Anastasija Stevchevska, North Macedonia

1. Curriculum Vitae

Anastasija Stevchevska is in her final year of General Medicine at the Medical Faculty of Skopje. After her graduation, she will continue on with an internship and her medical license exam. During her time at the Medical Faculty in Skopje she has attended extracurricular workshops and seminars and participated in medical summer schools and conferences. In February 2023 she spent one month at the Medical University Graz as a CEEPUS scholarship holder. 

2. Reflection

From the moment I arrived in Graz, I knew that these 4 weeks would make an immense impact on me as a person and as a future medical doctor. I knew that I had to make the most of it and try to learn as much as I could from my colleagues and professors while exploring and enjoying the beautiful city of Graz at the same time. This was an unique opportunity to meet people from different parts of the world, as well as to learn more about Austrian culture and experience life there.

Each week of the Pediatric course we rotated to a different department at the Children's Hospital. It was an amazing way to brush up on some practical clinical skills and get to see even some less common pathologies. We participated in the daily rounds and discussed some of the patients' conditions afterward. In the afternoons we had lectures, which were very informative and interesting and they made a fantastic addition to our time at the departments. The topics of the lectures varied and they were held by eminent professors and doctors at the Children’s Hospital Graz. They were able to hold everyone’s attention and covered their topics in an understandable and interesting way for the students. Another very important experience during the course was the case report presentations. This was an amazing opportunity to share our knowledge, and practice our speaking and presenting skills in a relaxed environment. One of the best parts of this student exchange was the friendships I made with my colleagues from the course. They made my time in Austria very fun. We had the opportunity to explore Graz together and visit the capital Vienna, and some surrounding places.

I am very grateful for this experience and the impact it made on me and I really hope to be able to return to Austria and to the Medical University of Graz again one day. This scholarship played a crucial role in my medical education, and because of it, I am looking forward to my future career with much more confidence.