“Make your first STEP: experience true African culture while researching tropical neglected diseases in Sudan!”

What?

STEP is an internship focusing on tropical diseases. The program will consist of a scientific part, including a medical mission to a rural area and a unique social program.

Scientific program

Since medicine is becoming more and more internationally oriented and tropical diseases are spreading fast due to the influences of tourism, migration and war related issues it is important for medical students worldwide to be educated on tropical diseases and clinical syndromes not normally found in their home country. With STEP,  the standing committees for research exchange (SCORE) from MedSIN Sudan and IFMSA-NL want to provide enthusiastic medical students with the opportunity to realize this goal. In the scientific program, lectures, tutorials, clinical live cases, surgeries and laboratory work will allow students to elaborate on the pathological and scientific features of tropical diseases endemic in Sudan and other parts of Africa. Diseases under focus will be malaria, TBC, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, typhoid fever, echinococosis, rheumatic fever and mycetoma.

Medical mission

During the final week of the scientific program, students will travel to a rural area and spend a total of 5 days in temporary mission hospitals. These small medical facilities will exist of a male and female health clinic, a laboratory and a small pharmacy set up in local (school) buildings. International and Sudanese students will work together to provide the village people living in these areas with free medical consultations, lab investigations and medication. Furthermore, health education will be given in order to change the wrong health believes that are still existent in the countryside. This mission is a truly unique experience and will give participating students an idea of the possibilities and limitations of working in a tropical area, with limited medical supplies and facilities.

Social program

Besides the scientific program and the medical mission, this internship will provide students with an experience in cultural differences on health care and society. Sudan is a country where conflicts were the norm for a very long time, where radical changes in politics have taken place and where the separation between the south and the north is still ever present. Students participating in STEP will experience and learn from a completely different society in various ways. The social program will offer students the opportunity to get acquainted with the Sudanese culture and visit places of interest in and around Khartoum.

When?

The next STEP internship will start on the 5th of November 2010 and will end on the 2nd of December 2010.

Where?

The main working area will be the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Khartoum (located in Alqasr Street, Khartoum); Sudan's oldest and largest medical faculty. To provide a complete and comprehensive scientific program, STEP has also established connections with the institute of endemic diseases, Soba university hospital, Khartoum teaching hospital and Omdurman tropical diseases hospital. The scientific program will be supervised by physicians and students working in these institutes. The medical mission will take place in a rural area in the vicinity of Khartoum.



What are the charges?

What is arranged for you?

 During your stay in Sudan, you will be provided with accommodation, two meals a day and transport for activities included in the scientific and the social program. MedSIN-Sudan will be in charge of the facilities in Sudan.

What should you arrange?

Not included in the application fee are: plane tickets, extra expenses for food and drinks and costs for visa/vaccinations/travel insurance. For questions and guidance on these (or other issues) you can always turn to the STEP committee.