On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), held a handover ceremony for 134 new students of the Specialist Medical Education Program (Sp-1), MKK, and Subspecialist Program (Sp-2) for the February 2025 intake. The ceremony took place at the 3rd Floor Hall of the Faculty of Medicine, USU. A total of 134 new students will continue their specialist and subspecialist education at the Faculty of Medicine, USU.

The event was attended by the Directorate of Educational Development, represented by Ikhsan Siregar, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., on behalf of the Vice Rector I. Also in attendance were the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, USU, Prof. Dr. dr. Aldy Safruddin Rambe, Sp.S(K).; Vice Dean I, Dr. dr. Delyuzar, M.Ked(PA), Sp.PA(K).; Vice Dean III, dr. Inke Nadia D. Lubis, PGDip.PID., M.Ked(Ped), Sp.A, Ph.D.; Head of the PPDS Coordination Team, Dr. dr. Cut Adeya Adella, M.Ked (OG), Sp.OG (K).; Secretary of the PPDS Coordination Team, dr. Badai Buana Nasution, M.Ked(Ped), Sp.A(K).; Prof. Dr. dr. Elmeida Effendy, M.Ked (KJ)., Sp.KJ(K).; and other members of the academic community.

The event began with a socialization session delivered by dr. Badai Buana Nasution, M.Ked(Ped), Sp.A(K), Secretary of the PPDS Coordination Team, who introduced the Specialist and Subspecialist Medical Education System. In addition to the handover ceremony, the event also featured sessions on the Prevention of Bullying and Sexual Harassment within the Specialist Medical Education Program at the Faculty of Medicine, USU, delivered by Prof. Dr. dr. Elmeida Effendy, M.Ked (KJ)., Sp.KJ(K), as well as a session on Plagiarism Prevention within the Faculty of Medicine, USU, delivered by Dr. dr. Cut Adeya Adella, M.Ked (OG), Sp.OG (K).

This activity supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education by promoting quality, ethical, and competency-based specialist and subspecialist medical education, while supporting the continuous development of professional skills among healthcare professionals.

The Directorate of Educational Development, Ikhsan Siregar, stated, “We believe and have confidence in the students to remain enthusiastic in facing the academic process ahead. Having a strong spirit of learning, dedication, and hard work is an initial process toward achieving success.”

“We also need to maintain ethics throughout the academic process. This also applies to all educators so that they can guide students to develop academic morals and ethics, thereby shaping professional students who will ultimately be beneficial to society,” he added.

In his remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, USU, Prof. Dr. dr. Aldy Syafrudin Rambe, Sp.S(K)., congratulated the newly admitted PPDS students, emphasizing that they were selected to pursue their education at the Faculty of Medicine, USU. The Dean also reminded them of the importance of ethics, which is highly upheld within the Faculty of Medicine, USU, as reflected in the principle “Adab Dulu Baru Ilmu” or “Good Conduct Before Knowledge,” emphasizing that knowledge without good character has little value to humanity.

“We must also have strong physical and mental capabilities in our journey to become good doctors, as well as effective communication skills with patients and their families,” added Prof. Aldy.

Strengthening competencies, ethics, physical and mental well-being, and communication skills among future specialist and subspecialist doctors also supports SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. Quality healthcare education plays an important role in preparing doctors who are capable of providing safe, professional, and patient-centered healthcare services.

The Head of the PPDS Coordination Team, Dr. dr. Cut Adeya Adella, M.Ked (OG), Sp.OG (K)., expressed hope that through the materials presented by the speakers, PPDS students would avoid and refrain from engaging in plagiarism and bullying practices within the Faculty of Medicine, USU.

Efforts to prevent plagiarism, bullying, and sexual harassment demonstrate a commitment to creating a safe, ethical, and equitable educational environment. This is in line with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, particularly through strengthening a culture of integrity, ethical conduct, respect for individual rights, and the creation of a safe and responsible academic environment.

The activity concluded with a socialization session delivered by Ust. Dr. Ahmad Zuhri Rangkuti, Lc., M.H.I., who presented material on “Proper Educational Conduct Based on Ethics and Religious Norms,” followed by a question-and-answer session.