Israel
From IFMSA SCOPE Wiki
| Federation of Israeli Medical Students (FIMS) | ||||
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| Location | 
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| Participating cities (LC's) | Tel-Aviv | |||
| Languages | Hebrew, Arabic, English | |||
| Currency (how much is a Bigmac?) | Shekel. Big Mac= 15 Shekel (4$/3€) | |||
| Time zone | GMT+2 | |||
| Number of Doctors and beds per 1000 people | 3.49 | |||
| Member of IFMSA since... | 1965 | |||
| Number of incoming students per year | 150 | |||
| Who are our NEO's | Helena Moshe - Outgoing, Uri Hamiel - Incoming | |||
| Our official website | http://www.tau.ac.il/medicine/fims-in/ | |||
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Welcome Note
Shalom! Hello! We invite you to have a look into the exciting world of medical students exchange in Israel!
Hopefully we will be seeing you in Israel soon!
Overview
Israel is located in the Middle East on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, a region that is geographically and climatically diverse. There are snow-capped mountains in the north alongside dry wildernesses in the south, and desolate areas alongside modern lively cities.
Israel’s ethnic and religious diversity is rich and fascinating, and it has numerous cultural institutions and entertainment centers. Thanks to its rich history and sanctity for the three monotheistic religions, it has many ancient and holy sites.
From Haifa in the North to Eilat in the south, we offer you the experience of a life time- working in a highly advance health care environment, a great social program and most importantly the opportunity to enjoy Israel's many beautiful sites and warm people.
Our health care system
Israel's high standard of health services, top-quality medical technology and research, modern hospital facilities and an impressive ratio of physicians to population all contribute to the country's high standard of health today, and to it's reputation as on of the most advanced Health care systems in the world - notable for its many achievements in medical research and universal public accessibility.
The Ministry of Health is responsible for the development of health policy, operation of the nation's public health services and management of the governmental health care budget. The government also owns and operates many of the nation's larger hospitals.
Almost everyone in the health care field – from pharmacists to physicians to nurses – understands and speaks good English.
The hospitals
The are around 60 medical centers and hospitals in Israel. You will get the chance to experience one of the 10 top and most advanced hospitals throughout the country that cooperate with the exchange program. To find out more about specific hospitals please see our cities pages..
When you reach Israel please see the following for Departments and Accommodation in your hospital media:contacts.jpg
For info on how to reach the hospital from the airport, check out our website
Our medical education
The Medical education program in Israel is composed of several stages: 3 years of premed and preclinical studies, 3 years of Clinical studies, and one practical year. It is also optional for students with top grades to receive a combined "MD-PHD" scholarship right after the preclinical years, and to go back to their clinical studies upon finishing their PHD.
Cultural differences
Modern Israel is composed of a vast variety of cultures, as people came here from Europe, America, Russia, the Middle East, Far East and Africa. So you can be quite ensured that you can feel here at home too! Israelies are hospitable, usually informal and direct. Israeli "chutzpa" is something you might encounter, it is the characteristic of over-stepping the boundaries of accepted behavior with little or no shame. In no time you will get used to and love the Mediterranean warmness of all Israelis, and all differences can after all be bridged!
Accommodation & Boarding
Most of you will stay in a student dormitory or at our Hospital's dormitories inside the hospital or a short bus-ride away. Usually sharing a room with another student. Some accommodations offer a small joint kitchen, and lunch is provided at a subsidized price in the hospitals. In 2010-2011 some accommodation with a hosting Israeli medical student will be available. If you especially want to be located with a hosting student please let us know through you National Exchange Officer, and we will do our best. For more specific check our exchange conditions. Unilateral fee is 320 euros.
Social program
We have an amazing national social programs for you available on July & August only, and this is why we really recommend choosing July or August as your month for exchange. The social program consists of an opening event, two or three weekend trips all over the country, a party, and a closing event. This is truly a wonderful way to see the country and party with all other students coming from all over the world.
Registering for the social program is possible in the opening event or by email if you can't make it to the opening event. The most updated info is available on our website. For an example of a social program offered in July & August please see Social Program Example
Local & National transportation
Israel has an extensive public transportation system ensuring you can get from anywhere to everywhere if you do not mind taking a bus. In getting around Israel, be aware of the Sabbath: from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, train and bus services are not available (except in Haifa and Eilat, and limited shared taxis). Students usually get 10% discounts at buses and trains with a valid student ID on intercities routes
- Buses are the most common form of public transportation for Israelis and travelers alike. They are cheap, fast and reliable. The extensive national bus system is run by a public corporation called Egged. Additionally, a bus company called Dan operates solely in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. How to get a 20% discount on the bus? Recently a new smart card, called Rav-Kav was introduced. The card can be charged with pay as you go credit and with special fare cards like a daily or monthly pass or multi-ride ticket. The monthly passes are only worth while if you plan to travel 2times and more each day. It can be obtained at service points throughout the country (most central bus stations and terminals will have one) and it will be issued free of charge (provided you charge it with credit). The card can be charged at any service point or by the bus driver, there is a 20% discount for each charge (by adding 25% to the amount of money that was charged). For now, the card must be charged separately for each company so a service point or a driver of one company cannot charge the card for another company. - You have to make sure you buy the card from the company that you plan to travel with. Dan-Tel Aviv, Egged-Across the country. You can get the card registered with a photo or unregistered (anonymous). Registered card will ensure you from theft. The card does not provide free transfers between different lines.
- Sherut - Faster than normal buses are minivans, known as monit sherut or "service taxi", that generally follow major bus routes but can be hailed from anywhere. Their operations hours may be longer - and maybe most importantly, in many cases the sherut runs 7 days a week, including on Shabbat.
- Taxis are very common in Israel, but are more expensive than other modes of transportation.
- Train - Israel Railways currently runs intercity lines from Nahariya to Beer Sheva via Haifa, Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion airport, and suburban lines radiating from Tel Aviv to Binyamina, Ashkelon, Kfar Sava, Rishon LeZion, Modiin and Bet Shemesh. Tel Aviv has 4 train stations, and Haifa has as many as 6, providing easy access to many parts of those cities. Trains operate only from Saturday evenings to Friday at noon.
- Renting a car - International driver permits, as well as licenses from certain countries are accepted. Most major international car rental companies; Hertz, Avis, Budget and Sixt, as well as many Israeli ones including, Eldan, Traffic and Tamir, offer car rental services, which can be used if you want a car for a few days. If you want to rent a car for the weekend these two companies offer competitive price: Avital. prices are around 200-250 shekels for the weekend for the first 200 km and than 1 shekel for each kilometer, it might be possible to pay 100 shekel extra for unlimited. another company you should check out is: Calauto
Weather
The northern and coastal regions of Israel show Mediterranean climate characterized by hot and dry summers and cool winters with some rain. Whereas the southern and eastern areas of Israel are characterized by an arid climate.
The rainy season starts from October but usually only peaks in December through February. Rainfall varies considerably by regions from the North to the South where rainfall is negligible.
In all major cities climate is nice all year round, and sunny days are common even in the winter. If you are coming in the summer months (June-September) make sure you bring many short clothing and of course a few bathing suits! The city of Eilat, located at the southernmost point of Israel and at the northern tip of Red Sea, has good climate for beach holidays all year round.
When Should I come?
We really recommend you to come to Israel July & August, as these are the only months we offer a great social program (see above), and that is usually when more then 80% of our exchange students come. However, we know that not everyone can come in the summer and we offer spots the rest of the year too, for specific dates please check our exchange conditions. Dates not mentioned specifically will only be approved by your own country's National Exchange Officer contacting us.
What's going on in Israel?
For up to date info check out our cities sites down below, and this (commercial) website and Time-Out Israel Magazine
Hostels
Please notice check In & Out of the dorms is Sun -Thu 9AM-12 PM (noon), and only during Exchange Period stated in your Card of Acceptance. The offices are closed Friday & Saturday. No exceptions! If you do not arrive or leave within the check-in/out hours/dates, please see the following link of hostels, some offer a discount for students in our program.
Visas
Some Nationalities require a visa to enter Israel. Some will receive a visa in the airport upon arrival and some need to acquire a visa in advance. It is your own responsibility to arrive with a all the required documents needed to enter Israel. We recommend entering the website of your own foreign ministry to check what you require. Additional information can be found at the Israeli tourism of ministry website
Exchange conditions
Please check our exchange conditions for the full information. In general Please remember you MUST bring with you to the hospital the following papers, without which you are risking the automatic cancellation of your exchange:
- PERSONAL Health and Accident Insurance including hospitalization valid for Israel.
- Hebrew or English original documents of valid immunization status for the above immunizations: MMR (mumps, measles, rubella), polio, hepatitis B virus (HBV), tetanus-diphtheria and skin test with PPD (tuberculosis).
We only accept students for a full calendar month (1st day to last day of a specific month). We accept clinical students. Pre-clinical students are accepted on a mutual basis (only if your country accepts pre-clinical students as well). The clerkship is clinical, and held only at departments affiliate with a university.
Please contact us if you find something unclear in the full exchange conditions.
Feedback
Any suggestion or tips? please mail us!
External Links
- Israel travel guide from Wikitravel
- Ynet News
- HaAretz Newspaper
- Wikimedia Atlas of Israel
- Ministry of Tourism, official site
Cities offered for exchange
