Capacity Building is the process of empowering medical students and organizations by enhancing their knowledge, skills, and resources to create sustainable change, achieve shared goals, and address global and local health challenges effectively. To this end, swimsa provides various training sessions and opportunities for medical students to develop skills that are not typically covered in university curricula. These skills aim to support students in their roles within swimsa and its projects, while also benefiting their personal lives and future careers.

Training is part of the engagement of the IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations). Training aims to make skills and knowledge accessible to medical students from all over the world. They should enable participants to better fulfil their tasks in the IFMSA/swimsa and become better doctors later on. The training courses follow the principle of peer education, a form of teaching in which medical students themselves lead the training and share their knowledge. 

Training sessions are a unique experience and the enthusiasm of all participants and trainers is always very high. You get to know new, inspiring people and have a great time together. You develop your own personality, acquire knowledge, form your own opinion on new topics and acquire skills that will help you throughout your life, both personally and professionally.

The NOCB (National Officer for Capacity Building) is responsible for anything related with trainings. This position gets elected once a year at the DV/AD. Their tasks are to organise trainings for swimsas members upon request, organise and promote training possibilities for students and swimsas trainers and the education and coordination of new and old swimsa trainers. It also includes organising sessions for various events of swimsa, such as the SMSC (Swiss Medical Students’ Convention), Exchanges Weekend, Presidents’ Meeting, etc.

swimsa has its own trainers with different levels of experience, and different focus of topics, which are able to deliver meaningful and engaging sessions. They are part of the Trainers Pool, coordinated by the NOCB where calls for trainers are shared. 

The topics that might be covered in trainings: Time management, Personal leadership, Public Relations & Communication, Project Managment, Teambuilding, Advocacy and a lot more. If you are a member or an associate member of swimsa and you want swimsa to organise a training for you, reach out!

• • Are you interested in attending a national or international training? Consider subscribing to the corresponding mailing list and stay posted on CB opportunities  in Switzerland or beyond.
  • Do you want to be a part of swimsas Trainers Pool? Send an email with your trainers portfolio to training@swimsa.ch.
  • Are you a full/associate member of swimsa or another organisation that needs a trainer or help with the organisation of a workshop? Contact training@swimsa.ch with your request.