A home away from home

I am having a great time in Uruguay. We arrived in sunny Montevideo yesterday, and had the day to explore the city and the boardwalk.

It feels different coming to the preRM as SCOPH Regional Assistant. I already know all the logistics and agendas; the element of surprise has diminished. Nonetheless, I feel like I am returning to a home away from home. Having the opportunity as a medical student to teach other students is empowering and I have enjoyed sharing my experiences and knowledge.

I firmly believe that the greatest way to learn is by attending interactive sessions. Giving content in public health isn’t always very entertaining. When covering topics such as epidemiology or community health interventions, it’s easy to get distracted and drowsy. I am very proud of our 7 Public Health Training participants because we achieved a great deal in one day. I am learning a lot from them, and I hope we have great sessions all week long.

I am very happy to be the RA of a committee I truly love. Public Health is the basis of any great health system. Prevention is key to a healthy sustainable community. As future doctors, we must take those extra minutes to get to know our patient and humanize medicine. The Standing Committee on Public Health has given me tools my medical education hasn’t. It has allowed me to think of my social responsibly as a future doctor. There is so much more to medicine than just diagnoses and treatments.

As Benjamin Franklin said, « An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. »

Anyhow, I must go now; I’m preparing my advocacy and campaigning sessions for tomorrow. It’s going to be a joint sessions with LEAD.

Aline