The following is a list of all our ongoing activities as well as a few potential projects which we plan to work on during this upcoming year. They are presented with a small introduction for each. If you are interested to know more, or to take part in any of these projects, please contact us at nome@lemsic.org

Please note that these projects are open to all members and non-members.

Orientation Week: Since most Lebanese medical graduates tend to travel to the United States or England for their post-doctoral studies, SCOME has added this pertinent event to its list of yearly activities. The orientation week is essentially an informative set of sessions (one session every day for around four to five days) about planning to sit for the American Board examinations or the Royal College examinations, travel formalities like VISA, and important paper work that needs to be completed within a specified time frame. Furthermore, SCOME allots one day of the week to introduce the field of medicine to the pre-medical students who may still have unanswered questions about what to expect in their future years. This year, SCOME hopes to add a specific topic to the orientation week that can be covered in one of the sessions concerning what options students have once they obtain their M.D. (i.e. instead of conventional practice). This session will have the sole purpose of exposing students to unique and perhaps unthought-of professions in medicine. 

During the third week of April 2008, SCOME held these lectures in Issam Fares Hall in AUB. If you want to get a look at the lectures given, please click on the following links:

• Medical School by Charbel Khoury
• USMLE-STEPS by Dr. Rami Masroujeh

Curriculum Reform: One of SCOME's Cornerstones, this project is a yearly assessment of the Medical Curriculum done mainly by the students enrolled in the respective educational program. It involves gathering objective data about courses and clinical rotations, as well as subjective opinions of students to formulate a yearly report which aids the curriculum reform committees in making the necessary changes in the years to come.

Sign Language Course:

In collaboration with the Dr. Hussein Ismail, founder and director of the Learning Center for the Deaf – Lebanon (LCD), SCOME offered its first 20-hours course in Lebanese Sign Language last year. The course was held at AUB for a total of 45 students in 3 different sections. The idea for this course reflected the importance of sign language for students working in hospitals: a trip to the hospital is very stressing and difficult for the hearing impaired as miscommunication often occurs.

 

 

 

Dr. Ismail was selected as the instructor of the course since he holds a PhD in didactics and is highly certified to teach sign language at a college level. Upon completion of the course, students receive certificates of accomplishment. This year, SCOME is planning to improve this project by offering two classes, one in Level 1 and the other for Level 2 students. 

First Aid Training Lectures: Each year, SCOME offers medical students with the opportunity to attend a number of practical first-aid sessions. This activity is carried out with the aid of the Lebanese Red Cross. Students are eligible for a certificate in First-Aid training upon completion of the minimum requirements.

Elective Evaluation Project: This task involves the distribution of a questionnaire to current and previous medical students inquiring about taken medical elective courses (where, when, how did they apply, evaluation, and tips, etc...), and then compiling and filing the results, hoping that they will benefit future medical students.  

 

Zooming Into Health Ethics (ZIHEC): 

Established in October 2005, ZIHEC embraces all ethical issues related to the health profession in general, and not just medicine. SCOME is represented in the ZIHEC committee by two of its members and is an integral part of the implementation of ZIHEC's goals. These goals include improving awareness about ethical issues that face the patient and health professionals (e.g. patient autonomy, palliative care, empowering dying patients, respect to patients, euthanasia…etc.).

Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the importance of the humane side of medicine by improving communication skills (e.g. active listening, legitimizing patient’s concerns, and empathy). ZIHEC accomplishes these objectives by projecting films, recognized worldwide, that deal with many aspects of medical ethics. This approach is supported by the World Medical Association and the research conducted in Lebanon. ZIHEC’s long-term goal is to incorporate this movie-based approach as a teaching tool to be implemented in ethics courses that are already part of the medical curriculum.