Guilherme Constante Preis Sella (22) is a fifth year medical student in Brazil.

He lives with his sister (also a medical student) in an apartment in Ribeirao Preto.

 

How many years is medical school in Brazil?
6 years

How many hours a week do you spend on your study?
I’m now in my 5^th year and I spend about 50 hours working in the hospital and about ten to twenty hours studying.

Is it possible for everyone to study medicine in Brazil?

In Brazil we have public and private universities. The public university is for free and everyone can study here. Although it is really hard to get in. I study at a private university. This is quite expensive, about €1000 a month. Not everyone can afford this. 10% of the students at a private university receive support from the government.

What do you think is the best part of medical education in Brazil?

The last two years, we can do everything in the hospitals. Procedures, surgeries, attending patients. So when we finish school, we are prepared for most situations in medicine.

If you can change one thing of the medical education in Brazil, what would that be?

We should earn money! We work hard and don’t earn anything.

What do you think that is the biggest difference in study medicine in The Netherlands and Brazil?

In the beginning of this year I did two internships, one in The Netherlands and one in Germany. The biggest difference is working. Most of people don’t need to work in Brazil, because our parents support us. And another difference about education is that we are allowed to do everything when we are in the hospitals.

Describe your life in 2020…

Probably I am a doctor, to be more specific: a surgeon. I hope that I have my own clinic, work about 60-80 hours each week and earn enough money to survive. And in my free time I want to play soccer, go fishing and go to the farm.