Dean of the Faculty for Foreign Students Docenko Eduard Anatolevich
The Minsk State Medical Institute (The Belarusian State Medical University now) granted diplomas to its first international graduates in 1969. It was an important event for our educational establishment when the first 10 international specialists graduated from the institute. With every year the number of overseas students gradually increased. In 1974 the Dean’s Office for International Students started its work and in 1975 the Department of the Department of the Russian language was organized. The methods of training doctors of different specialities for foreign countries were worked out and used in the teaching process. The possibility to learn the Russian language guaranteed international students high level of theoretical knowledge and practical skills and experience. Overseas students studied together with Belarusian students in the same groups which made it easier for them to get adjusted to the new life. The training of international students became one of the priorities at other departments, and new syllabus and guides were worked out, professor and assistant professors were in charge of teaching. The activities of the departments were controlled and coordinated by the council of overseas students working in collaboration with the Rector’s board.
About 2100 international specialists from more than 50 countries of the world have got their training during these years. The training is in Russian and is provided in the following specialities: treatment and prevention of disease (the course of study — 6 yrs) and dentistry (5 yrs) and is accomplished on a contract basis. At present more than 520 students from 44 countries of the world study at the Faculty. They are: Australia, Azerbajan, Armenia, Afganistan, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Ghana, Georgia, Yemen, India, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Spain, Israel, Cameroons, China, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Morocco, Moldova, Mongolia, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestina, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan, Tadjikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Estonia, Sweden, Shri-lanka, USA, etc. All candidates for admission have an opportunity to attend classes at the Preparatory Department where they are taught the subjects included into the Entrance Examinations: Russian, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
Nowadays there are nearly 660 students and clinical residents from foreign countries.
No matter how far the graduates of the University could be they keep in touch with their alma mater. To a great extent thanks to these graduates Belarus is becoming recognized and known in the world, and the new generation of potential students who intend to get training abroad choose Belarussian educational establishments where their parents, brothers, sisters or acquaintances once studied.
At present Belarus is hosting about 4000 international students, that is 3 times less than in the Soviet times. But possessing the scientific heritage, experienced lecturers and well-established traditions in training overseas citizens, Belarus can successfully compete with Russia and Ukraine in the educational market.
The BSMU provides education to young people from a number of developing countries, thus contributing to the development of the financial and technical base of the University, and the Republic of Belarus in general. The work of the Medical Faculty for International Students is important both from the international aspect and political as well. The development of contacts, attracting new countries the citizens of which would like to study at our University help improve international relations. The student who graduated from our University will pass the information about the Republic of Belarus, being in a way its advertizing agent. Consequently not only the cost of study but mainly the quality of medical education become of prior importance. The country the young specialist comes from will evaluate his level of training. In case a young doctor is not able to confirm his diploma it will have a very negative impact on the number of future students from this country.
The main goal of the activities of the Medical Faculty, the International Department and the Rector’s boardis to acquire for our diploma an international status. To make our diploma a 100% guarantee for international employers the teaching staff of the University should work real hard. The Medical Faculty for International Students and the departments of the University are in constant search of improved curricula with an emphasis on specific pathologies in different countries; they work out methodical guides adopted for international students. The key to success in the educational process also depends on the basic level of future students. So the tests for the entrance exams which help make a quality selection of candidates to the 1st year are revised and improved every year. Overseas students are encouraged to get training at the Preparatory Department. Our experience has proved that after a good training at the Preparatory Department the students make a much better progress in the study at the University.
The Medical Faculty of International Students, the Department of International Relations and the Department of Post-Graduate Training have been actively working at recruiting foreigners to get quality training at the clinical residency and the Department of Post-Graduate Training. Our University possesses a great scientific and clinical potential to provide such training.
The Medical Faculty of the University pays great attention to educational work. Overseas students live in comfortable dormitories, they can easily communicate with each other in their national groups, celebrate national and religious holidays. Meetings of the University authorities and leaders of the national groups where they discuss current problems, exchange opinions on various aspects of life of overseas students in the Republic of Belarus, are held on a regular basis. The Ministry of Health, The Ministry of Education, The Visa Department of Minsk are of great help in solving different legislative problems.
International students must pay for their education at the Medical University. Depending on the speciality one year at our University costs $3000-4800. The received money goes not only to the University but part of it goes to the state. The student also pays for medical insurance, residence registration, medical service. Unlike the Soviet times when only the most gifted candidates were selected, nowadays those who can afford to pay for tuition, come to study in our country. During the first 3-4 mouths future students take an intensive course of Russian at the Preparatory Department, and then start special subjects taught at high school. This helps them get acquainted with special terms in Russian and catch up with the standards of high school education in our country. Good results at the graduation examination at the Preparatory Department entitle them to be admitted to the 1st year of the University.
We have to reconstruct what has been lost, but sometimes it turns out impossible to do it at one educational establishment. For the first time in the post-Soviet period we arranged centralized testing to select the best candidates in their own country.
Now students demonstrate a much better educational level and good motivation. But the general low educational level of international students does not necessarily mean that after becoming students and then getting a Belarusian diploma they will return to their countries without adequate professional training. In 30 years the teaching staff of the University has prepared more than 2100 foreign specialists and can be proud of them.
The Belarusian diploma as well as the scientific potential of the University have a high reputation, and this fact attracts many international students. The international graduate gets a similar diploma as a Belarusian graduate, the only difference being an English record and the title of M.D.- Doctor of Medicine awarded to the graduate. The diploma has an appendix containing the record of grades and hours of studies in the subjects taken during the course of training. These records are checked with the curriculum of local educational establishments by the so-called medical councils abroad before taking a qualification examination to confirm the received diploma. Such qualification confirmation is not required in the countries which signed a special government agreement.