Auburn University Physicians Executive MBA Program
Raymond J. Harbert College of Business
SCANDINAVIA
Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden
June 8-19, 2017
Post-Trip Option to St. Petersburg, Russia, June 18-22, 2017
TENTATIVE INFORMATION
(This schedule and information are subject to change as the program is developed)
The information in this brochure is designed to answer some preliminary questions regarding the
international residency portion of your PEMBA program. Complete details for the conference travel
program are still being developed, with a final itinerary and registration information to be forwarded to
you in the coming months.
The International Study Program
This international study program will intertwine an examination of the healthcare strategies and
economic influences of the Scandinavian healthcare system, along with an opportunity to experience its
culture and natural beauty. Class sessions will include discussions with local physicians and officials as
well as medical school and hospital tours to better understand each country’s healthcare delivery
system. Additional travel and tour arrangements will be carefully planned to provide a once in a lifetime
experience of Scandinavia’s most fascinating and beautiful cities.
Southern Medical Association
Southern Medical Association (SMA) is proud to partner with Auburn University in a continuing medical
education capacity to offer graduate-level, healthcare-focused business education. SMA develops the
educational programs for the two off-campus residencies in the Physician Executive MBA program. The
international residency in June 2017 will focus on Comparative Healthcare Systems, and the
Washington, DC residency in March 2018 will focus on Emerging Issues in U.S. Health Care Policy.
The SMA mission is to improve quality of patient care through multidisciplinary, interprofessional
education. This involves physician-directed educational and leadership activities that include diverse
teams of healthcare professionals interacting, collaborating, and learning for the purpose of improving
the quality of patient care.
SMA MEMBERSHIP
As an Auburn PEMBA student, you receive a 1-year membership in the Southern Medical Association
that will begin just prior to the International Trip. This allows you to be registered for SMA’s AirMed
medical evacuation member benefit during the trip. Your membership also provides an online
subscription to the Southern Medical Journal, numerous other CME opportunities, and much more.
Visit sma.org for more information about the Southern Medical Association and what your membership
benefit will provide, or to view other CME opportunities listed on its CME Events Calendar.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
After participating in this activity, learners should be better prepared to:
1. Analyze a country’s healthcare system using a matrix of critical and universal elements
2. Identify the benefits and liabilities of a country’s healthcare system
3. Compare the country’s healthcare system elements, including cultural, governmental,
educational, delivery of care, and financing to those of the United States’ healthcare system
4. Select and list elements of a country’s healthcare system which might be beneficial to the
United States’ healthcare system
5. Explain how a country’s history of economics, values, and culture tend to determine the
development of its healthcare system in its current status
ACCREDITATION
The international and the Washington, DC residency activities will be planned and
implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint
providership of Southern Medical Association and Auburn University’s Raymond J.
Harbert College of Business. The Southern Medical Association is accredited by the
ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award (AMA)
Both activities are currently under development but generally the international program provides
approximately 20 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM and the Washington program provides approximately
17 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. The total number of credits awarded will be based on the learners’
participation, as well as the final number of hours available for the Conference.
Meet Your SMA Liaisons
Ms. Fadwa Shunnarah
SMA Tours – Contact Fadwa for all your travel arrangement questions and needs.
Phone: (800) 239-7444
Direct: (205) 421-4109
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Jennifer Price
CME Program Manager, SMA
Phone: (800) 423-4992 Ext. 185
Direct: (205) 421-4185
Email: [email protected]
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
(Subject to Change as Program Continues to Be Developed)
COMPARATIVE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS: SCANDINAVIA
June 8-19, 2017
Post-Trip Option to St. Petersburg, Russia, June 19-22, 2017
THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2017
Depart U.S.
Depart the United States
FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017
Bergen
Arrival in Norway
Welcome to the Norwegian city of Bergen! After transferring to the hotel for check-in, the remainder of
the day is free for you to relax.
SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2017
Bergen
Morning Walking Tour
After breakfast, meet our tour guide for a 3-hour guided walking tour
around the most interesting sights of Bergen. During the tour you also
enjoy a fantastic Floibanen Funicular ride that is one of Norway’s
best-known attractions.
Afternoon Fjord Cruise
After lunch on your own, enjoy an afternoon fjord cruise from Bergen to Mostraumen before returning
to the hotel for a little time on your own. This evening, enjoy a group dinner at the famous Cornelius
Restaurant.
SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017
Oslo
Rail Transfer to Oslo
Following an early breakfast, check out of the hotel and transfer to the train station for an unforgettable
7-hour rail trip to Oslo. This trip is the perfect opportunity to admire the mind-boggling nature and
picture-postcard sceneries of Norway. Upon arrival, check into our host hotel and enjoy the remainder
of the afternoon and evening on your own.
MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2017
Educational Conference
Today, conference attendees participate in a full day education program, including lunch.
Oslo
Spouse/Guest Tour – Oslo Cultural Sites
While the students are hard at work, spouses and guests will enjoy a 5-hour guided city tour of the
magnificent Norwegian capital, starting with a visit to one of the major Scandinavian treasures – the
famous Frogner Park, informally known as the Vigeland Park after its founder Gustav Vigeland. Spend
time strolling through this beautiful park with its extravagant sculptures and unique Scandinavian
nature.
Other famous Oslo attractions on the list to see are the Norwegian Folk Museum as well as the Munch
Museum. Part of the Symbolist movement in the 1890s, Munch was a pioneer of expressionist art from
the beginning of the 1900s onward. His tenacious experimentation within painting, graphic art,
drawing, sculpture, photo and film has given him a unique position in Norwegian as well as international
art history.
TUESDAY, JUNE 13, 2017
Oslo
Educational Conference
Today, the conference continues with another full day education program, including lunch.
Spouse/Guests – On Their Own
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2017
Oslo to Stockholm
Viking Ship Museum
Following breakfast, check out of the hotel before visiting the Viking
Ship Museum, home to the world’s two best-preserved wooden Viking
ships built in the 9th century – Oseberg and Gokstad.
Transfer to Stockholm
Afterwards, transfer directly to the train station for our trip to the
gorgeous capital of Sweden – Stockholm. On arrival, check into the hotel and enjoy the rest of the day
free to relax.
THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2017
Stockholm
Educational Conference
Today, conference attendees participate in a full day education program, including lunch.
Spouse/Guest Tour – Drottningholm Palace
This afternoon, spouses and guests will visit The Drottningholm
Palace – the best preserved 18th-century theater in Europe, and the
only one in the world that still uses the original stage machinery on
a regular basis. Along with the palace and park complex, it forms
the official residence of the Swedish royal family that was the first
Swedish attraction put on the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites
in 1991.
FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017
Stockholm
Educational Conference
Today, the conference concludes with another full day education program, including lunch.
Spouse/Guests – On Their Own
SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2017
Stockholm
Stockholm City Tour
After breakfast, the whole group will enjoy a 3-hour walking tour of
the city. Explore the brilliant Old Town that is one of the biggest
and most well-preserved medieval Old Towns in Europe and see the
famous Royal Palace, the Stockholm Cathedral, and the City Hall.
After a break for lunch, visit the Skansen Museum – the world’s first
open-air museum founded in 1891 – for a unique view of the
country before the industrial era. During the tour, take a fascinating journey through the five centuries
of Swedish history, see the large collection of traditional rural houses and visit the museum’s zoo that
represents about 75 different species of both domestic and wild Scandinavian animals, including brown
bears, seals, lynx and wolverines.
Later, walk to the nearby Vasa Museum, rated as the most visited museum in Scandinavia. This
museum is famous for being home to the only intact 17th-century ship in the world – the Vasa. Sank on
its maiden voyage in 1628 and salvaged only 333 years later, more than 95 percent of its body is
remarkably preserved in original state. Afterwards, return to the hotel for an evening on your own.
SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2017
Stockholm / St. Petersburg
Scandinavia-Only Participants – Day Trip to Uppsala and Sigtuna
After breakfast, meet your guide for a short ride to the authentic medieval towns of Uppsala and
Sigtuna. During this 6-hour tour, explore all major cultural treasures of these beautiful cities and enjoy
their unique atmosphere and amazing charm. Afterwards, enjoy a Stockholm Historical Canals Boat
ride before returning to the hotel for the remainder of the day at leisure.
St. Petersburg Post-Trip Extension Participants – Transfer to St. Petersburg and City Tour
For those participating in the St. Petersburg Post-Trip, this is the last day of your amazing Scandinavian
adventure! After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport for your flight to
the glorious Venice of the North – St. Petersburg! On arrival, you will have time to check into your hotel
and enjoy lunch before meeting your guide for an amazing
panoramic city tour around the most cherished gems of the
city, including Palace Square, the Hermitage Museum, the
Mariinsky Theater, and Nevsky Prospect. Afterwards,
proceed to Peter and Paul Fortress – burial place of most
Russian emperors and empresses from Peter the Great to
Nicholas II and his family. Then go inside the magnificent St.
Isaac’s Cathedral and the Church of the Savior on Spilled
Blood, which stands where Russia’s great emperor Alexander
II was mortally wounded.
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2017
Stockholm / St. Petersburg
Scandinavia-Only Participants – Transfer to Airport
This is the last day of your amazing Scandinavian adventure! After breakfast, check out of the hotel and
transfer to the airport for your flight home.
St. Petersburg Post-Trip Extension Participants – Pushkin and Pavlocsk Palace Tour
After breakfast, meet your guide and head for Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo) to explore the brilliant
Catherine’s Palace – a striking example of baroque architecture gifted by Peter the Great to his wife
Catherine I. During the tour, walk through the lavish parks and gardens of this outstanding palace and
enjoy its gorgeous interiors, including the replica of the world-renowned Amber Room.
After lunch, visit the Great Palace at Pavlovsk, somewhat staid in comparison to its near neighbor at
Tsarskoe Selo, forgoing that building’s opulent ornamentation for classical elegance and harmony,
painted in the deep yellow and white colour scheme typical of St. Petersburg neo-classicism.
TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg Post-Trip Extension Participants – Hermitage Museum and Cruise
Today, visit one of the largest art museums in the world, the Hermitage Museum – home to a unique
collection of world art - including the masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, El Greco, Francisco
Goya and Thomas Gainsborough in the halls of the Winter Palace.
They say that if you were to spend three minutes by each of the
exhibits in the Hermitage, it will take you three years to see the
entire exhibition. But don’t worry, your experienced guide will
show you the best rooms and halls of the exhibit, including the
amazing Diamond Room, within several hours.
In the evening, enjoy a private boat ride along the rivers and
canals of St. Petersburg, passing by its historic bridges and
romantic embankments. This is a great chance to see the city
from a completely new perspective.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg Post-Trip Extension Participants – Peterhof Tour
Today, you’ll travel to the outskirts of St. Petersburg to explore the former summer residence of Russian
tsars and the gem of palace architecture – Peterhof.
During the tour you visit the famous Bath Cottage and take a walk in the beautiful Lower Park, lavishly
adorned with 176 fountains of various forms and styles and numerous gilded statues of ancient gods
and heroes. After lunch, head back to the city by Hydrofoil!
THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017
St. Petersburg Post-Trip Extension Participants – Departure
St. Petersburg
This is the last day of your spectacular Russian adventure! After breakfast, check out of the hotel and
transfer to the airport for your flight home.
PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP / VISAS
PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP WILL BE REQUIRED for the International Trip!
If you DO NOT have a passport - please do not wait until the last minute to apply for one!
If you DO have a passport - Remember it is REQUIRED that your passport have at least six (6) months validity
remaining on it from the last date of travel. In other words, if your current passport will expire anytime before
January 1, 2018, it is best to go ahead and get it renewed for the June 2017 trip.
Post-Trip Note: All TRAVELERS TO RUSSIA will REQUIRE A VISA! If you are a U.S. citizen participating in the
post-trip, SMA Tours will coordinate this for you.
Non-US Citizens: Persons of other nationality will need to obtain any visas required for them directly on their
own based on your particular embassy’s specific requirements. This may require travel to your consulate or
even possibly a medical exam. Do not wait until the last minute to begin this process.
If you are traveling to other countries besides the official destinations before or after our trip, you will need
to check for any visa requirements for travel to those countries.
No Health Certificates are currently required for travel to Scandinavia from the U.S. Contact your local health
authority for the latest information.
CALENDAR OF FUTURE PROGRAMS
EMERGING ISSUES IN U.S.
HEALTHCARE POLICY
Washington, DC
March 26-29, 2017
COMPARATIVE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS:
SCANDINAVIA
June 8-19, 2017