Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital

Rector Lauri Lajunen of the University of Oulu said, “In Finland, premedical students have a chance to see a patient in public health centers. When they take medical courses, they are able to get trainings at not only university hospitals but also local medical facilities.”

He mentioned, “Finland and Korea have the same educational system, a two-year premedical course and a four-year medical course, in medical schools. However, our programs are designed to help premedical students to acquire hands-on experience and better understand their patients.”

Finland has a population of 5.3 million. But it is 1.8 times larger than Korea. Therefore, natural sciences or engineering colleges as well as medical colleges are strengthening on-site practical education by collaborating with industry. It will ultimately help students work in the field right after graduation.

Rector Lajunen explained the different education system between Finland and Germany. In Germany, students are able to see a patient after obtaining a medical degree. He stressed, “Many students from Germany are joining training programs in Finland. I think this phenomenon proves that Finnish medical education system is well recognized by European countries.”

Meanwhile, the University of Oulu and Hallym University signed an affiliation agreement for academic exchanges and cooperation in 2008 and held the first joint symposium in Finland in 2009 and the second one this time in Korea. Rector Lajunen said, “There are many fields including medicine to cooperate with Hallym. We will carry out multidisciplinary research projects in the future.“

Translated by Sung-won Lee, Int’l Operations Team, HUMC (sungwon@hallym.or.kr)