“Anyone who does not know his or her purpose, no matter how skilled and experienced in his profession, just wanders aimlessly in the world. Anyone who knows what his or her goal is but not prepared methodically, will never reach the goal,” said János Csák, Minister of Culture and Innovation in his welcome speech, recalling that there are few professions in the world where the goals are as clear as in medicine.
The Minister pointed out that Semmelweis University is ranked 186th in the Times Higher Education 2022 ranking of medical and health sciences, and 257th in life sciences. As for the “US News Best Global Universities” list, it is ranked 55th in the cardiovascular field. “You should be proud to have graduated from one of the best universities in the world,” he said.
“Being a doctor is a courageous act, because we dedicate our lives to the Creator’s great and unrepeatable creation, mankind. With humility, diligence, hard-earned knowledge, with the fatigue of kilometers in the wards”, said Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, adding that the inauguration as a doctor is a special event which students will always remember for the rest of their lives.
The rector recalled that Covid posed an unprecedented challenge to doctors, teachers and students alike. Semmelweis University has been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic, thousands of students have done their part working at the screenings, care centers – everywhere help was needed.
Dr. Béla Merkely also pointed out that recent graduates have contibuted to two milestone changes at Semmelweis University. With the implementation of the practice-oriented curricular reform, the university is training doctors with increased practical knowledge, and the model change provides the university more opportunities, more scope for action and more dynamic development options than ever before.
Gábor Orbán, President of the National Foundation for Health and Medical Education, stressed that health care workers have become our everyday heroes, who have been fighting tirelessly for lives and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic with their devotion and humanity, even under extraordinary circumstances.
He emphasized that Semmelweis Citizens have played an indispensable role in this mission, and expressed his gratitude not only as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University Foundation, but also as a citizen of the country.
A total of 547 graduates from the Faculty of Medicine who successfully passed their final exams in Hungarian, English and German, were inaugurated at the event considered to be a ceremonial meeting of the university’s Senate. The candidates were inaugurated by Dr. Miklós Kellermayer, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, then along with Rector Dr. Béla Merkely, they were welcomed as fellow doctors.
The dean pointed out that they had already become physicians in the renewed curriculum, the most important goal of which is the effective training of a general practitioner capable of independent critical thinking, medical decision-making, differentiation and lifelong learning.
On behalf of the Hungarian medical students, Dr. Anna Király thanked the educators and also family members for the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience.
On behalf of the English-speaking students, Amirreza Alijanpourotaghsara recalled her freshman’s day, September 2 in 2016, when an amazing new chapter of their lives began. „If we can retain just one-tenth of the enthusiasm we felt on that very first day, we can overcome any challenges and obstacles, and change the world around us for the better,” she emphasized.
Dr. Csilla Sophie Meny Clara, on behalf of the German-speaking students, described their university years as “a time when the library became a second home for some, classmates became friends and friends became family.”
Gallery
Pálma Dobozi
Translation: Gábor Kiss, Rita Kónya
Photo: Attila Kovács, Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University
