European Medical Students' Association

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The European Medical Students' Association (EMSA) is a non-governmental non-profit organisation for medical students focusing on medical education, ethics and science in Europe.

Contents

[edit] About EMSA

EMSA was founded in Brussels in 1991. It integrates medical students in Europe through activities organized for and by medical students and representing them in Brussels. Faculties are members, not the individual countries. Since EMSA’s foundation many medical faculties throughout Europe enrolled with EMSA. It currently unites 49 medical faculties from 18 countries across Europe. EMSA seeks to improve the health and the quality of care of the citizens of Europe by acting as a conduit for increased interaction and sharing of knowledge between European medical students in the areas of medical education, ethics and science.

[edit] Objectives

The objectives of EMSA, which has no lucrative aims whatsoever, are:

  • To form a network between European medical students to facilitate European integration and develop a sense of European identity
  • To represent and voice the opinions of the medical students of Europe
  • To act as a forum for all medical students in Europe, to discuss topics related to the fields of medical education, medical ethics, and medical research
  • To promote the highest standards in European medical education and ensure the quality of healthcare in Europe
  • To promote training, activities and projects related to health in Europe to the benefit of medical students and society
  • To facilitate intercultural understanding by organizing social and cultural events
  • To cooperate with other student organizations and with organizations representing the medical profession

A couple of the activities EMSA organizes are: Teddy Bear Hospital, Twinning Project, Eurotalk, EMSA Summer Schools, EMS Council, WorldMaPS, and JEMSA (the scientific publication of EMSA).

[edit] History

In 1990 the idea to create a European Medical Students' Association was discussed during a symposium for medical students from all European countries organized by students of the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium. A working group was created and in the summer 1991 the European Medical Students' Association was founded in Brussels. This first EMSA General Assembly was under the patronage of HRH the King of Belgium and was financally supported by the European Community's ERASMUS programme. The statutes were officially established and published under Belgian (and thus European) law.


General Assemblies and European Medical Students' Congresses National Coordinators' and Enthusiasts' Meetings (NCM)


[edit] Presidents

[edit] Relationship with IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students' Associations)

EMSA is recognized as a regional representative of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations IFMSA. EMSA, being a young organisation founded in 1991, as well as IFMSA, founded in 1951, very early recognized the importance of cooperation to reach the best for European Medical Students.

Shortly after the foundation of EMSA, IFMSA established a ‘Working Committee on EMSA’ that immediately started to work in 1991/1992.

In 1992 the First Barcelona Agreement was signed between the two Executive Boards in which both associations agreed to work more closely together, the agreement officially lasted until 1994. Apart from the general agreement there were some very concrete benefits for both associations: IFMSA for example could benefit from EMSA in countries where IFMSA did not exist at that time such as Belgium or United Kingdom; EMSA on the other hand could much more easier get in contact with other big associations such as WHO or WHO Europe.

Nevertheless a few years later much remained be improved between the cooperation of the Executive Boards of the Associations and at the same time between members in some countries, some disagreements lead to a highly unproductive situation that made it difficult to achieve the main goal: best offers and conditions for Medical Students in Europe.

To overcome this situation, in 1995, Aleksander Micevski, IFMSA President, and Gunther Eysenbach, EMSA Vice-President, signed the Second Barcelona Agreement, that should be valid for 5 years. Again apart from general agreements concerning communication and cooperation, mutual invitations for each others meetings were agreed on, a total access for members to each others projects, conferences, events, etc. and what was very important as a sign to the members throughout Europe: the boards encouraged their members to share office facilities at the faculty, to organise joint social programs for events taking place at the same time, such as IFMSA exchange and EMSA Eurotalk in the same city, just to name a few examples of synergistic effects.

Another very important step for EMSA was also fixed in this agreement: IFMSA, focussing on more and more on regionalisation, recognised EMSA as IFMSA regional office for Europe and delegated European related issues and contacts to EMSA. The second Barcelona agreement stipulated that EMSA was allowed to take over relations to European organisations such as CP, PWG, AMEE, using IFMSA logo as well in the heading of official letters; it became self-evident that two international organisations representing medical students all over Europe had to speak with one voice towards external organisations. At the same time it was stressed once again that none of the associations would lose its independence.

Only one year later, the Presidents of both associations, Jacco Veldhuyzen for EMSA and Luisa Brumana for IFMSA, felt the need to sign a short term plan of action, determining some details concerning representatives on meetings, written reports, and official correspondence.

At the same time it was agreed on working out a long term strategy for the future based on former agreements.

Four years later, in 2000, Nick Schneider for EMSA together with Jacco Veldhuyzen, joint Liaison Officer towards CP/PWG, and Sanjeeb Sapkota for IFMSA started working out a new agreement which is still valid today: the Porto Agreement.

This document was discussed at IFMSA MM in Malta 2001, then discussed and passed at EMSA Extraordinary General Assembly in Porto April 2001 and finally accepted by the plenary at IFMSA AM 2001 in Aalborg.

The Porto Agreement again stresses the cooperation between the two organisations, each keeping her strengths and advantages wihtout any contraproductive competition. EMSA became offcially IFMSA regional partner for Europe. A main point of the document is the communication that is from now on ensured by Liaison Officers that are appointed and related to their Executive Boards, providing them with information keeping their eyes on mailing lists, and being able to mediate in case of unclairifed situations or problems. The Boards should from now on officially support each other to expand their membership, to promote cooperation on national and local level, in addition two representatives will be invited to participate in General Assemblies of the other. The Porto Agreement, signed by Nick Schneider and Marta Ocampo Fontangordo for IFMSA is the basis of the actual cooperation and will be valid until 2006.

In the additional Jena Agreement from October 2002, drafted after talks between Joel Kammeyer for IFMSA and the EMSA President Hrvoje Vrazic, and later on Kristina Oegaard for IFMSA that attended the EMSA General Assembly in Jena, Germany to sign the agreement. It describes in detail the appointment and function of joint Liaison Officers to the Standing Committee of European Doctors CP and the Permanent Working Group of European Doctors PWG as well as to WHO Europe. Both Liaison Officers are appointed by the EMSA Executive Board, which is in a way responsible for them, on the other hand the Liaison Officers have the duty to represent and to report to the other organisation as well, details can be looked at the agreement itself.

The whole functioning Liaison Officer system combined with additional contacts between the Executive Boards and the Committees such as for Medical Education for example ensures the actual cooperation of the two associations. Nevertheless to avoid a steady state both Executive Boards as well as each EMSA or IFMSA member, each medical student should activeley promote and realise this cooperation: at local level through joint activities, at national level through joint meetings for example or a Liaison Officer system as well and at international level through exchanging experiences and opening our minds.

[edit] European Medical Students’ Council (EMS Council)

All over Europe there are students’ associations that work actively at a local level defending the interest of their students, without having a European body voicing the concerns and defending the rights of European Medical Students. In 2004, EMSA started the European Medical Students’ Council in London. One of EMSA’s most important aims with this project is to improve the cooperation and communication within the medical students in Europe.

[edit] Objectives of EMS Council

The EMS Council main objectives are:

  • Represent the interests and opinions of the medical students in geographical Europe.
  • Discuss and form joint policies on issues surrounding medical students.
  • Defend the rights and interest of medical students across Europe.

[edit] Past EMS Council Meetings

[edit] London Meeting (August 2004)

The meeting focused mainly on the Ba/Ma structure of the Bologna Process and how it may be applied to Medical Education. But the first EMSA council meeting also took on other important European issues such as the European Working Time Directive, EU enlargement implications on medical profession and the European Commission paper on the evaluation of non-formal education.

[edit] Warsaw Meeting (February 2005)

The goal of the 2nd EMS Council meeting was to determine what it is that we as medical students need in order to protect the patient. What do we need to know? What do we need to learn? What do we need to be able to do or perform? What should be included in a medical school’s core curriculum on Patient Safety? The outcomes were organised into seven categories. Each describes the competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) that a newly graduated medical doctor can be expected to demonstrate. The newly graduated doctor can:

  • Prioritise the patient
  • Awareness of patient safety and the intention to improve
  • Learn for error
  • Attitude and character
  • Team and communication
  • Stress management
  • Guidelines and protocol

Also, the Council argues that opting out of the European Working Time Directive should not be an option, as it may prompt financial, social and/or peer pressure. Opting out would not in any way benefit the worthy aims of the guidelines, since it would only undermine its recommendations.

[edit] Albufeira Meeting (January 2006)

As the main theme of the 3rd EMS Council Meeting was “Medical Students’ Rights”. Participants debated about special facilities universities have to offer their medical students concerning the specific and additional stresses they have to face during their studies. Some examples of the stresses future doctors will meet are the workload, career choices and safety and security. In the workshops the participants talked for example about the welfare and support medical students should expect from their faculty.

[edit] Heidelberg Meeting (June 2007)

The 4th EMS Council meeting will take place in Heidelberg, Germany.


[edit] External links

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