Students' Society for Anaesthesiology and Traumatology

Highlights

• Medical student's societies may be beneficial in recruiting the best candidates to specialties.

• Medical student's societies can facilitate educational activities.

• Medical student's societies may play a role in student's choice of specialty.

• Medical students volunteer spare time to educational activities for themselves and fellow students.

Introduction

Membership of medical student societies can be an opportunity for medical students to learn more about their field of interest. Participation and involvement in these societies may even increase the chances of entering a desired residency program. Some medical student societies have international perspectives, others national, but most focus on the education of medical students in a broader perspective, politics, humanitarian work, exchange programs and networking. Within anesthesiology, medical associations such as the American Society for Anesthesiologists and Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research often have students' programs and groups. These groups primarily focus on career opportunities and provide clinical electives and research opportunities. At many universities throughout the world student run groups and organizations are found. Many focus on providing educational opportunities in form of clinical electives. Some, such as the Norwegian emergency medicine societies located in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø are similar to the structure we have in Denmark where simulation courses and workshops are some of the main activities.¹

At the faculty of health and medical sciences at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) there are numerous students' societies all representing different specialties within medicine, surgery and education.²

Students' Society for Anaesthesiology and Traumatology (SATS) in Copenhagen is one out of three SATS organizations in Denmark.3, 4, 5 The organizations are individual and locally controlled student societies for medical students interested in a career in anesthesiology, traumatology or emergency medicine. The society aims to introduce the specialty of anesthesiology to all medical students through events such as lectures, workshops, and simulation courses.

The Society was established in Copenhagen in 1999 and SATS Copenhagen (SATS–C) was the first SATS organization in Denmark. In 2000, SATS-C supported the establishment of SATS at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Aarhus and the society is thereby present at 3 out of 4 medical schools in Denmark.

The society is a student run organization with a board selected by the members at the annual general assembly. In Copenhagen the board consists of seven board members who coordinate the organization's internal and external activities.