When Ex(change) sessions SCORE your heart ❤ – Part 2

RM of the Americas 2018 – Day 5: The Plenary Simulation
At today’s session, Erwin, Larry and Paula made us do an exchange plenary simulation in order to prepare us for the March Meeting (which I will unfortunately not attend, boooh). First of all, we were separated in small groups and each of the groups had to create its own fictive NMO (name and logo). I was in team with my 2 Brazilians friends, Étila and Pedro, who pulled out an inside joke about a Brazilian expression (Ranço) and wanted to make it the main theme of our NMO. The idea was actually very funny, so we just went with it and the result was so hilarious, it made everyone laugh! (And even now, just the thought of it makes me laugh so much!)

The plenary simulation was actually very instructive since it allowed me to understand the sequence of a plenary (although I have assisted to many before, I had never really grasped how they actually ran). It was also the first time I was given the chance to actively participate in a plenary and I truly appreciated this experience!

Overall, the exchange sessions of the RM allowed me to gain more knowledge about the internal structure of IFMSA and to connect with the other NMOs beyond remote communication. After this week, I kind of regretted not getting involved in IFMSA earlier during med school. In fact, I feel like participating at the RM allowed me to work on my communication and leadership skills, on which I wish I could have worked on long time ago! I also wish I have gotten involved before, so I could attend another GA and apply what I learned this week to optimize my participation and bring back innovative ideas for my NMO! Nonetheless, I value this opportunity I had to attend the RM and it was, for me, a great eye-opener on myself and the world.