One of the university careers most affected by the suspension of classroom activities is that of Medicine
, due to the impossibility of advancing in the teaching and learning process without practical classes. And among the most disadvantaged of that career are, in particular, the most advanced students, those who in these months had to complete their studies. In the case of the UBA, the last year of the degree is called the Annual Rotary Internship (IAR) and it consists mainly of hospital practice in various areas of medicine. Due to the pandemic and social isolation, the IAR was suspended and hundreds of students were left without a chance to graduate. In this context, and to partially correct the problem, the UBA Faculty of Medicine decided that IAR students can participate in the Detect Volunteer in neighborhoods of the City to detect cases of coronavirus.
With volunteering, which the faculty established through an agreement with the Buenos Aires government, students will be able to accredit practical hours and, at the same time, participate in the health fight against the coronavirus. There are already more than 300 IAR students participating in the volunteering.
“A resolution was published establishing that volunteering will be considered as accredited IAR hours so that the students who are in that instance can advance with the last leg of the degree,” he explained to PageI12 Carlos Damín, toxicologist doctor and general secretary of the UBA Faculty of Medicine.
The activities that the students carry out in the framework of volunteering are the loading of data in electronic medical records and the realization of epidemiological records; the survey of close contact lists with covid-19 cases through telephone interviews; and the active search for close contacts: door-to-door conducting an interview and taking temperature and triaging on the device. Students do not swab.
“I signed up for volunteering basically because I need to work and for that I need to receive and have my degree. I am going to the María Elena Walsh Educational Center in Villa 31,” Malena Schargorodsky, an IAR student, told this newspaper. “Maybe it is not the best way to learn, since they are not the academic practices that we used to have, but I think it is a useful tool,” she said.
The decision of the faculty was criticized from different sectors, on the one hand because an economic stimulus for the students is not contemplated, and on the other, because many students cannot participate due to different circumstances.
Barbara is also an IAR student but did not join the volunteer for work reasons. “I could not sign up because I just work during the volunteer hours. But there are also many students who cannot do it either, since they live with their families and volunteering involves exposure and risk. So this volunteering is not a solution for all. It is only for those who can participate but in the middle many of us are left unable to advance, “he said, exposing the limits of the decision.
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