Report on FIAMCs meeting during WYD 2016
Title: “I was sick and you visited Me”
Date: July 27, 2016
Time: 14:00 – 15:30 h
Place: Auditorium Maximum – Jagielonian University – Krakow – Poland
Speakers: Dr. Pedro Spineti (Rio de Janeiro – Brazil), Dr. Mark Tan (Malaysia) and Prof Vincent Kemme.
Number of participants: 25, mainly students
Nationality of the participants: USA, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Malaysia and New Zealand. Two students from UK, (studying in Slovenia) arrived just after the end of the meeting and we could have a private talk with them.
Description of the meeting:
The meeting started with a brief presentation of all the presents, than Dr. Pedro Spineti asked a minute of silence in memory of Msgr. Zigmund Zimowski. Following we recited the prayer of the Catholic Doctor together. Dr Mark Tan read the welcoming letters from President John Lee and Dr. Kevin Murrel. Prof. Vincent Kemme welcomed everybody in name of FIAMCs Bioethics Committee.
After introduction and greetings, Dr. Pedro Spineti did his talking on the main theme “I was sick and you visited Me”. The focus was on how blessed doctors are to have the opportunity to exercise mercy every day in their profession. Dr. Pedro gave his personal testimony on his experience with ministry of the sick during medical school. He ended with a short explanation on FIAMCs history, goals and tasks.
After the talking, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences and anguishes as catholic medical students and young physicians. Only two Americans and the Belgians were aware of the existence of FIAMC and CMAs. Americans shared their experience with the Boot camps for medical students and the one student from Belgium shared her experience with the meeting from “Amour et Verité” in France. There were few questions, mainly on how to live faith in the university and how to connect with de CMAs.
In the end, Dr. Pedro invited the presents to visit FIAMCs website and social media. He also invited the presents for the congresses of CMA-USA, FEAMC and the Asian Chapter. A leaflet was given to the participants with the contacts of FIAMC, its history, the Prayer of the Catholic Doctor and the Promise of the Catholic Doctor.
Impression:
It was a great experience for me. We had a good answer from the students. You may think 25 is a small number, but considering the number of simultaneous events during WYD and the short time, we had to advertise, it was above my expectations. Only half of the audience learned about the meeting through FIAMC and CMA communications network. The other half found the meeting on the WYD official program. That´s the importance to be in program, not in a parallel event. I believe that WYD and other national Youth meetings are a great opportunity for FIAMCs and CMAs to get closer to students and young physician.
Recommendations:
- FIAMC and CMAs must be ready to welcome those students that will look for them.
- FIAMC should continue with meetings during WYD and CMAs could organize meetings during national catholic youth meetings.
- FIAMC should open a special section for students in it´s website, not only with texts, but also as an open channel for mentorship.
- FIAMC should be in other social media to be closer to the students as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
