A Year of Tutoring

At the Montpellier Health Tutoring Association (ATSM), we have been committed since 2006 to supporting first-year health students (PASS/LAS).
Supported in particular by grants from the Hérault Medical Association and the Faculty of Medicine, with whom we work closely, the support
we provide is high-quality and, above all, free of charge.

Our association is made up of students in their second to fourth years of various health-related programs (midwifery, dentistry, and medicine), recruited and trained by university professors. Our goal is to enable all students to enter MMOPKI health programs (medicine, midwifery, dentistry, physical therapy, nursing) without financial constraints.
In this article, we invite you to discover what a year with us is like!

August

The first event organized by the tutoring program, aimed at first-year students, is the Pre-Semester Internship (or SPR). First-year students benefit from educational sessions covering the essentials of the first semester's courses, as well as Methodology and Well-Being workshops. This early start to the semester is highly recommended for success in the PASS/LAS. With the help of tutors, students develop their own study methods using materials that have been reviewed and approved by the faculty teaching team. The SPR concludes with a test, which is graded and ranked, in order to prepare students for the type of exams they will take during the year.
As part of a process of continuous improvement, the tutoring program conducts a satisfaction survey at the end of the pre-term course to gather feedback from students. This feedback is useful for adjusting the course to the needs of first-year students in the following year.

During the SPR, we present students with Guides, which have been created by ATSM tutors over the years. First, the PASS Guide (Parcours Accès Spécifique Santé, or Specific Health Access Pathway) and the LAS Guide (Licence Accès Santé, or Health Access License) provide a better understanding of the terms of the reform, which continue to evolve each year. They also explain the programs (see also the Guide to Minor Subjects for Career Change) and the general functioning of the faculty, with a presentation of the various associations that exist there.

Beyond this plan focused on university education, these guides list various places in Montpellier where students can work, seek medical care, or enjoy themselves. The various activities offered are tailored to both the budget and limited free time available to first-year students, bearing in mind that this downtime is necessary for students' physical and mental well-being.

There is also a Methodology/Well-Being Guide, which offers lots of useful advice on managing your daily life (diet, sleep, exercise, stress, etc.) and learning to work more efficiently, an International Student Guide, which is new for 2023, and an Oral Exam Guide, which helps students at the end of the year. The International Student Guide contains numerous testimonials and tips on administrative matters, practical issues, and adapting to life in a new country, often far from family, which can be even more complicated in PASS or LAS programs.

All these guides are available on the ATSM link tree.

September

At the beginning of September, two weeks after lectures begin, tutoring sessions start. Before the sessions, PASS tutors have access to sessions in paper and digital formats: a number of multiple-choice questions, reviewed and validated by the subject teachers, which should ideally be prepared in advance so that they can be corrected during the session. During these sessions, tutors meet in a lecture hall or classroom with several tutors. The tutors correct the multiple-choice questions, reviewing the most complicated points and sharing their methods, tips, and othermnemonic devices with the students. Students can ask any questions they may have. If they have further questions, they can use the online forum and the tutoring room, where tutors are available at pre-defined times.

LAS students must complete the Common Health EU in Semester 1. The tutoring program for LAS students is therefore identical, with the exception of sessions that are delivered in a digital format . At the ATSM office, the position of Vice President in charge of Health Access Licenses (LAS) was created following the reform. This person is the main point of contact between students and the heads of the various faculties and answers students' questions throughout the year.

To ensure equal opportunities among the various sites hosting LAS students, sessions are held weekly on Zoom.

October–November

In addition to providing academic support, tutoring aims to extend its personal support to first-year students. It is with this in mind that the Health, Social and Support Center and the Well-being Center were created. It is particularly useful at the beginning and throughout the first semester, as this is when students settle in, complete administrative procedures to obtain various forms of assistance, and during the winter period when the focus on mental health is even more pronounced.

The first year of health studies can be stressful and have an impact on students' mental health. Projects and initiatives are therefore being developed to promote mental health within the faculty. In particular, the ATSM organizes training in suicide prevention and crisis management, supervised by faculty professionals, to train ATSM members to know how to refer students in distress. This training, which complements the pedagogical training that our tutors receive, allows us to ensure that we are competent to extend our support beyond the academic sphere. Our directory,"Key Contacts for Psychological Support,"lists contacts for various emergency situations, psychological follow-up, support for various issues, and assistance for people with disabilities. It is also available in the link tree mentioned above.

The ATSM works in collaboration with the Joint Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion Service (SCMPPS) and the Handiversity Service to set up the Disability Tutoring program. The Disability Tutoring Program is part of our moral commitment to equal opportunities for all students: sessions are held in small groups (2-5 students) so that they can be tailored to each student's needs, but the session program is strictly the same as that of the academic tutoring program. ATSM is one of the only tutoring programs in France to offer this type of support, and we are committed to continuing to provide all our students with high-quality education without discrimination.

A mentoring program is also organized in October: all first-year students can sign up for it. They are then put in touch with second- and third-year students in the MMOPK program so that they can receive the best possible support throughout the year.

December

The month of December at the tutoring center concludes two weeks after the end of lectures with the first mock exam. Over two days, students are placed in a real exam situation: the same sequence, duration of tests, and number of multiple-choice questions per subject as on the actual exam day. To support the students, this final training session is supervised and led by the tutors. At the end of these two days of mock exams, the papers are corrected, graded, and ranked. Students then have access to their grades and rankings. The mock exams and sessions are developed in direct collaboration with the professors, ensuring that the teaching resources used are representative and accurate. This event, which brings together more than 900 students each year, is therefore a representative practice run for the ranking exam they will have to take in early January.

January

The second semester follows the same schedule as the first: sessions begin at the end of January and end at the beginning of April. The distinctive feature of this semester is the preparation for the Written Exam (QR) in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS). SHS tutors first hold traditional sessions to consolidate PASS students' knowledge, then organize QR Workshops. These sessions focus on QR methodology and are supplemented by QR Interviews: a tutor gives a student an interview slot to review in detail the positive aspects or areas for improvement in the student's QR, allowing for personalized and tailored follow-up.

The Montpellier Health Tutoring Association not only offers effective educational support, but also provides PASS/LAS students with moral and methodological support . We therefore offer an Instagram page, "Tuto Pep's" (@tuto_peps), as well as a Facebook page, "Tuto Pep's," which aim to help students make the most of their first year. These pages provide methodological advice, tips on healthy living, mental health, scholarship applications, and housing management, as well as encouragement, presentations of different courses, and opportunities for reorientation.

For example, there are Midis Partage, where tutors answer questions from PASS/LAS students and share their experiences during the lunch break. Midis Jeux are also organized with board games, or Blind Tests organized by the Med'ley music association, where first-year students can come and relax.

Finally, the major wellness event of the year takes place from late January to early February: Pep's Days. This event consists of four lunchtimes spread over two weeks, featuring activities such as massages by physiotherapy students, blind tests, sophrology sessions, sign language lessons, self-hypnosis, and more. Savory and sweet buffets are available for students, and welcome packs filled with goodies are distributed. This event, which is completely free, allows PASS/LAS students to take their minds off things and have fun with their friends during their break in what has been a particularly challenging year for them.

The career guidance center is particularly important in the second semester, as this is when students make their Parcoursup and E-Candidat choices. In addition, after the first semester results, many students question their choice of course. It is also during this period that we organize a Career Guidance Forum at the university: the principle is the same as a career forum, but with students from other courses than MMOPKI, many of whom are in the paramedical field.

February

Each year, the University Information, Guidance, and Career Services Department (Scuio-IP) recruits one of our tutors to become their ambassador. The ambassador's role is to present health studies programs at various high schools in the region. All tutors also receive training on theHealth Studies Admission Reform so that they can best answer questions. PASS/LAS students also have access to an OREO (Orientation and REOrientalation) forum on their Moodle space, where they can ask any questions they may have about their orientation.

We also interact with high school students at student fairs, immersion days, and open houses where we are present. At some fairs, we even represent the Montpellier Faculty of Medicine directly. It is the role of the VP OREO to organize these events, in collaboration with the faculty.

High School Student Week has been held every year since 2021 during the February school break. To ensure that as many high school students in the region as possible can take advantage of it, the various sessions are held on Zoom, usually at the end of the day. This internship is completely free, and you can attend as many sessions as you like. If the health situation allows, we also offer a face-to-face day where high school students can come and discover the faculty and how it works.

During this week, high school students will be able to discover the different health-related courses available after a PASS or LAS, and how to be admitted to these courses. There is also a methodology slot that allows students to prepare for the famous "First Year." Finally, we offer introductory sessions to the various courses that students will take during their first year, linking them to the concepts they learned in high school. The aim of this week is to reassure high school students about the difficulty of their future studies.

March

Tutoring support is provided both from an educational and moral standpoint, and even beyond the first year. Our Career Change Guide provides everyone with a backup plan in case they are not admitted to a health program after completing a PASS or LAS. In this guide, you will discover many other programs, some of which are little known, such as certain paramedical programs, and how to enroll in them.

However, this requires careful consideration throughout the year, as it is important not to miss key dates for platforms such as Parcoursup or E-candidat, which allow you to secure a backup plan for the coming year.

April

The second semester mock exam is similar to the first semester exam. Over two days, there are four 1-hour exams (UE4, UE6, UE8, UE9), one 1.5-hour exam (UE7: Biophysics), and a 2-hour QR exam (UE5: Humanities and Social Sciences), just like the final exam at the end of April. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the tutors who supervise these exams, the mock exam takes place in a friendly atmosphere.
It serves as a final practice run, allowing students to refine their methodology, perfect their knowledge, and gauge their standing among their peers before the actual ranking exam.

June

The tutoring program also provides free preparation for the second set of exams. These consist of two oral exams involving the commentary of an iconographic document and the analysis of an issue related to human health. Each exam lasts 30 minutes, with 20 minutes of preparation, 5 minutes of presentation, and 5 minutes of discussion with the jury. In the week leading up to their oral exams, the tutors selected and trained by the professors in charge of the oral exams hold three preparation sessions for the students.

This is an opportunity for mentees to practice public speaking, develop their critical thinking skills, and familiarize themselves with the format of these exams. This preparation takes place in small groups and in person for PASS students. The same offer is available remotely for LAS students.

July

At ATSM, tutors are recruited in July. Second-year health studies tutors are called Trainee Tutors (TTs), who are supervised by the Vice President in charge of Trainee Tutors throughout the year. Recruitment aims to find the best candidates to support first-year students.

This monitoring of tutors continues throughout the academic year, notably through ongoing training provided on the one hand by third-year Qualified Tutors (QT) who supervise Trainee Tutors (TT), and on the other hand through training courses on a wide range of topics: Reform of entry into health studies, creation of multiple-choice questions, training on the rights and duties of tutors, etc. Tutors have rights and duties, such as attending their PASS and LAS sessions, being available in person or online, supervising tests and mock exams, and answering PASS/LAS questions on the dedicated forum. It is by fulfilling these duties that we are able to provide high-quality tutoring. At the end of the year, following an interview with the tutoring reference professors, Trainee Tutors can become Qualified Tutors.

Finally, our association is recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, having obtained ministerial approval that attests to the quality and relevance of our support in promoting equal opportunities and ensuring accessibility to health studies for all. Throughout the year, we strive to provide high-quality tutoring, faithful to our promise of completely free support, focused on solidarity between classes, which is a pillar of health studies at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine.

ATSM contacts:
Facebook: Tutorat Santé Montpellier
Instagram: @tutoratsantemtp
Twitter: @TutoratSanteMTP