOME
as well as immediate and effective crisis and conflict
Team, comprising usually of NOME Assistant(s),
management;
LOME(s) and LOME Assistant(s).
• Updating the National SCOME Team on
They are also responsible for curriculum related issues
international SCOME news;
and researching ways to improve the current status of
• Updating NMO members on important SCOME
medical education, wherever needed.
happenings and opportunities nationally and internationally;
In particular, the NOME is responsible for:
• Developing and improving Medical Education
• Leading and coordinating the National SCOME
within his/her own country through activity planning
Team (see above);
and advocacy;
• Coordinating and managing the SCOME related
• Promoting National SCOME work towards
activities on a national level;
IFMSA and enrolling national activities into IFMSA
• Connecting and cooperating with NOMEs from
programs.
other NMOs (National Member Organizations); • Coordinating the team of Medical Education Trainers - if applicable; • Planning SCOME sessions in National Meetings. • Representing her/his NMO in IFMSA regionally and internationally; • Representing her/his NMO in Medical Education related external partners; •
Promoting
Medical
Education
related
opportunities to her/his NMO.
The NOME collaborates internationally with: • SCOME International Team: SCOME Director, General Assistant, Development Assistant and most importantly, the respective Regional Assistant; • NOMEs from other NMOs; • Program Coordinators, relevant to national activities. NOME duties towards IFMSA: • Completing the SCOME part of the biannual NMO report;
The NOME ensures:
• Promoting IFMSA related opportunities to his/her
• Smooth implementation of National SCOME
members;
Annual Working Plan and solving whatever related
• Preparing participants of SCOME sessions in
problems may arise; • Development, evolution and sustainability of SCOME related activities;
international meetings; • Participating in regional Online Meetings and communicating with the respective Regional
• Creating new SCOME related activities;
Assistant;
• Building capacity among and guiding the Local
• Responding towards any SCOME related calls
Officers (LOMEs) in terms of Medical Education;
for input. Internationally or regionally;
The NOME Manual
7
What is a NOME? • Sharing aforementioned calls nationally; • Respecting IFMSA set regulations when organizing events in the name of IFMSA (e.g. TMET) and contacting the SCOME International Team ahead of time; • Updating the respective Regional Assistant whenever the status of SCOME in the NMO changes (e.g. a new NOME is elected); • Enrolling National Activities to the respective programs.
Skills important to a NOME: • Basic Knowledge on Medical Education topics (e.g. curriculum development, evaluation and assessment etc.); • Creativity; • Patience & good Time Management; • Coordination and leadership skills, especially related to teamwork; • Team Spirit; • Organizational skills; • Activity Planning & Activity Management.
What is a LOME? So you’ve been selected as NOME after they saw your wonderful plan of action and have trusted you with taking Medical Education in your NMO to the next level. Your plans are HUGE. It’s quite easy for you to feel a bit overwhelmed. But don’t panic. In come the LOMEs! LOME stands for Local Officer on Medical Education.
What does this mean? They are your eyes on the ground. Not just eyes but hands too. Not only your hands but also the ventricles to your cerebrospinal fluid, the aorta to your heart and the
make it better. This is because each university is unique in its own needs and environment. What works best in one might not necessarily be the same for the other (both ureters do the same job but have different routes to the kidney, okay that is the last anatomy reference!).
ureter to your kidney. The LOMEs transmit your message
What you should do?
on the ground level.
Some tips of how to handle a new LOME so they feel
(who said there’s less studying once you become active
part of the team:
in IFMSA?)
1) Make initial contact and introduce yourself;
Why are they important?
2) Get to know their plans and vision of what they want
The LOMEs transmit your message on the ground level. They actualise your plan so that each and every Medical
for SCOME in their local chapter (this is even before you make them aware of your own);
Student can benefit from SCOME and what it has to
3) Share with them IFMSA/SCOME structure and fill in
offer both locally and internationally. They tell you how
any gaps they have on that knowledge of the same;
students are responding to your work, if it’s working or
4) Share with them your plan of action and see how you
not. They help figure out what you need to change to
can align the two separate plans;
8
www.ifmsa.org
What is a LOME? 5) Introduce them to the rest of your team and other LOMEs. If they have not set up a communication network such as official email advise them to do so;
to make their medical education activities even better;
6) Carry out monthly evaluation of their progress focusing on activities they had planned to do;
11) Include them in your national activities;
7) Carry out bi-monthly or monthly capacity building activities with LOMEs where you talk about SCOME related content such as programs; 8) Be there for them. Some might need more following up than others; 9) Support their local initiatives with your experience and advises. Give them feedback and recommendations
10) Promote the work between LOMEs. Maybe a joint project between different local committees? 12) Understand them. They are human and are studying medicine as you. This is but a general guideline that you can use for clarification, but feel free to be as fluid as possible. The Regional Assistant is also available for any help you may need with the LOME. In other words, you got this! Keep up the great work.
SCOME Format Maybe you’re wondering, what exactly SCOME does, and how do you go about it as a NOME? There's no straightforward answer to this. Medical education is a broad area that includes various subjects. In order to organize our different projects, IFMSA has created a set of programs that categorizes these different activities among different thematics. An activity is any action conducted by members of an NMO, which impacts a group of people. Although the focus areas may differ, activities can generally be classified as: 1. Capacity building activity: This involves improving the knowledge and skills of medical students, so that they may achieve a better positive impact; 2. Education activity: This involves informing the target audience of a specific topic; 3. Advocacy activity: Actions that are meant to influence decision makers to act in favor of the desired change; 4. Research activity: Gathering data to help support your decisions, or the decisions of those in power; 5. Fundraising activity: Raising money to meet defined goals. Any of these types of activities can be used to help you fulfill your goals.
The NOME Manual
9
SCOME Format Okay, but what are the possible areas to look at? 1. Teaching Medical Skills
most effective ways of teaching and learning?
Contributing to the creation of competent and confident doctors, through the provision of appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes.
2. Research: Collecting data related to a specific issue.
a. Research: Analyzing current situation in medical school. Assessing the quality of clinical skills training and the needs of medical students.
group discussions etc., e.g. Effectiveness of
b. Capacity building
b. Quantitative: Yes/no questions, Scales 1-10,
c. Clinical skills such as suturing, ECG reading, catheterization, CPR etc. This can be conducted as workshops, where you have faculty members teach the intended skill.
e.g. Satisfaction levels of medical students of XY
d. Advocacy: Advocate with the faculties to provide support, non-formal education recognition, Integration of well-structured competency-based programs in curricula.
2. Medical Education Systems Involves changing the medical education system itself. 1. Capacity Building: Training medical students in topics related to the field of Medical Education (i.e. Not academic subjects, but the principles and practice of educating medical students). Topics can include:
Can be: a. Qualitative: Gathering ideas through interviews, PowerPoint lectures as a teaching tool on 4th year medical students.
University with the quality of medical education. 3. Advocacy/Activism: Informing your fellow students of the current issues and gathering their support so that you may effectively appeal to people in power to address the issues. 4. Increasing student representation: in faculty decision making bodies- Councils, Boards etc. 5. Curriculum changes: Citing specific issues and possible solutions for inadequacies in the curriculum. 6. Fundraising: Generating funds to achieve specific outcomes, e.g. For equipment in a clinical skills lab a. Donation campaigns b. Ticket sales from an event c. Registration fees for a conference /cultural fest
a. Assessment and Evaluation: Why are medical students assessed? Subjectivity vs objectivity, various methods of assessment/evaluation for instance essay questions, MCQ's, OSCE, Mini Cex, etc.
3. Health Systems
b. Curriculum development: How is it done?
medicine, equipment are too few and too expensive
c. Quality Assurance & Accreditation: What does it mean? How would a medical college benefit from it? Identifying the accrediting bodies.
and many rural populations do not use health services.
d. Teaching and Learning theories: Which are the
1. Education: Trade and Health, Universal Health
10
Health systems worldwide face various challenges; the budget is substantially low, the quality is insufficient, the
Actions conducted by medical students are needed to counter these issues.
www.ifmsa.org
SCOME Format Coverage, Global health Governance 2. Capacity Building: WHO simulations
4. Ethics and Human Rights in Health Ensure that medical students as future physicians are able to question their professional behavior and decision-making and answer by ethical and human rights - principles regardless of the situation. 1. Education: Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law and Nuremberg Code, Geneva Convention, Declaration
These are just suggestions, and the above information is by no means all encompassing. You have just seen that the scope of SCOME goes beyond the classroom into the welfare of healthcare professionals and thereby the communities they serve. Yes, these concepts may seem intimidating at first and perhaps beyond reach, but know that you have a strong and developed network of experienced SCOMEdians across the globe who may have some inkling of knowledge in the areas you dare to venture. Good luck!
of Helsinki (DoH) Workshops where ethical dilemmas and social issues are introduced through case scenarios or theatre/ plays where these themes are portrayed (e.g. Theatre of the oppressed)
5. Human resources for health Engagement of medical students in the solution of the current challenges in health care workforce planning and distribution. 1. Education: Session where the disparity between doctors in urban and rural areas, and the factors attributing to that are discussed. 2. Campaigns/Activism/advocacy: a. Towards improving the working conditions in underserved areas, so that doctors are more inclined to work there. b. Addressing professionals
The NOME Manual
violence
against
healthcare
11
NMO Activities & Activity Management You are now going to start one of the most important tasks as NOME: creating activities, projects, workshops, congresses, symposia, campaigns, events, or any other idea that comes to your mind! Are you stuck and don’t know where to start? No worries, we have something for you: • Here is the SCOME activities database from all around the world (yes, all over the globe). • You can check, review and get some ideas of what can you do for you NMO. • But wait! Is not over yet. You can contact any of the NOMEs and make an international project, ask them for advice or for more information about their idea. There is a great way to increase the impact of your activity. The IFMSA Programs!
12
www.ifmsa.org
NMO Activities & Activity Management Project Management: The 5 Step Approach 1. Initiating:
4. Monitoring and Controlling:
a. Analyze how the project will benefit your NMO/ the population and identify if the project is realistic. 2. Planning and Design: a. Time to fill some paperwork. Sit down, write down the proposal. Do you need a place? A speaker/ trainer? Fundraising? Promotion? b. Have a plan B. 3. Executing: a. Designate tasks and deadlines to your teamwork b. Be sure everyone is on the same page to work
a. Showtime! The day has come and all the work done will be worth it. Expect some issues, that always happens. 5. Closing with evaluation: a. Have an evaluation plan for your project. How much your participants learn? What they learned? Who and how where people beneficiated? b. Keep track and report the activity. Is important for future replications. For more information, click here.
Team Management Working as a national officer is a truly fulfilling yet
with the determined tasks. If you are interested in this
challenging task. There are some things you have to
idea, contact your Regional Assistant.
know before you start your work:
Last but not the least, the work with your LOMEs! This is
• You cannot work by yourself. You need to create
the cornerstone of your work as NOME. Take a look to
a strong and trustful team.
the following tips to working with them:
• Have you consider having a NOME assistant? You already have one? Great! But you have to coach him/her. Make them your right hand and the support for your work. • Learn how to delegate your tasks. Some of them you might be able to do it by yourself, but you need to trust in your team and in their work. Have patience, these might take a while but once established, everything will work smoothly.
• Be sure to contact them constantly. Some of you might have 5 LOMEs, others more than 40. But it doesn’t matter. Make sure to send to all of them constant information about SCOME. • Capacitate them! You can make a camp, during your National General Assemblies, online meetings, training days or any other idea. Make sure they have the enough tools to work in the area you want. • Make them work together. Your LOMEs have an
Some NMOs have a SCOME team. A team in charge of
incredible potential. They have a lot of imagination
accomplishing the different areas in medical education
and creativity for new activities. You can create
The NOME Manual
13
Team Management National initiatives, by letting your LOMEs work as a team in a same topic. • For more information, check chapter 4. You also have the support of your amazing SCOME International Team. Your Regional Assistant will be always there for you to support and answer any question. The SCOME Director is always communicating with the RAs, so don’t worry, she is updated of what is happening
14
to you. The Liaison Officer for Medical Education is working hard to represent you with the externals in the best way possible. And the Development and General Assistant are always there working to keep SCOME rolling, and will work with the Regional Assistants to support you as well.
www.ifmsa.org
Planning Your Own Sessions Finally! The time has come to plan out your SCOME sessions! But, where do you start? Don’t panic! It’s much easier than you think it is and we are here to prove exactly that. Here are the simple steps you need to follow:
1. Know what your members need This can be done either through consulting your LOMEs directly and knowing their challenges and the support they are expecting locally, or through sending a call for input.
and empowerment sessions so that your participants don’t run away on day 2. Here are some tricks to prepare the daily agenda: 1. Start with a quite easy topic to refresh your participants’ minds, not everyone is a morning
How can I create a call for input? You can use
person. (If you have morning sessions)
forms.google.com, it’s a simple and very effective way
2. Don’t make sessions last for more than 90
to gather input from people. The questions might vary
minutes if you don’t have space for Group work,
from asking about the preferred layout of the sessions
discussions and games.
(Lectures, games, Group work, etc.) to collecting
3. Alternate between hard and easy topics, or have
information about the local needs of your members in
parallel sessions if your audience is big and mixed
capacity building.
of old and new people.
You can also give the chance to your members to
4. Leave space for breaks, not everyone is a fan of
facilitate sessions or come up with innovative sessions
energizers.
on their own!
5. Try to have a theme for the day if possible, so the
Some NOMEs prefer to work on this step on their own by doing some research and trying to keep the members updated with the international/regional Medical Education issues which is completely fine.
transition between sessions comes smoothly. 6. Don’t forget to leave space for daily evaluation and feedback, it’ll help you make the day after sessions more fit to your audience. 7. Leave at least a one hour session on the last
Remember, you are in charge, so whatever makes you
day for feedback and sharing. This is an important
comfortable and makes you feel like you are doing the
experience for many participants and it’s nice to
best for your NMO, do it!
value that.
2. Create your agenda
3. Do some research
With all the information you gathered, it’s time to come
When preparing for your sessions, it’s very important
up with your masterpiece. Try to prioritize the topics you
to know about the topics you are presenting. Whether
have and make your final selection according to the
you’re giving this session for the first or the tenth time,
needs of the members attending.
there’s always something new to learn and to pass to
Don’t make it all about technical medical education lectures, include soft skills training sessions and motivation The NOME Manual
participants. You can find several resources in the SCOME Public 15
Planning Your Own Sessions Folder. Or if you are a TMET trainer you can post in the trainers’ Facebook group [Link here] and ask for help. You might be surprised how fellow trainers can be helpful. Finally and most importantly, you can contact your Regional Assistant, who can help with the resources, agenda and even with a motivational boost. Their email address is ra.scome.[region]@ifmsa.org.
in
the
form
of:
4. Execute! After all these preparations, the time has finally come to actually give the sessions! You may have chosen to do this all by yourself, you may have chosen to have a sessions team (especially if your NMO has many LOMEs!) but one thing remains the same: This is your time to connect with your SCOMEdians and inspire them. With good planning, you have nothing to fear at all! Take a deep breath and remember what a unique opportunity these sessions are.
long, long time. We guarantee that you will.
5. Evaluation The sessions may be done, but the work isn’t; don’t forget to create evaluation forms (or any other method you choose) to collect feedback. This is the most effective way to improve your work and the next sessions. Also, prepare a solid handout to send out to the participants! Presentations, important links, videos, anything you shared, remember to give back to the participants so that they can keep using it in their own work. You may want to include photos of the sessions to keep the memories alive! Use the constructive criticism in the next sessions you give and keep the positive comments for every time you feel unmotivated or lacking passion. It helps more than you can imagine! And with these simple steps, your sessions are done! It wasn’t that hard, was it ?
Enjoy it! Have fun and make memories to cherish for a
16
www.ifmsa.org
Advocacy: What and Why? Advocacy is definitely one of the most used words in IFMSA. You are probably wondering: Why is it so popular? Just imagine that you have a problem and you know the possible solution, but you are only one voice in the crowd. Then suddenly you are given a megaphone; and not only everyone can hear you, but also they follow you. Advocacy is this megaphone.
nt Hello! al stude ic d e m I am a I can help you make
the univ ersit y be
tter!
In this chapter, I would like to explain step by step what advocacy is and how to implement it in your NMO.
Advocacy is a strategic series of actions designed to influence those who hold governmental, political, economic or private power to implement public policies and practices that benefit those with less political power and fewer economic resources (the affected group - you!). Are you skeptical? Do you think advocacy doesn’t work? Here is an example of a simple powerful advocacy action: video here! Okay, I convinced you to start the “advocacy project.” What should you do now? Let’s move onto how to actually plan your action:
The NOME Manual
17
Advocacy: What and Why?
Let me explain this graph using an example.
You realize 80% of students fail XYZ exam. Step 1: You start analyzing what’s the situation. You talk to your friends and ask about their opinion. You realized that the questions are based on outdated textbooks and not accessible, up-to-date articles. Moreover, questions are difficult to understand from a linguistic side. In the meantime, you educate yourself on how test items/ questions should be prepared. Step 2: You decide that your main goals will be: 1) make sure outdated/badly designed items are removed and 2) new ones will be prepared in a proper way. You check if your plan follows a SMARTER strategy. You
Step 4: You check which dates are the best for everyone and you set the time of meeting. Step 5/6: Finally you attend the meeting and it is rather successful, but you realize the changes are not implemented. Now, it’s time to evaluate your actions. After that evaluation you decide to contact XYZ head of department again, but this time invite vice-dean to the meeting. And so, the next meeting is even more fruitful. Finally, after a month, you receive the feedback from students that the new exam is much better prepared! Congratulations! You have just advocated successfully! If you want to know more: click!
look for someone that can help you, so you talk to the students’ council and the head of the medical education department. Step 3: After long conversations, you decide that meeting with the head of XYZ department will be the best option, as that person is rather open to students’ opinions. 18
www.ifmsa.org
Advocacy: What and Why? This meeting was very successful. But how do you get this megaphone to make sure you will be heard? If you have 5 min, I recommend you to watch this video describing the idea of the Golden Circle: click here.
Those two steps are interconnected. This represents the actual action. Let’s consider previous examples: • Why: Students pass exams with better grades. How: Students are better prepared for exams. What: We make sure students have a studentfriendly library, where all essential books are available.
To sum up - if you explain the reasons why something is important to someone, you increase your chances that they will listen to you and help you achieve what you want. Starting with what and even totally skipping the why part is the most common reason of unsuccessful advocacy action. Now, let’s focus on each step.
STEP 1 - why? Advocacy in medical education has two main, a bit idealistic, but very powerful goals: achieving better healthcare through better medical education. Of course this is a very general goal, but just make sure all of your smaller (but not less important) objectives lead to this bigger, general one. Here you can see couple of examples: • Students pass exams with better results • Future doctors understand the needs of society • Future doctors can avoid burnout • ...and many many more
STEP 2 & 3 - how and what? The NOME Manual
• Why: Future doctors understand the needs of society. How: Doctors as students had a chance to work with society. What: We make sure that rotations in rural areas are included in the medical curriculum. • Why: Future doctors can avoid burnout. How: Doctors know techniques on how to avoid burnout. What: At university there are free psychologist consultations for medical students. Those were just examples, your reality will bring you many, many more.
What can help you in advocacy? 1. Policy statements/documents: these documents represent the stance of a group or an organization. You can learn from them, but also use them as support for your actions. At the beginning you will probably use already prepared ones, but in the future maybe you will write your own! Here you can find more more information on how to write policy document for your NMO: click here! Global Policy on Medical education is available here. 2. AMEE Guides: you realize what the problem is, but you don't have enough knowledge in this field? 19
Advocacy: What and Why? Educate yourself through well prepared articles by leading specialists in medical education. click here! 3. Training Medical Education Trainers: you can learn about med-ed and practice your skills at the same time. Upcoming TMETs, check here!
4. SCOME Group: follow what other SCOMEdians do and share your results here! 5. SMART Strategy: it is great to prepare your goals to be really SMART click!
Training Medical Education Trainers (TMET) What? As a NOME there are some skills that are essential for your work in your NMO and on an international level. Besides, it is always a great advantage to have at least a basic knowledge on Medical Education and Advocacy. For this reason, we have the TMET within IFMSA which can help empower yourself. Basically you are trained on Medical Education topics including also important soft skills: • Assessment and evaluation planning,
development
How? There are several possibilities to participate in TMET: • Usually there are many TMETs offered in most of the regions. • Also you can do the TMET at a Pre-GA or preregional meeting • Many SRTs also offer TMETs
• Education, teaching and learning • Curriculum implementation
By facilitating training sessions, you can also empower your own members.
and
• Student involvement • Advocacy • Subject relevant to NMO/regions’ challenges: • Research in Medical Education • Social Accountability and accreditation • And many more related to Medical Education
Why?
If there is still no TMET organized in your region - prepare one by yourself! You can find the TMET regulations below. The SCOME International Team is more than happy to help you in this process: • Development Assistant: da.scome@ifmsa.org • SCOME-Director: scomed@ifmsa.org • Your Regional Assistant
Useful Links? • Materials & Agendas • TMET Regulations
Becoming a TMET Trainer enables you to level up your SCOME Team into the full depth of SCOME activities. Capacity Building is an important issue when it comes to empowering our members. You can educate them and give session on Medical Education topics. On the other hand, it is also a great advantage for your own NMO. 20
• Corporate Identity TMET T-shirts • Webinar: “How to organize TMET in your NMO?”
www.ifmsa.org
Opportunities You know now what IFMSA expects you to do. But, the real question remains: what can you gain through fulfilling those expectations? What can you expect out of IFMSA? What is IFMSA’s role in your position and how can we be of help? The answer can be both simple and complicated. IFMSA offers many channels and many different types of opportunities, but for the purpose of this manual, we will stick to the SCOME related stuff. The two biggest and greatest things IFMSA can offer you are 1. capacity building which equips you with the necessary tools to take on Medical Education and 2. networking: both with incredible SCOMEdians from other countries and important Medical Education stakeholders!
These are some of our external partners internationally who organized events which you could attend through IFMSA! Now let’s review the most important events happening every year!
1. IFMSA General Assemblies: Held twice per year, the entirety of IFMSA joins in an incredible event, called the General Assembly. 6 days in March, 6 days in August SCOMEdians (and not only) unite in the most diverse SCOME sessions. And this is your greatest opportunity to learn, to connect with other NOMEs, LOMEs and SCOME enthusiasts and to build your capacity! 2. IFMSA Regional Meetings: Apart from the General Assemblies, your region also has its own remarkable event: with a more relaxed agenda and a more personal approach, you can meet with SCOMEdians from your own region (who might have issues more similar to yours) and connect. As always, the SCOME sessions offer knowledge, motivation and a new outlook on various topics!
The NOME Manual
21
Opportunities 3. PreGAs / Pre-RMs / SRTs: IFMSA has created activities specifically related to capacity building for its members. These activities happen before the GAs and the Regional Meetings and you can find an array of helpful workshops, whether SCOME related or not. Keep an eye out for TMETs, Policy Making, Activity Management, External Representation workshops, among others. Moreover, all throughout the year there are various Sub Regional Training (SRTs) events organized all over the world. These can include, just like preGAs, a variety of workshops catered to your specific needs and priorities: so make sure to follow what’s happening and the calls sent out! An example of a staple SRT is Portugal’s T4All, which has been organized consistently for many years. Keep an eye out also for individually organized workshops such as TMETs. You wouldn’t believe how many of them are happening internationally! 4. AMEE Student Task Force: The medical education highlight of the year is the AMEE Conference. AMEE, the Association for Medical Education, one of the regional member associations of the World Federation of Medical Education, is a longstanding partner of IFMSA. And every year, during this event, IFMSA has the privilege of sending around 60 students to help with all relevant conference tasks. In 2017, more than 1200 applications were received: you can tell how motivated and passionate SCOMEdians are about this event. It is, after all, the peak of Medical Education research and development! More information: click here! Note: Every year, the call for STF members is sent out around March. 5. Call for Delegations AMEE and WFME are not the only partners of IFMSA; and they are definitely not the only ones organizing events. TheNET, the Right to Research Coalition, UNESCO Chair in Bioethics are some of our partners organizing events every year that NMOs have the opportunity to attend. These change slightly through the years, depending on what our partners are also working on, so make sure to follow up on the news! An example for this in 2017 would be the call for taskforce members for the World Summit on Social Accountability (WSSA) that took place in Tunisia, or the call for delegates to the UNESCO Conference in Bioethics that took place in Cyprus!
22
www.ifmsa.org
Opportunities 6. Calls for Input: Even more often than calls for delegations, IFMSA gives you many opportunities to share your thoughts and provide input. Whether it is for important meetings your Liaison Officers or other TO members are going to attend, whether for SCOME sessions content (which always happens before GAs or Regional Meetings) or for the priorities of SCOME and other Standing Committees (and the list goes on), you will be invited and encouraged to participate! By sharing your thoughts, you help shape the IFMSA work and adapt it more towards your NMOs needs!
7. Calls for International Teams: Last, but not least, we want to encourage you to join the wonderful SCOME International Team (SCOME IT). Every year, after the August Meeting elections, the SCOME Director looks for Regional Assistants and Program Coordinators. This is a one of a kind chance to work beyond just your NMO and expand your experience in medical education. The call for the SCOME IT is usually shared late August/early September. Here you can see opportunities and obligations of IT members: click here! And hey, maybe one day you will become the next SCOME Director yourself!
Keep in mind that by following all the SCOME communication channels, you can stay updated as to what is happening and how you can become more involved!
The NOME Manual
23
Finally We truly applaud you for managing to come to this point. Hopefully, this has been a helpful read that you will keep by your side. If after reading this manual, your questions remain unanswered or your thirst for knowledge remains unquenched, feel free to reach out to any member of the SCOME International Team. After all, we are here for you first and foremost! May your journey in SCOME be full of achievements and wonderful experiences - and we can’t wait to hear all about it! And for some technical things: This document is the product of the hard work of the 2016/2017 SCOME IT, in hopes to remain a tool across the next generations.
Yours truly, Arij Chatbri, Alexander Lachapelle, Aleksandra Likonska, Dino Mehic, Katerina Dima, Pablo Estrella , Rahoul Gonsalves, Salma Bouguerra, Tendwa Ongas.
24
www.ifmsa.org
Algeria (Le Souk)
Latvia (LaMSA)
Senegal (FNESS)
Argentina (IFMSA-Argentina)
El Salvador (IFMSA-El Salvador)
Lebanon (LeMSIC)
Serbia (IFMSA-Serbia)
Armenia (AMSP)
Estonia (EstMSA)
Lesotho (LEMSA)
Sierra Leone (SLEMSA)
Australia (AMSA)
Ethiopia (EMSA)
Libya (LMSA)
Singapore (AMSA-Singapore)
Austria (AMSA)
Fiji (FJMSA)
Lithuania (LiMSA)
Slovakia (SloMSA)
Azerbaijan (AzerMDS)
Finland (FiMSIC)
Luxembourg (ALEM)
Slovenia (SloMSIC)
Bangladesh (BMSS)
France (ANEMF)
Malawi (UMMSA)
South Africa (SAMSA)
Belgium (BeMSA)
Gambia (UniGaMSA)
Mali (APS)
Spain (IFMSA-Spain)
Bolivia (IFMSA-Bolivia)
Georgia (GMSA)
Malta (MMSA)
Sudan (MedSIN)
Bosnia & Herzegovina (BoHeMSA)
Germany (bvmd)
Mexico (IFMSA-Mexico)
Sweden (IFMSA-Sweden)
Mongolia (MMLA)
Switzerland (swimsa)
Montenegro (MoMSIC)
Syrian Arab Republic (SMSA)
Morocco (IFMSA-Morocco)
Taiwan (FMS)
Namibia (MESANA)
Thailand (IFMSA-Thailand)
Nepal (NMSS) The Netherlands (IFMSA NL)
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MMSA)
Nicaragua (IFMSA-Nicaragua)
Tanzania (TaMSA)
Nigeria (NiMSA)
Togo (AEMP)
Norway (NMSA)
Trinidad and Tobago (TTMSA)
Oman (MedSCo)
Tunisia (Associa-Med)
Bosnia & Herzegovina – Republic of Srpska (SaMSIC) Brazil (DENEM)
Ghana (FGMSA) Greece (HelMSIC) Grenada (IFMSA-Grenada)
Brazil (IFMSA-Brazil)
Guatemala (IFMSA-Guatemala)
Bulgaria (AMSB)
Guinea (AEM)
Burkina Faso (AEM)
Guyana (GuMSA)
Burundi (ABEM)
Haiti (AHEM)
Cameroon (CAMSA)
Honduras (IFMSA-Honduras)
Canada (CFMS)
Hungary (HuMSIRC)
Canada – Québec (IFMSA-Québec)
Iceland (IMSA) India (MSAI)
Pakistan (IFMSA-Pakistan)
Turkey (TurkMSIC)
Catalonia (AECS)
Indonesia (CIMSA-ISMKI)
Palestine (IFMSA-Palestine)
Chile (IFMSA-Chile)
Iran (IMSA)
Panama (IFMSA-Panama)
Turkey – Northern Cyprus (MSANC)
China (IFMSA-China)
Iraq (IFMSA-Iraq)
Paraguay (IFMSA-Paraguay)
Uganda (FUMSA)
China – Hong Kong (AMSAHK)
Iraq – Kurdistan (IFMSA-Kurdistan)
Peru (IFMSA-Peru)
Ukraine (UMSA)
Peru (APEMH)
United Arab Emirates (EMSS)
Colombia (ASCEMCOL)
Ireland (AMSI)
Philippines (AMSA-Philippines)
Costa Rica (ACEM)
Israel (FIMS)
Poland (IFMSA-Poland)
Croatia (CroMSIC)
Italy (SISM)
Portugal (ANEM)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (SfGH)
Cyprus (CyMSA)
Jamaica (JAMSA)
Qatar (QMSA)
Czech Republic (IFMSA-CZ)
Japan (IFMSA-Japan)
Republic of Moldova (ASRM)
United States of America (AMSA-USA)
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MSA-DRC)
Jordan (IFMSA-Jo)
Romania (FASMR)
Uruguay (IFMSA-URU)
Kazakhstan (KazMSA)
Russian Federation (HCCM)
Uzbekistan (Phenomenon)
Denmark (IMCC)
Kenya (MSAKE)
Venezuela (FEVESOCEM)
Dominican Republic (ODEM)
Korea (KMSA)
Russian Federation – Republic of Tatarstan (TaMSA)
Ecuador (AEMPPI)
Kosovo (KOMS)
Rwanda (MEDSAR)
Zambia (ZaMSA)
Egypt (IFMSA-Egypt)
Kuwait (KuMSA)
Saint Lucia (IFMSA-Saint Lucia)
Zimbabwe (ZiMSA)
www.ifmsa.org
medical students worldwide
Yemen (NAMS)