The motto of the 7th edition of FUTURÁLIA was “a fair for all!” with a wide offer opening up to more foreign institutions. Between March 26-29, undergraduates, newly graduates and professionals visited its 400 stands representing education institutions and employment-related companies, from both the public and private sectors, which sought to show the existing local and international academic and vocational training to an ever increasing extensive audience.

Following the changes and adaptations by implication of any merger, for the first time ever, the University of Lisbon (ULisboa) was present as a whole with 16 of its Schools (Unidades Orgânicas).

For the 4th consecutive time the FMUL was represented at FUTURÁLIA, and we strongly believe that the information provided may, indeed, impact students’ choices of which school to attend. This is why we feel it is our duty to have a stand at FUTURÁLIA, to show the wide range of opportunities offered by the FMUL to its students both at an institutional and collaborative level.

FMUL students, namely through the AEFML [the FMUL Student Union], have reached out to visitors by participating in FUTURÁLIA since its second edition. Students are now an integral part of the FMUL’s communication strategic plan which gives FUTURÁLIA visitors the chance to broaden their experience by means of anatomical models, while at the same time fostering direct contact between FMUL current and future students, instrumental in making communication easier and the Faculty of Medicine of ULisboa more visible.

Both the FMUL and the AEFML “dressed up for the occasion” so as to clearly make its stand assistants easier to identify and best address the needs and interests of potential candidates.

This year, the organising committee gathered a staff of 71, of whom 60 were first-to-fifth-year undergraduates and 10 staff members. First-and-second-year undergraduates were instructed on how to handle anatomical models and an informative booklet was made available to address possible doubts and practical questions. Instructions were followed to the letter and we are happy to say that, to our great surprise, the FMUL stood out as the best organised and the most dynamic team of the ULisboa Stand, as noted by Professor João Barreiros, the ULisboa Vice-Chancellor.

The support, dedication, and participation of all those involved made this a highly successful event and a point of reference in our institutional communication, which has strengthened our resolve to participate in next year’s edition of FUTURÁLIA!

Paulo Guariento, AEFML Deputy Chairman

Futurália 2014 was held on March 26-29. Several schools from the University of Lisbon (ULisboa), from the New University of Lisbon (Universidade Nova de Lisboa), among others, were present at this education, training and counselling fair, as was the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon (FMUL), in collaboration with the AEFML, [the FMUL Student Union]. The partnership between the FMUL and AEFML involved students, teaching and administrative staff who worked tirelessly for 4 days to provide information to thousands of prospective students, their parents and other relatives who visited the fair. Information was given on university entrance marks, examinations, teaching staff, course duration, subjects, and future medical job offers. Visitors could try their hand at chest auscultation on anatomical models, or perform funduscopic and otoscopic examinations, thus gaining some insight into what it feels like to be a medical undergraduate at FMUL.

Why the FMUL? Why the FMUL over other schools? Why attend the FMUL for 6 years? Why choose to be a student union representative at the AEFML? Why choose to be a FMUL athlete?

Some of the reasons may be related to the fact that the FMUL is a centenary institution and the AEFML will celebrate its 100th anniversary on September 30 this year. Additionally, the Institute of Molecular Medicine, the IMM, is also celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2014. The total sum of the experience gained over the years by these three institutions along with the HSM/CHLN, integrated into the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre, renders the FMUL a Medical School renowned for its excellence and quality. In an ever demanding and knowledge-based society, medical undergraduates and physicians cannot settle for a first degree in medicine and become a mere physician; they have to go the extra mile to know and do more so as to excel at their jobs. It is not enough to be just a physician among thousands; they have to BE well-rounded individuals, to BE physicians who address their patients’ demands, rights and needs.

The AEFML plays a vital role when it comes to helping FMUL students live up to the FMUL motto of BEING and DOING more as future physicians by offering a wide range of extra curricular activities such as cultural, recreational, pedagogical and sports activities while also featuring student exchange programmes, language courses, medical and general knowledge workshops, medical screenings and even going as far as providing new study venues. All these these activities guarantee that the FMUL student acquires a much-sought after excellence, that “something extra” that cannot be defined, yet is easily perceived. This may not be obvious to those who are not familiar with life at the FMUL but for those immersed in this world, it is clear that it was never even a choice.

“Those who have medical knowledge alone know nothing about Medicine!”
Abel Salazar, M.D.

  
Bruno Moura
Futurália – Organising Committee / GCI