Introduction

IFMSA-Egypt participates in both the Professional Exchange and Research Exchange of IFMSA. Through the IFMSA network, IFMSA-Egypt Exchange operates between Egyptian Medical students and IFMSA Members around the world. All exchanges last for four weeks, and are handled on a bilateral basis. The students are offered a spot in the department or the research project of their choice, as well as lodging, accommodation and often a social program. They are assigned a tutor during their entire exchange, that makes sure that the students are actively participating and improving their skills. A lot of measures are taken to provide a good academic quality of the program such as the student handbook and the official SCOPE or SCORE Certificate that is received upon securing at least 80% attendance of the clerkship.

Endorsements for the exchanges: IFMSA Exchanges are endorsed by multiple medical associations you can check these endorsement letters here

History

IFMSA was created to foster cooperation and collaboration among medical students by breaking down social barriers through promoting opportunities for dialogue and creating clinical exchanges via the Standing Committee On Professional Exchange (1951). The Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE) was founded in 1991 as the Standing Committee on Electives Exchanges (SCOEE) and in 1998 it was named back to SCORE.

Each year, more than 15.000 medical students embark on a journey to explore health care delivery and health systems in different cultural and social settings.

SCOPE's Mission

SCOPE’s Mission is to promote cultural understanding and cooperation amongst medical students and all health professionals, through the facilitation of international student exchanges. SCOPE aims to give all students the opportunity to learn about global health and attains this partly by having its exchanges accredited by medical faculties across the world.

SCORE's Mission

SCORE’s Mission is to offer future physicians an opportunity to experience research and diversity in countries all over the world. This is achieved by providing a network of locally and internationally active students that globally facilitate access to research exchange projects. SCORE aims to develop both culturally sensitive students and skilled researchers intent on shaping the world of science.

Incoming Division

IFMSA-Egypt welcomes you to our beautiful country!

IFMSA-Egypt Incomings division is responsible for arranging a spectacular medical and social programs for foreign students in different departments of Egyptian Medical Hospitals as well as sight seeing and different activities all over Egypt. The division with its team is also responsible for arranging boarding and lodging for the incoming students throughout the period of the clerkship.

Through the IFMSA network IFMSA-Egypt is able to offer medical students a clerkship in one of the medical faculties and hospitals affiliated to them. The clerkship is arranged by the local officers at the students’ faculty.

Types of clerkship:

Clinical Clerkship.
Research Clerkship.

Duration:
4 (clinical) & 6-8 (research) weeks.

Working conditions:

Five hours a day, five days a week.
Weekend: Thursday and Friday.
The student must complete at least three weeks of the clerkship in order to get a certificate.
The student must bring the Academic Quality logbook of his/her corresponding National Member Organization/University.

Departments:

Internal Medicine (haematology, cardiology, pulmonary disease, etc.).
Surgery (general -, cardiovascular -, plastic -, orthopedics, etc).
Gynaecology & Obstetrics.
Tropical Medicine.
Emergency Medicine.
Radiology.
Pathology.
Dermatology.
Ophthalmology.
And many more ..

Application documents:

Curriculum Vitae.
Motivation Letter.
Copy of Passport.
Copy of personal picture.
All documents that are required by the arranging local committee.

Boarding & Lodging:

Incoming students will be accommodated at student hostels or student dormitories, according to the local committee.
According to the local committee two or three meals a day are provided to the student.

Social Program:

Social activities will be organized by the individual Local Committees. A contact person will be available for contact and responsible for the well-being of the exchange participants. Every summer a National Social Program is organized by IFMSA-Egypt, available for all incoming students attending a clerkship during that period.

Make sure to bring your ISIC card to get 50% Discounts on touristic places fees .

National Weekends:

IFMSA-Egypt Exchange Team organizes National Weekends to gather all Incoming Students from all over Egypt to meet in one place in unforgettable trips, to see more click below.

Testimonials

Caludia

Hi!! I’m Claudia, I live in Italy. The training was very good, foreign students had the possibility to entry in all operation theatre and the doctors were very open for explaining the operations. The social program was amazing!! Every day was full, CPs always organized something for us. During the weekend we moved in different city, in the other days we visited the most famous monument of the city. Obviously we tasted Egyptian food, so good!! Cairo is frenetic and chaotic, but I got used to this CPs are fantastic people, without them my trip would have been the same. They’re so helpful, kind, lovely, they organized everything for us, spent every moment with us. Thank you for all moment that we spent together. It was one of the best experience of my life, and i’m so glad to meet you, to visit Egypt and for everything. I miss you every day, love you.

Tereza - Czech Republic

My academic experience in Tanta was more than amazing. When I chose Egypt for an internship, I knew that conditions would be different than in Europe, but I never expected to have the opportunity to learn that much. I was assigned for general surgery, but after a few days my heart ignited for anesthesia. I was lucky to meet a very nice doctor who willingly explained everything to me and was there for me every time I joined him in the operating room. The most interesting for me was the opportunity to try intubation, make a central line, know the technique of spinal anesthesia and learn how to deal with fluid loss and their adequate replacement in a patient with a subdural hematoma. That was unforgettable for me! The number of things I was offered to try was larger than what is common at our faculties, so I am very grateful for the amount of experience that this internship gave me.

Gabriela - Brazil

My exchange in Egypt was undoubtedly the most enriching experience I have ever had in my entire life! And it’s hard to put into words all the learning and personal and professional growth I’ve had living a month in a country full of culture and history. I already miss the dorms (or should I say “home”?) from Ain Shams Specilized Hospital and the general surgery routine with my girls and the most patient and nice doctors and nurses. I also could never forget the heat, the food, the chaos, the famous “egyptian time”, the English with Arabic accent, the surreal pyramids, the temples (each one with a cooler story than the other), the amazing beaches I went (Dahab and Marsa Alam), the camels and the desert. But mostly the friendships I made! Where in the midst of everything above we created memories for the rest of our lives! I miss you all and the great adventure we lived together! Thank you all, Shukraan Egypt! ♥🇪🇬

Sirine

Hi everyone I’m sirine a tunisian medical student and last year i had such a wonderful experience with must During the month, i attended many surgeries and the surgeons were translating each step in english so that we can understand what they are doing, the surgery that i enjoyed attending the most was tetratology of fallot that was performed on a baby. Everyday, one of the contact persons came with us to the operation room and helped us know more about the surgeries. Beside that, everything was perfect and well planned , the team has always a plan B and they planned a great social program and we could see almost everything, alexandria,dahab, ras shetan, sukhna, downtown egypt, khan il khalili ,we always had something fun to do, i was so lucky to spend my exchange month in must, thank you for everything

Sofia - Brazil

Hola! My name is Sofia Schauffer from Curtiba, Brazil. I was an Research exchange student in Tanta, Egypt during last Januaray . My experience was out of the world and definitely a life changing one. First of all, I adopted the amazing Egyptian culture and vibes as the Contact Persons , Tutors and everyone was so welcoming ,so always felt that I am home not a stranger. I am happy that I got the opportunity to participate in the Research Project with the Cardiology and Public Health department. It was really one of a kind as it was 1st experience in the research field. On My exchange I, got the chance to visit the wards of the hospital to collect data from the patient , analysis of their investigation with the help of the Tutor and even attend some operation . Then we have to use these data and the observation to make a scientific and Research analysis to conclude the theories suggest and formulate results and hypothesis under the supervision of Tutors from both Cardiology and Public Health department. At the end, I had to present a research report and a presentation . Everything was well prepared and Organized. About Tanta City, It is the BEST ever! At the beginning I thought it is a small city and there will be nothing to do there ,but I was wrong, It is such a big city more than I expected. Also the Contact persons were so friendly , helpful and available at any time we needed them. There is also a lot of outings in Tanta as Malls, Café, Restaurant and more other things. I was never bored there as every day we hang out in Tanta with The Contact Persons. Also they arranged a 4 national social program other the National Weekend organized by IFMSA-Egypt and in each of them they accompanied us. I made new friendships here in Tanta and we are still in contact with each other till the moment. Totally recommend everyone to go for an exchange in Egypt specially Tanta. CPs are fantastic people, without them my trip would have been the same. They’re so helpful, kind, lovely, they organized everything for us, spent every moment with us. Thank you for all moment that we spent together. It was one of the best experience of my life, and i’m so glad to meet you, to visit Egypt and for everything. I miss you every day, love you.

Bilal - Czech

The summer of 2021 I went for an exchange programme to Egypt. Specifically the beautiful city of Kafr El Sheikh to shadow doctors of internal medicine and surgery for a month. This experience was nothing short of amazing, I witnessed so many interesting cases at the hospital with my fellow guides who were helpful and guided me throughout my stay. Patients undergoing brain tumor surgery, endoscopies, emergency situations, outpatient cases were some of the many highlights of my internship. Not to mention the social aspect, I had made good friends with my guides and would spend my nights after the hospital rotations with them. Going to cafes, gaming, gyms, catching up for a quick bite and even just exploring the city of KFS. We also had many trips to other cities such as Cairo, Dahab and Alexandria. The details and feelings are too much to put into words. Overall from an educational and a vacation stand point, the IFMSA exchange to Egypt was one of my favorite trips I’ve ever gone on. I will never forget the skills I’ve obtained, the friends I made and the places I saw.I already miss the dorms (or should I say “home”?) from Ain Shams Specilized Hospital and the general surgery routine with my girls and the most patient and nice doctors and nurses. I also could never forget the heat, the food, the chaos, the famous “egyptian time”, the English with Arabic accent, the surreal pyramids, the temples (each one with a cooler story than the other), the amazing beaches I went (Dahab and Marsa Alam), the camels and the desert. But mostly the friendships I made! Where in the midst of everything above we created memories for the rest of our lives! I miss you all and the great adventure we lived together! Thank you all, Shukraan Egypt! ♥🇪🇬

Outgoing Division

The IFMSA Exchange Program

The IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations) arranges the largest student exchange program in the world with almost a 100 countries participating and available for clerkship. IFMSA represents 1.3 million medical students from 139 NMOs in 130 countries around the globe. IFMSA-Egypt provides Exchange opportunity to the five regions (EMR, AFRICA, AMERICAS, EUROPE and ASIA ). Around 10,000 medical students each year participate in international medical student exchanges which run under two divisions:

SCOPE: Standing Committee on Professional Exchange.
SCORE: Standing Committee on Research Exchange.

SCOPE gives you the opportunity to experience a different health care system and cultural diversity in a very personalized manner. You will establish international connections with other health care professionals and develop awareness towards global health issues. SCOPE aims to have its exchanges accredited by medical faculties across the world and to give all students the opportunity to learn about global health and the effects of globalization. SCORE provides medical students from around the world the unique opportunity to participate in exceptionally rewarding and affordable clinical or preclinical research projects in a foreign country. Through this international exchange program, SCORE aspires to contribute to the international co-operation and understanding between the medical faculties, research institutes and among the students and health care professionals.

Some facts:

The largest student-run exchange program in the world.
A unique opportunity to experience a healthcare system in another country.
It’s fun and educational.
We work with certificates and students logbooks.
Organized social program.

Availability:

IFMSA exchange opportunities are available in 100 countries in six continents around the world. You local committee can provide you with up to date information concerning the application process and available spots.

Application:

Any medical student studying at a Faculty of Medicine in Egypt, weather he/she is a member of IFMSA-Egypt or not , can apply for the Exchange Program.

The selection process:

Every candidate should:

Take a written exam.
Take an oral interview.
Have participated in extracurricular or teamwork activities.
Be active in IFMSA-Egypt and/or a Local Committee.

a. Written Exam
It constitutes 60% of the total score and it’s designed to assess the following topics:

English language skills.
General knowledge.
Medical knowledge.
Egyptology (which includes basic history of Egypt and coping with the current events).
Intelligence quotient “IQ”.

b. Oral Interview
It constitutes 30% of the total score and shall assess the following:

Spoken English concerning pronunciation and vocabulary.
Proficiency.
Representation.
Open-mindedness and acceptance of diversities.
Proofing any extra spoken language other than English and Arabic.

c. Extracurricular or teamwork activities
The candidate who has participated in extracurricular activities has probably passed through experiences that made him/her more qualified for the Exchange Program so Extracurricular Activities “once proofed” give the student a bonus of 10 points to be added to the total score.

d. Activity within IFMSA-Egypt
Active Members of IFMSA-Egypt and its Local Committees are the most aware of the IFMSA structure and more likely to represent their country and their NMO in the best possible way.

Final results:

At the end of selection process, a score sheet will be presented to all the candidates who applied. This sheet is arranged in a descending order, the candidate with the highest score is able to choose his/her spot first.

Expenses:

The expenses for the Exchange Program depend on your Local Committee. For more information please contact your Local Exchange Officer or Local Officer on Research Exchange.

International Achievements