Post by Anjali Anna Thomas, Medical Student at Malankara Orthodox Syrian College (MOSC) (India) who completed a GEMx Elective in Internal Medicine at Ben-Gurion University (Israel)
What have you gained from this exchange experience offered through GEMx? What were the benefits?
This experience has opened up a new perspective in medicine and medical education. It has helped me to understand the different kinds of health systems that are present in the world. International relations is another added benefit that I have gained through this opportunity. I was able to learn more about the life of people in a different country and gain an understanding on the various aspects like culture, language, religion, health systems and so on.
How did you prepare for your elective exchange? Were you prepared?
I did not really do a lot of preparation for the elective. I got all the official paper works done and booked my tickets. But I think I could have learnt the language a little bit so that communication would have been much easier. The languages spoken in Israel are Hebrew and Arabic.
What did you learn from this experience both personally and professionally? (consider your clinical experience, community experience, cultural experience, communications and interactions with faculty, staff, peers, and patient population)
Personally, I have learned that I can be open to different cultures and accept it. It has taught me to broaden my thoughts sphere. Professionally, I have learned a lot in clinical medicine, how to build a rapport with my patients, how to take samples and to do procedures. I have also learned that it is important to treat all your colleagues, be it any position they hold, in the right manner. Professional camaraderie can go a long way in building the right atmosphere at your workplace. The community at large has taught me that one should always be mindful of others around oneself.
How did you feel when you returned to your home school?
It was a fantastic experience. I felt that a lot of things that I had seen back at Israel could also be adopted at my home institution.
How is this learning relevant to you now that you are back? Can you give any examples?Will you do anything differently now?
The Infectious Medicine Department in Soroka Medical Center had a strong measures and protocols for the management of infectious diseases in the campus and I felt that such measures could be introduced in my home institution.
