Student blogs

Hello there!

This blog post has long been overdue due to our busy schedule in the current course. We wrote an exam last week, and now I have some free time to blog. I decided to write about my first-course review which is about Applied Communication in Biomedicine I (8 credits). It was carried out in Campus Solna and Flemingsberg which means that some of us had to commute for a very long distance. :’)

Roll Call

The course started with a roll call on Sept 3rd, 2018. We had our lecture at the new modern building Biomedicum. To start the day with high spirit and energy, the programme directors offered us some sandwiches and coffee/tea. The course leaders of the first year presented an overview of the courses we will take. Then, the programme director arranged something fun for the class where we interviewed each other to get some background info on our new classmates. Moreover, I was disappointed that we didn’t have an introduction camp or what we call in Swedish “Kollo” just like the other programmes. Usually, the biomeds in the year above arrange something for the new students, but this year our class was not lucky.

Common area at Biomedicum

Poster Presentation

The following day we were introduced to the other KI Global Master’s programmes and participated in team-building activities such as the ‘Marshmallow Challenge.’ Then, our class was given the task to prepare a poster about a scientific article and present it at the end of the course. I was fortunate to be placed in an amazing group where we ended up picking a neuroscience article (whoop!). The lecturer was very helpful by giving us useful tips on how to prepare a scientific poster. Although working on the poster was a bit stressful for my group, we had enough time to prepare it. I highly recommend asking an academic person such as your previous supervisor for some feedback before submitting the final version of the poster.

Our somewhat successful attempt at the Marshmallow Challenge

Rhetoric

Rhetoric was by far the most unexpected and surprising part of this course. The aim was to improve the quality of our oral scientific presentations. We had a fantastic time with our lecturer Peter Lund who was entertaining and helpful throughout his lectures. We prepared several scientific/non-scientific presentations and received constructive criticism. I presented my degree project and prepared a presentation on “6 Facts about Jordan”. During the drama class, we learned different breathing techniques and performed a lyric song/poem in front of our classmates which was totally new to me. A few might not agree with me about the Rhetoric classes, but I personally enjoyed them. I honed transferable skills in communication and presentation which boosted my confidence when presenting in front of a large audience.

Bioethics and Scientific Writing

This part of the course consisted of compulsory lectures which involved several discussions. During bioethics, the philosophy lecturer had a distinct teaching approach compared to other KI lecturers. We analysed specific situations from a general person’s point of view and applied moral principles when handling case studies. We also discussed the four principles in Biomedical Ethics, mentioning Nuremberg Code and Helsinki Declaration 1964. I think it is quite important to touch upon these areas at the beginning of the program since the students come from different fields and countries.

During scientific writing, we reviewed various articles and stressed upon certain topics such as how to combat plagiarism and publication policies. Though the scientific writing part of this course was a bit unorganized and repetitive, I enhanced my skills in abstract writing, scientific paper reviewing, and peer reviewing.

Got any questions?

Contact me via my email. 🙂

e-mail: sara.abu.ajamieh@stud.ki.se

LinkedIn: Sara Abu Ajamieh