Ogundiran Oluwatobi is a 6th year student of the Medical Institute from Nigeria. Being fluent in four languages and having studied at a Nigerian university for two years, he chose Russia for higher medical education and came to Penza in 2015.

According to Ogundiran Oluwatobi, Russian medical education is a developed educational system with high-level teaching of fundamental and clinical disciplines. “A medical degree obtained at a Russian university is valued in the world in general and in Nigeria in particular. Penza State University has necessary infrastructure and experienced teaching staff that help international students acquire knowledge and skills. In addition, students have the opportunity to engage in science”. Oluwatobi undertook research in the first academic year, even despite the language barrier. Now he is sure that science is constantly developing, a whole life is not enough for it. “At the university, I took a new look at science. It always means findings! ” says the future doctor.

The majority of international students studying at Penza State University see themselves as surgeons, neurologists and medical doctors. Ogundiran Oluwatobi plans to dedicate his future to cardiology as an important area, but not so popular among international students. “Cardiology is a complex but interesting science. Unfortunately, cardiovascular diseases are now the most common in the world. And my vocation as a doctor is to help people cope with this thereat”.

The state examination and accreditation is ahead of Ogundiran Oluwatobi. He will go through three stages: testing on general therapeutic issues, solving simulation cases and completing tasks from the examination cards. “We have to perform resuscitation, study anamnesis of a potential patient, and draw up a treatment plan. We have already taken trial examinations several times, so we can assess how ready we are for the accreditation”.

Upon graduation, the student from Nigeria plans to move to Europe, as good specialists are needed everywhere. Some of Oluwatobi’s acquaintances, who received education in Russia, have been successfully working in the UK for several years. “Russia gave me fundamental knowledge, taught me to be more responsible and independent and opened the way to the big world of medicine”.