Description of the degree programme

Medicine is a new degree programme at Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Wrocław Tech). The value of the medical faculty established at the Faculty of Medicine lies primarily in the exceptionally modern interdisciplinary training programme for future doctors, which comprises basic sciences at an extended level, various aspects of medical technology, as well as an extended clinical training programme at highly specialised hospitals with a considerable patient flow. The new Faculty of Medicine will work closely with the faculties of engineering and technical sciences, strict sciences, life sciences, and social sciences. Seven of Wrocław's specialist hospitals will partner with the Faculty to provide the clinical and teaching infrastructure.
With its excellent teaching facilities (including laboratories), Wrocław Tech has been conducting medicine-related research activities (in fields such as biotechnology, biomedical engineering, biophysics, and chemistry) for many years, which will be used to provide education to doctors of the future. The curriculum of studies at Wrocław Tech guarantees unique training for the future doctor, which will ensure that they are well-prepared to use modern techniques for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Medical students will have extensive access to research apparatus, diverse patient groups, and state-of-the-art equipment used in diagnosis and therapy. The medical degree programme includes compulsory and optional classes, allowing students to acquire specialised theoretical knowledge as well as also practical skills and social competencies – including proper communication with the patient and the knowledge of working in various therapeutic and research teams.

A degree programme in medicine comprises the following:

• classical medical education enriched with basic and technical sciences;
• subjects and practical classes enabling contact with patients right from the first semester – the so-called bedside hours (in addition to as many as 249 hours of clinical classes over the entire study cycle);
• mentoring provided by tutors (an academic and a practising doctor) – from the first semester of study, students will have their own mentor and tutor who will accompany them through the subsequent stages of their studies;
• the opportunity to study in up to 6-person practice and clinical groups;
• a minimum of 125 hours of classes delivered at a modern Medical Simulation Centre from the first to the fifth year of study (including training in subjects such as first aid, emergency medicine, anaesthesiology and intensive care, surgery, gynaecology, and obstetrics in low- and high-fidelity rooms using specialised medical simulators); additionally, specially adapted rooms will enable training in interpersonal skills and the psychology of working with patients;
• training in modern laboratories, right from the first year: a Virtual Anatomy Laboratory equipped with 84-inch tables that enable training in anatomy, histology, embryology, and radiology. a Virtual Microscopy Laboratory for the study of histology, embryology, and forensic medicine, and a Live Tissue Dissection Laboratory allowing the dissection of the animal heart, brain, or liver to be performed under the guidance of eminent specialists in the field;
• the opportunity to find out about research methodology and specialised diagnostic equipment (e.g. ECG, ultrasound, Holter, spirometer, glucometer) at the Laboratory of Topographical Anatomy and Human Physiology as early as in the first year of study;
• observation of hospital work in a Virtual Reality Laboratory equipped with VR equipment, including specially designed goggles allowing the simulation participant to become part of the virtual world and experience it first-hand while working with patients;
• classes delivered by seasoned specialists and practitioners with many years of experience working at highly specialised medical facilities;
• experience gained in many wards and clinics of Wrocław’s hospitals to build the ability to work in different clinical settings and with changing medical teams;
• preparation classes for the Medical Final Examination (Polish acronym: LEK), starting in the fifth year of study.

In addition, the plan of studies is designed to allow students to individualise their learning path. The interdisciplinary programme provides unique optional subjects taught by outstanding academics from various Wrocław Tech faculties and pertaining to areas such as engineering (e.g. molecular biotechnology in medical diagnostics, implants and artificial organs, medicine 4.0), management (e.g. fundamentals of management psychology for doctors and management of employee teams), social sciences (e.g. medical error and courtroom cases, psychology of communication with the patient), and medicine.
After receiving their medical degree, graduates will be eligible to take the Medical Final Examination. Upon passing the examination, a licence to practise medicine is granted.
The learning outcomes of the medical degree will fully meet the requirements of the modern medical labour market.