DTMH, 2018
I am currently finishing a certificate of extra-hospital emergencies by doing 15 months training in Anaesthesia after obtaining my specialist title in Internal General Medicine in Switzerland. Maintaining my focus on out of reach people by doing also Mountain Medicine.
Tell us about your time at LSTM
I got interest in travel and people all around the world before beginning medical school. Therefore, for me it was clear I was going to try to help people in low and middle-income countries. During my last year of studies at Geneva University, I got the chance to do a 1-month tropical diseases course and then a 2-months internship in Cameroon in various places. This gave me the taste for Tropical Medicine. After discussing with different people, I decided to train more into that direction and I did the DHA and DTMH.These two periods were great time, perhaps one of the best in my life. Meeting new people from different backgrounds, sharing different point of views and ideas and learning new matters in such a historical institution. I remember well having the time to do sports,learning a lot about tropical medicine and enjoying the nightlife of Liverpool with my new friends; all of that made my weeks there quite busy!
Tell us about your experiences since leaving LSTM
My dream after these trainings in LSTM was to work as a humanitarian. So I applied and got an assignment with MSF (Doctors Without Borders), in East-Darfur in Sudan, for six months in 2018. It was not easy everyday but I remember how I felt happy to have got these trainings in various occasions, either by discussing with the logistician about the water supply or the sewages, or by taking care of malnourished children, which I had never done before but I had at least seen and learned theoretically in LSTM!
I then had to return to Switzerland to finish my training as a General Practitioner, which I did. I would like to go again in a tropical country to provide care and support to those who need it if that is again feasible.
What three words would you use to describe LSTM?
- Learning
- Sharing
- Caring
What advice would you give to our current/prospective students?
For those already there, enjoy your time! Make sure to discuss with other students around you, but also the valuable teachers full of a great knowledge! For those thinking to go there: if you’re looking for a place to learn serious things but in a different and perhaps lighter way than usual, then LSTM is the place of your choice! I am sure all of you will have a great time there!