Mom, I’m in Cuba: RUDN medical students trained at the University of Havana

In Cuba, students took courses in nervous diseases and psychiatry, talking with patients and applying the knowledge gained in practice. The peculiarity of the University of Medical Sciences of Havana is that the students from the first year and throughout their studies see patients.

“In Cuba I did a course of psychiatry. It was a wonderful experience, I worked with patients with a wide variety of diagnoses — from different types of depression to OCD and paranoid schizophrenia. I talked to them and asked questions. Some of them experienced strong psycho-emotional agitation, others, on the contrary, could not even look into the eyes of the doctor consulting them, some beat the rhythm with their feet, and others were completely motionless.

 

I would like to note the approach to emotional and psychological health in Cuba. In my opinion, this issue is just beginning to gain momentum in Russia. But we still consider the psychological health challenges a little taboo and try not to seek help from doctors until the very end. But in Cuba things are a little different. Thanks to early diagnosis, psychiatric diseases are treated more effectively. This is because the patient does not put off visiting a specialist.

 

I was amazed by the way Cuban medical students are taught. It combines both Soviet practice—students have their own patients since the third year of studies, and they work with them almost independently with full responsibility—and Western practice—students choose their own subjects to study, except the basic ones—mandatory for everyone,” Danila Sokolsky, (“General Medicine”, V year).

“We studied the cycle on nervous diseases at the clinic of the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Colleagues from Cuba prepared an intensive course for us, paying a lot of attention to the peculiarities of organizing medical care in the country and working with patients, especially with rare and interesting pathologies. Professor Javier Vicent Sanchez Lopez delivered several very informative lectures and seminars on neurology with practical skills training like neurological examination of a patient, fundoscopy, and a scheme for interviewing a neurological patient.

 

One of the most memorable topics of the lectures for me was the professor’s scientific work on the preventive treatment of ischemic stroke and atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels with ‘Policosanol’, made from sugar cane wax. It is important to note that Policosanol was first invented in Cuba in the 1990s, and Sanchez Lopez has been working with it for more than 30 years, that is, since the very appearance of the medicine.

 

During our studies, our team became very close to the students and faculty of the Medical University of Cuba. We were pleasantly surprised by the hospitality and good nature of our hosts. We have already planned to jointly write scientific articles and reviews with some senior students,” Artem Belyaev (“General Medicine”, IV year).

“We studied neurology at the university hospital with Cuban students, visiting patients and giving them initial examinations. Every day before lunch we attended lectures in English, having no problems with understanding, and if there were any questions, we discussed them in class. I was surprised by the kindness and very good relations of the medical staff, professors and students; everyone was caring and friendly. Most of all, I remember the people, their carelessness, smiling and openness,” Apollinaria Nurislamova (“General Medicine”, IV year).

Students, residents and staff of the University of Havana also heard a series of lectures on Pharmacology from Yulia Gushchina, Associate Professor of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology of RUDN Institute of Medicine, where she examined the pharmacological aspects of the treatment of socially significant diseases.

“Cuba’s healthcare and medical care system is universally recognized throughout the world. It’s especially gratifying that our students showed themselves and gained valuable practical experience that will help them in their future professional activities,” Yulia Gushchina, Associate Professor of the Department of General and Clinical Pharmacology, RUDN Institute of Medicine.

Next year, students from the Medical University of Cuba will come to study at the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.

Edited by Anastasia Zhuravleva, student of the Faculty of Philology (Journalism, IV year).