In the fall of 2020, as part of the EnterMode program, 3 students from Semmelweis University started internships at training places with different orientations, but closely related to health care. The winners were selected by the participants of the project in online interviews out of nearly twenty university students based on specific criteria agreed with the companies.

In the framework of the program, one student of the Faculty of Medicine and two students of the Institute of Digital Health Sciences started internships in different areas closely related to health care. One of the winning applicants is involved in the development of a new radiological image analysis tool and its marketing strategy, the other got involved in the development of obstetric and gynecological patient information through various communication channels. The third student joined the areas of communication and fundraising in the nonprofit sector to help children with cancer. 

EnterMode is an Erasmus+ funded project that aims to promote and facilitate the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills and competences for students in higher education during their internship. Experts from eight countries from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia and the Netherlands are participating in the project. The introduction and preparation of the internship program in Hungary is coordinated by the Health Services Manager Training Center. 

Due to the epidemiological situation, work was partly done in digital form, where the trainees could try the possibilities provided by online space and also participate in online meetings. The feedback from the students is clearly positive, they found the program exciting and useful, during which they gained practical knowledge and got a more comprehensive picture about their future profession. 

In addition to the internships, the implementation of the EnterMode model is supported by other tools, such as the online “serious game”, which aims to realize the training methodology of the project and to support the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills. The special game consisting of several parts was developed as a practical additional tool of the project, developing players’ entrepreneurial competences such as creativity, vision, mobilizing resources, opportunities to be explored, dealing with uncertainty, ambiguity and risk as well as cooperating with others. The main goal of the players is to conduct a successful interview with the head of the company and manage to get a job at the end of the game. The other tool is the “Community of Practice“, where faculty members of higher education and corporate mentors can find support, related resources and materials, and may engage in dialogues about the progress of the internships. 

Bernadett Bódi
Featured image: Health Services Manager Training Center
Translation: Katalin Illés-Romhányi