In 2002, I learned about the Standing Committee on Medical Education Center for Indonesian Medical Students’ Activities (SCOME CIMSA). It is one of the six standing committees of CIMSA. It was a new organization of medical students in addition to the long-standing student organization called Ikatan Senat Mahasiswa Kesehatan Indonesia (ISMKI). CIMSA-ISMKI was affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Association (IFMSA).
First experience with SCOME CIMSA
I was still in my first semester at the medical school, Gadjah Mada University (Universitas Gadjah Mada/UGM), when I met some of the CIMSA members of UGM, particularly those who were the members of the Standing Committee of Public Health (SCOPH). SCOME UGM was hibernated. Since I was interested in medical education, I learned from the UGM senior and attended the national meeting of SCOME in Yogyakarta. As my interest got bigger, I decided to reactivate SCOME UGM. I became the local officer on Medical Education (LOME) of Gadjah Mada University 2003-2004.
After that, I was appointed the National Officer on Medical Education (NOME) CIMSA 2004-2005. While active at NOME, I was appointed Regional Officer on Medical Education (RAME) of Asia Pacific IFMSA. Through this organization, I expanded my networking with medical students at Gadjah Mada University and other CIMSA university networks. My networking became bigger once I accepted the position as RAME. My most significant contribution was organizing the book donation from NOME US to NOME CIMSA and completing the residency database in Indonesia. Apart from that, I gained many skills such as leadership, time management, communication, and many more.
My debut at EB CIMSA
My journey did not stop. In 2005, I was elected as the Vice President for External Affairs (VPE) of CIMSA for 2005-2006 as part of the Executive Board (EB) CIMSA, with :
- Farid Abdul Hadi (Farid) as President
- Rizalul Fikri Sugeng Habibie (Fikri) as Secretary-General
- July Iriani Rahardja (July) as Treasurer
Unfortunately, no Vice President of Internal Affairs (VPI) was elected during my EB period. Therefore, we divided our responsibility to support the local CIMSA among the four of us. As the VPE, my primary role was to promote CIMSA and expand our network to organizations/institutions/local universities. I had audiences like the Association of Indonesian Medical Education Institution (Asosiasi Institusi Pendidikan Kedokteran Indonesia – AIPKI). I participated the CIMSA delegation in the regional and international meetings/conferences as follows:
- Asia Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) IFMSA 2005, Bangkok, Thailand
- One Degree Asia 2006, Singapore as Head of Delegate
- Asian Youth Forum 2006, Batam, Indonesia
- March Meeting (MM) General Assembly IFMSA 2006, Pucon, Chile as Head of Delegate
- Asia Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) IFMSA 2006, Jakarta, Indonesia
International experience at IFMSA General Assembly
Those regional and international meetings have expanded my networking and opened me up to the world of opportunities, particularly the MM IFMSA 2006, the first and the last general assembly of IFMSA I attended, where I met delegates from around the globe.
Journey with IFMSA after CIMSA’s life
I took a break from my organizational life during my clinical clerkship. I needed to focus on my study. But, at the end of my clinical clerkship, I became active with IFMSA as the Project Coordinator of the Global Survey on Pediatric Curricula, where I gathered feedback from medical students, the members of IFMSA across the globe, WHO’s pocketbook on Integrated Management on Children’s Illnesses (IMCI). As the project coordinator, I was granted the opportunity to intern at the Child and Adolescent Health (CAH) Department, WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland, from May to June 2008. After that, my other opportunities kept coming in. The internship at WHO changed my life and future direction towards public health instead of clinical practice. In addition, during my internship at WHO, I also did my clinical clerkship at the Cardiology Department at Geneva University Hospital. I also attended the Global Health Seminar with other IFMSA delegates.
Opportunities after IFMSA life
Returning to Indonesia, I continued my clerkship and completed my studies in February 2009. Other opportunities kept coming mainly:
- I joined the field research in Banda Aceh, the Impact Evaluation on Health and Water Sanitation of UNICEF’s Tsunami Response 2008, before my doctor’s graduation in 2009
- I landed my job as a project assistant at the Emergency and Humanitarian Action (EHA) Department, WHO Country Office for Indonesia.
My journey with CIMSA and IFMSA has opened up a world of opportunities through its networking and the skills I gained during my organizational experience.
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