In English
What is LKS?
LKS, short for ‘Lääketieteenkandidaattiseura’, is a student-governed organization focused on the affairs of medical students in the University of Helsinki. LKS was founded in 1933 and thus celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2013. Besides organizing tons of activities for students, from climbing to wine tasting, LKS promotes student rights and advantages both at a local and a national level. LKS also provides its members various services including student apartments.
LKS Board
The board consists of 7-10 annually elected members and is led by the chairman of the board.
In addition to the official board members, a group of representatives with special assignments, such as the editor in chief of our student magazine Q-kautinen, the general secretary and the chairman of the committee work closely with the board, paritcipate in its meetings.
The board oversees that students’ voice is heard within the faculty in matters concerning studies as well as in other administrative structures within the University of Helsinki. The board also maintains relations with other medical faculties and student organizations in Finland as well as other faculties and organizations within the University of Helsinki.
LKS Committee
The committee consists of 21 primary members and 7 vice members. Committee meetings are led by the chairman of the committee, who is a member of the board and is chosen for their role by the committee via election at the beginning of the committee’s term.
The committee is responsible for major decisions within the student organization, such as accepting the yearly budget and granting funds for different projects as well as choosing representatives for different posts. The committee’s term is one year and the representatives are elected during the fall semester.
The board and the committee will gladly hear students’ opinions about different matters so do not hesitate to contact us!
Where to get information about LKS?
If you have any questions concerning LKS and what we have in store for you, you can always contact us via email or ask your tutors. Information regarding current events and upcoming parties can be found from a weekly newsletter sent to you via email. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow on Instagram!
Medical education in Finland
There are five medical faculties in Finland, in the universities of Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Oulu and Kuopio. In Helsinki, the Medical Faculty yearly intake is 150 students – 120 students to study in Finnish, and 30 students in Swedish. In addition, 50 students enter the faculty yearly to study dentistry.
Medical education, as all university level studies, is free of charge for the student. Entrance is either granted by matriculation marks or through an entrance examination, and the duration of the medical studies is 5,5 to 6 years. The academic year runs generally from the beginning of September through May, with a Christmas break of two to three weeks in December.
In Helsinki, the first two years of study comprise the preclinical phase of the medical curriculum. The clinical phase is divided in blocks according to medical specialities and different organ systems of the human body – for example, cardiology and lung disease, neurology, pediatrics, gastroenterology and abdominal surgery. For a more thorough overview of the curriculum, see the Faculty of Medicine website.