Graduate

undergraduate

Each year, the medical college runs orientation programs for new students with the purpose of introducing them to the first and second year of student life at Sungkunkwan University Suwon campus. During the orientation, students are introduced to the medical school, the school curriculum, and have the opportunity to meet with the upper grade students and advising faculties. For students advancing to the third year, the medical school offers another orientation to inform students about the PBL education, medical school education courses, lecture rooms, study hall, library, and other educational facilities of Samsung Medical Center, so as these students can better adjust to the new learning center and hospital environment. This gives students the opportunity to learn about the course works and clinical clerkship programs, such as the OSCE and PBL offered by the medical college.
Each student is assigned to an advising faculty who will advice them privately or in small groups throughout their medical school. After an interview, each advising faculty completes an official interview form which will address the student’s opinions regarding medical education offered by the college, contents of the faculty’s advise, the student’s personality, academic achievement, and personal development. The student advising committee reviews the report, discusses the areas that need improving and forward them to the Dean of the medical college.

The medical student committee co-sponsors the spring (May) and fall (Oct) college festivals in conjunction with Sungkunkwan University. Other annual events hosted by the student committee include medical college sports game, teacher’s day celebration and students’ retreat. Through these activities, the student committee contributes in the building of friendship between students, faculties and administration. To encourage students to actively participate in extracurricular activities, the medical college annually allocates budgets for student organizations. The medical student committee is organized by the enrolled medical students and serves as representatives for the students, delivering students’ requests and affairs over to the faculty and administration.

The medical school invites second year students to the new student orientation to offer incoming students the opportunity to meet with the enrolled students to discuss regarding school life and education they will experience. Other retreats are also available for students from different grades to get together and share friendship. Through various discussion sessions, students share various problems they are experiencing in school, and suggestions are brought to the director of medical students’ affair to be considered for future policy making.

From April 1999, five active student organizations were made in the medical school. In addition, the first and second year students studying in the College of Natural Science Suwon campus may join any of the forty-nine student’s organizations. The main activities of the medical student organization, the number of members and advising faculty are listed in table 2-8. Organizations include religion, music and sports-related activities. The religious organization is formed by Christian members who hold bible studies every week. There are two musical organizations, one is contemporary music and the other is classical. These organizations’ main activities include attending concerts, playing musical instruments and holding annual school concerts. The medical school organizations are supported by the college’s advising faculty and contribute in the fellowship and leadership development of the students. The medical school financially supports various activities hosted by these organizations.

<Student Organizations at Sungkyunkwan University College of Natural Science (Suwon Campus)>

Or: Number of student organization, No: Number of members

<Student Organizations at Sungkyunkwan Universty School of Medicine>

5) Other Student Advising Activities

To help students gain various experiences, understand the society around them better, gain hands-on experience in the local medical practice setting and to help students develop morale as medical caregivers the medical college provides field trips to the Samsung Company affiliates. Each year, the first year students go on field trips to various places during the winter break. Back in 1998, between Jan 22 to 24, under the guidance of the director of medical students’ affair, the students visited the Samsung Electronic Suwon factory, Samsung Heavy Industry and Masan Samsung Hospital, which is an affiliate hospital of Samsung Medical Center. During those visits, students discussed what they gained from the visiting experiences and their opinions on revisiting those places. Students selected to revisit Masan Samsung Hospital in the future. On Dec. 9th, 1998, freshmen visited Masan Samsung Hospital for 3 days and experienced the medical center’s practices, which allowed students to gain better insight into the medical knowledge they will be learning and helped them realize the importance of the PBL education.

Sungkyunkwan University requires students to complete a total of 30 hours of social service during the enrollment. Apart from the University’s policy, the medical college also requires students to complete 2 weeks (88hours) of social service during their first and second year. Each student designs the social service program for themselves, however the visiting institution is restricted to an orphanage, nursing home, and rehabilitation facilities affiliated with the medical school. The purpose of the social service requirement is to provide students the chance to establish morale as medical caregivers through hands-on experience, contribute in medical development by understanding the importance of interaction and cooperation with the society around them and develop character through various challenging experiences. Based on such an aim, Samsung Medical Center, the teaching hospital of Sungkyunkwan Medical College, also offers a volunteer program to motivate students to better understand the patients. By spending a week with the elderly and the disabled from the “Ga-pyung Flower Village” which is located in Ga-pyung, Kyung-ki province, students are given the opportunity to help the residents with the simple tasks of dining, washing, cleaning, and cooking. The course is graded on the basis of pass and fail and requires one to pass the course to advance to the next year.