A new programme for medical students from Oldenburg and Groningen aims to simplify cross-border studies and joint research work at both universities.
Studying at last, getting to know a new city and people: what can already be a challenge for students at one university is sometimes twice as difficult for two universities. This can also apply to medical students at the Universities of Medicine Oldenburg and Groningen, as the co-operation between the two locations means that prospective doctors can spend some of their time studying at the university medical centres of both cities: in Oldenburg and at theUniversitair Medisch Centrum Groningen (UMCG). The "MedMates Buddy Programme" is now in place to make studying and living in a foreign city a success. Medical students in Oldenburg and Groningen become mentors for students from the other city for a year to provide them with advice and support. They will then accompany each other throughout their studies.
"Friends for life, colleagues in the future"
This should not only make it easier to overcome possible language barriers, but above all to find their way around the respective campus, the two cities and the different living environments. "We want medical students from Groningen and Oldenburg to get to know each other and exchange ideas to make studying or researching abroad easier. These partnerships are also important with regard to the joint programmes to promote young talent after their regular studies," explains Dr Kirsten Gehlhar, Head of the Dean's Office at the School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences here.
The cross-border model degree programme gives Oldenburg students the opportunity to study at one of the most renowned universities in the Netherlands, the Rijksuniversität Groningen, alongside the University of Oldenburg. On the other hand, University Medicine Oldenburg is attractive for the Groningen students. "The unique hospital landscape in Oldenburg with its four cooperating clinics is of particular interest to the Dutch students - as is working in the German healthcare system," says Corinna Glasner, coordinator at the UMCG.
City trips, kale and Christmas markets
The "mates" are divided into groups of four to five students from both universities in order to get to know and support each other. To this end, there are online information events on cooperation in studies and research as well as face-to-face events to get to know each other and exchange ideas at both locations. In addition to the university meetings, participants in the Buddy Programme can also meet up on their own at the weekend. Larger joint leisure activities are also being planned, such as a visit to the Christmas market, an Oldenburg kale tour or a trip to Groningen - a wide-ranging programme that has met with great interest. The first kick-off event was held at the beginning of November with 30 participants from both cities.
Registration takes place via the MedMates portal. Here, interested parties fill out a registration questionnaire so that the perfect partners can be found. Then, with the help of the buddy programme, their studies can get off to an even better start.
(Petra Wilts)
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