With the aim of creating a “Health campus”, the University of Luxembourg organised different meetings with potential partners. In parallel, two new courses are offered for first-year bachelor students in medicine.
Towards a Health campus
To guarantee the excellence of medical education, the University of Luxembourg needs to develop a comprehensive training for all health professionals, promote research in all areas of healthcare and create partnership with all healthcare providers, hospitals and general practices. A « Health Campus” bringing together Medicine, Maieutics and Health Sciences, this is how Prof. Gilbert Massard, Director of Medical Education at the University of Luxembourg, describes the form that medical training should take, following the example of what is being done successfully elsewhere in the Greater Region.
- Creation of a Master of Science
On 20 October 2020, representatives from the University of Luxembourg, Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Ministry of Health invited a delegation from the University of Strasbourg to share its experience of the dual medical-scientific curriculum set up ten years ago. The Faculty of Medicine in Strasbourg offers the possibility to prepare a Master of Science before entering the second cycle of medical studies. In practice, bachelor students have to validate additional courses in scientific subjects, do laboratory internships and devote a full year to research, before continuing their medical studies or integrating a PhD curriculum. This research training aims to train future doctor-scientists and promote an early research culture. At the end, students get the double qualification of Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Science.
- Key role of internship supervisors
On 12 December 2020, the medical team of the University of Luxembourg met internship supervisors from Robert Schuman Hospitals to analyse the current situation and discuss future developments. The hospitals are already highly involved in the field of medical education by welcoming trainees from different universities. With the new Bachelor in Medicine and the coming specialisations in oncology and neurology at the University of Luxembourg, supervisors in the hospitals will play a prominent role. On this occasion, a call for supervisor volunteers was launched.
New courses for bachelor students
To better support its bachelor students in medicine, the University of Luxembourg offers two new courses during the first semester of the Bachelor in Medicine.
- Moving from school to university
On 24 September 2020, the Institute Milton H. Erickson Luxembourg (IMEL) organised a virtual training course about self-help and exam preparation. In normal times, the situation is already stressful for medical students who have to do their best to pass their exams but with the COVID, the situation is even more difficult. That is why, Dr. Christiane Steffens-Dhaussy, psychologist and IMEL member together with Dr. Marco Klop, IMEL president and anesthetist, exchanged with students regarding their motivations, fears and so on.
- Introduction to sexual and reproductive health
On 4 December 2020, the Centre national de référence pour la promotion de la santé affective et sexuelle (Cesas) organised a webinar about sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Indeed, it requires special attention in the context of medicine, where health professionals are often called upon to discuss various aspects of SRH with the patient. Two practitioners from the Planning Familial, Dr. Danielle Choucroun and Dr. Alan Charissou together with Camille Soudeyns, Project Officer at Cesas tackled the topic from different angles: basic definitions and concepts, the Luxembourg context of SRH, epidemiology and current issues related to SRH, tools, resources and services in the field.