IUE’S NEWEST: FACULTY OF MEDICINE

Izmir University of Economics’ 3 year endeavors to open Faculty of Medicine (English instruction) came to a happy ending with the approval of the respective boards of Council of Higher Education. The first medical students of Izmir Economics will start classes in 2017 – 2018 academic year. The instruction at Faculty of Medicine, where 50 students will be admitted initially, will be English. The young health professionals will also contribute to Izmir’s well-deserved share in health tourism.

Ekrem Demirtaş, President of IUE Board of Trustees, stated that they refused to open a Faculty of Medicine that offered instruction in Turkish keeping Izmir’s future in mind, and said that they came to a happy ending at the end of a 3 year approval process. “The medium of instruction at our university is English; therefore, we refused to offer medical education in Turkish. Izmir has many health institutions, facilities, clinics, and laboratories suitable for health tourism. We get our share of health tourism even if it's just a little bit. We have thermal resources that we fail to put to good use. And most importantly we have talented doctors and medical staff.  However, there is lack of doctors, nurses, medical imaging technicians, health institutions managers who have good command of foreign language and who can communicate with foreigners,” said Demirtaş.

“Izmir Economics will train doctors for health tourism”

President Demirtaş, who pointed that the Faculty of Medicine would start classes in 2017 – 2018 academic year with 50 students, said, “We’ve established the most equipped labs in the country. 20 faculty members working for 2 years even prepared the text books in English. Students will be educated in smart classrooms. The 260-bed hospital will be ready just in time for clinic trainings of the students. We’ve established Department of Health Management in 2013 and Department of Nursing in 2014 within the Faculty of Health Sciences. Both departments offer education in English. And next year, we will have our first graduates. We are also training medical technicians at Physiotherapy, Paramedic, Medical Documentation and Secretariat, Medical Imaging Techniques, Medical Laboratory Techniques, Elderly Care, Child Development, and Opticianry programs within the Vocational School of Health Services”.

‘Peaking performance in education’

President Demirtaş stated that they peaked in education as the ITO Education and Health Foundation. “We’ve graduated many students of members of Izmir Chamber of Commerce. They are all very successful businessmen/women. Now, our focus is on health. We will be supporting our 75 thousand members in sickness and in health, said the President.

‘New education model’

President Demirtaş, who remarked that they would engage a new model in medical education, stated the following:

“We will be integrating e-learning into medical education. We’ve designed a learning platform. Students will be able to access this platform for assignments, exams, etc. from wherever they want. It will be a learning-based education. We will be using student-centered methods. There will be many lab applications. We have high-quality teaching staffs who are experts in their fields. Students will not be assessed via exams only. They will also create their portfolios and will be able to exhibit them. We are going to offer students all means to monitor and support them so they can become good doctors.”