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The IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Association) August meeting was organised for the 74^th time in Tampere, Finland, between August 1 and 7. The Pécs Medical School was represented by Eszter Gál fifth year student, who has shared her experience about the week-long event and pointed out whey participating in such events is worth it.

Written by Hanga Kovács

Eszter joined the Pécs Medical Students’ Association during the first year of her studies, and has been an active member since, as it provides an opportunity for volunteering and fulfilling health improvement and prevention tasks. One of the main pillars of the association is exchange practices, which Eszter deals with. Thanks to this task, she was able to represent the Pécs group at the meeting in Finland.

“As the national exchange practice coordinator, I learnt about the workings and quality of exchanges of member associations from different countries during the event. As for the future, I believe the knowledge I gained is useful for developing the exchange practices on both the local and national level” – shared the fifth year student.

During the August Meeting, representatives of universities had the opportunity to participate in lectures to help them have a better understanding of the tasks of the NORE (national research coordinator). During the week-long event, participants could work in groups to come up with new ideas, and also get to know the national member associations from other countries. The organisers also thought about leisure: those arriving in Tampere were greeted with cultural evenings, where every delegate could give lectures about the habits and gastronomy of their home country.

“I think it is important to improve the quality of exchange practices offered by the Pécs association, since our students can gain a lot of new experience and build valuable connections, which could be an advantage in their future careers. Developing language skills and experience gained in intercultural environments are also useful, and so is building connections with medical students from abroad. By participating in exchange practices, students can get an insight into the workings of the healthcare systems of other countries” – pointed out Eszter Gál.

She thinks that such an event is advantageous for the faculty as well, since knowledge gained about IFMSA increases the visibility and recognition of the Pécs association, providing new opportunities for Pécs medical students. As she says, the quality of exchange practices and the number of available places strongly depends on national and international connections. The more people represent the association, the bigger effect they can have on national decisions. Aside from learning from others, participants can help increase the number of available places in national exchange practices, which would be favourable for Pécs medical students as well, as Eszter Gál also emphasized.