FQMS

Our Hope

"When I was busy preparing for university entrance examinations with Physics as my main subject long ago in the autumn of 1991, to study medicine was an unattainable dream. Now this dream has come true with the promise that our new faculty will be graduating new doctors in the year 2001.

The Faculty of Al-Quds makes possible a new standard for the profession in this country, a standard that honours the regulations encourages research and brings better care to the patient. I believe the School will be the permanent guide in medical practice both in Palestine and throughout the region.

We students of the School have a great responsibility to our country because we have to put into practice all that we have learned at college.

With God's help we will work to make this School the best there is."

Fida'a Nader Shana'a 4th Year student

Wonderful Place

"I did my elective in Tromso located in the North of Norway at the Universitetssykehuset Nord Norge the attachment was arranged by the IFMSA programme: The University hospital had 9 floors, each floor divided into parts A, B, C and D, each part divided into 1, 2 and 3, (like al Makassed hospital, though each department with its clinics bigger than Al Makassed hospital by 3 times). This is a centre hospital ( to which other hospitals refer their cases), because this hospital contains all modern equipments for all specialties, it also has a helicopter base for emergencies.

In Tromso Orthopedics hospital everybody spoke Norwegian, but the Doctors translated everything to me, by the way, in hospital they are very kind the patients, doctors, nurses and the students, everyone there wanted to teach me something, every day they asked me if I had learned something new and if I needed anything to learn.

This is very important the everybody there allowed me to use my hands in every thing, and they were interested see the student could use his hands and handle with the patients properly.

In the department, morning report and clinics, they use the computer to handle with all cases, in clinics they give us the opportunity to handle the patients by ourselves, because everything (information, lab tests, X-rays and the plan for this patient) was available in the computer, if we faced any problem we call the responsible doctor who would help us. I had to be in hospital between 8:00 am and 3:00pm, any time I wanted to come back to hospital I could. Every day after those of us who were involved in Tromso exchange finished our work in hospital, we evaluated everything happened in hospital, and we were all happy and satisfied.

About 90% of the population there speak English: Tromso is located in 3 lands, communicated by bridges, above transverse line 70 degrees, this city called Paris of Norway because it has an active trade and a lot of tourist, something very interesting, Tromso has 6 moths night and 6 months sunny, in summer all the day is sunny, I saw midnight sun, the sun never set during the night, so the people there depend on their watches to know the day and night, the temperature between 9C to 14C during day time and 5C to 9C at night, the weather there not stable every hour change (rainy and sunny), there are heaters everywhere (hospitals, buses, settings…), the weather not that bad, not too cold or too hot, special we are in summer.

It has wonderful nature you will never see like this nature in your life, the trees, lakes every where, snow over mountains top in summer, wild animals. Another thing, Tromso is the brother city of Gaza, and the people there support the Palestinians.

Norway in general very expensive, so for me I just bought a bus card for one month special for students (450 Kroner = $100), this card allowed me to go anywhere I wanted in the city. Without this card I paid 450 Kroner in my first 4 days in Tromso just for transport.

The social program depended on the weather, when it was fine it included a hiking trip, visiting Polaria Aquarium which contains sea animals (some fish have their two eyes in the same side . . .) some of the fish swim in special glass pools over us, a fantastic barbeque and a lot of things. The IFMSA social programmes are really nice.

Accommodation was amazing, I can’t describe it in lines but I’ll talk something about that, I lived in university setting, it’s like the houses which are in the settlements, two floors each floor contains 3 rooms, each student in dependent room, all students share in kitchen, all students in the same floor share in bathroom.

Furniture: each room contains modern sofa, cable, chair, table lamp, wardrobe, shelves for books, and settee. The kitchen contains TV, chairs, wide table, three fridges, one freezer, radio, microwave, oven ….everything, there are also disposable spoons, knifes, forks and dishes. In the bathroom, the warm water available all the day, it contains a carpet you can enter the bathroom without shoe but sure I used my shoe.

All the university buildings are located beside the hospital and the sea. Food: although a lot of their food contains pork, there is a lot of delicious foods which was made with chicken, fish and beef. I got it from the hospital cafeteria which like supermarket there are also rather than foods different kind of juice, cola, ice tea and coffee, muffins, cakes, fruits, sandwiches, sweets, milk, ice cream, and a lot of things I didn’t try them, I ate my breakfast there and I got my lunch and dinner to my setting. Of course this is for free in the IFMSA exchange.

My visa application was rejected first time, the exchange officer contacted the embassy and I applied again and got the visa next time.

I learnt a lot and got into a helicopter for the first time in my life (ER helicopter). In conclusion, I think Norway especially Tromso is an excellent place to do an elective, kind people, doctors take care of their students, wonderful place, IFSMA program is amazing. I had fun and learnt a lot there."

Osama Sawalha 5th Year student