List of short-term courses of IHSM:

• Duration: Normally between 2 to 4 weeks in any subject
• Application form can be completed online and will be processed by the International Affairs Department (e mail: hismiuk@gmail.com)
• APPLY
• Accommodation: IHSM will provide full assistance with searching and renting appropriate accommodation
• Note: Students are responsible for the cost of travel, accommodation, and meals

For enquiries, please contact International Affairs Department: hismiuk@gmail.com

Ling Jing is a final-year medical student from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, who has been undergoing a one-month internship as part of a short-term course at the International Higher School of Medicine (IHSM) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The program was supervised by Dr. Hussain Syed Azfar, a highly experienced physician of the IHSM at the Center for Family Medicine Clinic №7.

Here is her feedback on short-term course at the IHSM:

My name is Ling Jing, and I am a final-year medical student from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. I am here in Bishkek for one month completing an elective with the International Higher School of Medicine. I am working with Dr. Hossain Syed Azfar, who is a cardiologist and doctor of functional diagnostics, at the Center for Family Medicine Clinic No. 7. This clinic serves a population of 80,000 people. We are here from 8 am to 3 pm on weekdays and see anywhere between 30 to 45 patients every day with our team of three. We keep paper records of all patient encounters, including their histories, treatments, and diagnostics. I have been learning all about running and interpreting electrocardiograms, performing the cardiac physical exam, and managing patients with cardiovascular issues such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and cardiac arrhythmias in the outpatient setting. We have also visited patients with mobility limitations in their homes to perform ECGs and to manage their conditions. I have had a really valuable experience enhancing my theoretical and practical understanding of cardiology at this clinic through encounters with patients with cardiovascular diseases and through conducting and reading ECGs. Dr. Syed and assistant Аigul have been giving me extensive one-on-one teaching everyday through discussing notable patient cases and providing me many opportunities to practice my physical exam skills. It has been fascinating getting to experience a different healthcare setting in Kyrgyzstan and learning more about medicine around the world, and I’ve had a wonderful experience living in Bishkek!

Agnes Strachwitz, a student of the University of Munster in Germany, Faculty of Medical Sciences, has undergone an internship as part of IHSM short-term courses. 

The internship of Agnes Strachwitz took place in the chosen course "Obstetrics and Gynecology" under the guidance of our experienced and highly professional Dr.  Saikal  Osmonova at the Clinical Maternity Hospital No. 6 of the National Center for Maternal and Child Health in Bishkek. 

Below is her feedback of the short-term course: 

From 7th of November to 4th of December in 2022 I took a short-term course in Gynecology and Obsterics at the University ISHM.
I have spent four very interesting weeks in the hospital. I got to see the daily work of doctors especially in postpartum care, admissioning office and in delivery department.

Most interesting for me was the parts where I could actually try to do practical work myself. I got the opportunity to assist during deliveries and during the 3rd period of labor. I could assist during cesarean’s section, and I could practice vaginal examinations as well as Leopold`s maneuver, listening to fetal heart beats or performing a CTG. This was a very valuable practice.

Very helpful for me were case studies. Looking at a patient’s history, talking through her case and trying to come up with own strategies and ideas about treatment were extremely valuable lessons.

Furthermore, I found  Dr. Saikal a very calm and patient teacher creating a pleasant environment and the best conditions for me to learn effectively. Especially accompanying her on a night shift was a very valuable experience.
In the end it maybe would have been interesting if I could have worked my own patients under direct supervision (obviously also because of the language barrier).

Before starting the course, I was asked to roughly design my own timetable. Generally, I think it is a good idea to plan a timetable in advance. However, without knowing anything about resources, the possibilities, or the subject this does not really make sense. Especially because in the end we did not follow this timetable at all.

It is better to know in advance, what kind of resources I will be able to use during my stay. Questions like: Where will my internship take place (which hospital?)? Who will be responsible for me? How much time during the day would my mentor be able to teach me, how much time do they usually work?

Overall, I found it rather difficult to communicate a structure during my stay. My intention why I came was to have an internship in the hospital, which might be similar to a residency program. The University on the other hand offered me a short-term course. In the end it was probably a mixture of both, which made it sometimes a little bit confusing for me.

However, I found communication very convenient, and I enjoyed  Dr. Saikal ́s as well as the University ́s flexibility.