Every year, the University of Fribourg's Institute of Family Medicine organises a unique internship, which offers participants a broad overview of the profession of family doctor with a particular focus on integrative health. Over the course of a week, Master's students in medicine have the opportunity to discover and experience a selection of health-related disciplines. In addition to family doctors with diverse backgrounds and specialisations, experts in certain complementary therapies and professionals in wellness and prevention practices are involved in the internship.
The knowledge acquired will be invaluable to future doctors in advising patients who use complementary medicine techniques, as this represents a significant proportion of the Swiss population. In addition, students will be able to choose to apply some of the practices presented to their own daily lives, which may help them maintain a healthy work-life balance in spite of the high demands of the profession that awaits them. The internship incidentally takes place in a setting conducive to unwinding - in Jaun, in the Fribourg Pre-Alps.
Discussions with the various speakers can also be a real source of inspiration for young doctors, not only giving them ideas for specialisations for their careers, but above all making them aware that a doctor is defined first and foremost by their human qualities. The internship therefore aims to show them that practising integrative medicine is not only about embracing the richness of interdisciplinary collaboration, but also, at times, about letting one's creativity nourish one's relationships with patients.
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