Medical students exchange program organized by Croatian Medical Students International Committee, 1996-2000.

AIM To assess the interest of Croatian medical students in going to foreign countries and foreign medical students' interest in coming to Croatia for one-month professional and research clerkship in the period from 1996 to 2000. METHOD Data were obtained from contracts between Croatian Medical Students' International Committee and other National Member Organizations of the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations; from student Application forms; reports of the Local Committees of Croatian Medical Students' International Committee summed up in a Statistical form and used for statistical analysis in the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations; and from Cards of acceptance and Cards of confirmation. RESULTS The number of available bilateral exchange places increased from 28 in 1996 to 66 in 1999. Croatian students going for clerkship abroad used 65.8% of available places and foreign students realized 59.3% of all places available in Croatia. Most of the exchange students chose clinical, whereas only a small number chose preclinical clerkship. The most visited were the departments of medicine and general surgery. All the students preferred doing their clerkships in August. Most foreign students came from Italy, Spain, Slovakia, and Hungary. Croatian students preferred to go to Italy, Spain, Egypt, and Finland. CONCLUSION Political problems strongly affected students' interest in doing clerkship in a certain country. Croatia needs to attract more students from different countries and to increase the interest of Croatian students in doing clerkship in Eastern European countries.