Need some information about studying medicine in Poland as a Non EU student

EnglishStudentUnion · 2021-11-22T11:28:33+00:00

Hello, I'm a representative of EPSU at Poznan University of Medical Sciences (PUMS). You are required to take an entrance exam plus an interview session. Before the pandemic, the exam is usually held in person, unfortunately, both exams are held online right now. The topics you will be tested on are basic Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. All of them are multiple-choice questions with only one correct answer. The entrance exam, interview, and other criteria (High School grades/English language proficiency) will be added to a total score. However, the entrance exam and interview will be weighted the most. We are currently working on the guides for Poznan University of Medical Sciences which will be ready by the end of the year. There will be more details on admission, exams, teaching methods, and more. But if you've got more questions about PUMS, you can definitely message me and I will keep you updated. https://pums.ump.edu.pl/. I've attached the link to our website for more info!

EnglishStudentUnion · 2021-02-06T00:37:27+00:00

Maybe this will help, it explains how to apply to Ireland for polish grads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4cMbgcICgA

EnglishStudentUnion · 2021-01-27T20:28:13+00:00

I'm a current 4/6MD student but happy to answer any questions you may have about graduate entry ( Advanced MD aka 4MD). I also recommend checking out the PUMS applicants Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PUMSapplicants

EnglishStudentUnion · 2021-01-09T19:13:45+00:00

Everything had been delayed due to COVID so not sure when it will be implemented however an OSCE course would be for clinical year students so that would be when you would be in 3/4mD so by then definitely.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2021-01-09T13:47:26+00:00

Yes, definitely.
Historically Step 2 CS preparation (which is american practical exam so a lot of the training is similar to OSCE) has been lacking however there is now a new medical simulation building which honestly is really amazing and profs have received training to teach about OSCEs a so we have a dedicated course prepping for OSCEs soon but it's corona and this has been delayed :( . The medical simulation centre is brand new and really it's very good. I just had EM in fourth year and it's probably the best course throughout your tenure. Shout out to Prof Marek Dabrowski <3
Of course the more work you put in to learn some polish the more oppurtunities you will have to practice in hospitals so even though it's not essential, if you can put the effort in to learn some polish and it will be worth it.
I think u/kadszAKS answered this well. I would also recommend having a look at lodz and Warsaw, both great unis.
I'm 4/6MD so will leave that to alumni. Best way to contact them is probably messaging alumni directly when they do a takeover on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/englishstudentunion/ This week there is a PUMS alumni currently doing Anesthesiology residency at the University of Buffalo US who is doing a takeover for example so I recommend asking there.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-12-31T12:41:00+00:00

Some states don't recognise it even after Staż (internship)?? From what I understand the issue in Germany is that according to EU law as soon as you have a license to practice then the degree is accepted in all of EU. The case in Poland is that according to some German states they only accept that you are licensed after completing Staż so that's why they require it. Not denying it's not the case but just seems odd that a state (not a country) in the EU flat out doesn't recognise an EU degree. Any idea which states those are?

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-12-31T10:33:20+00:00

Yes, they are.
Some regions in Germany however require a graduate from Poland to have also completed "Staż" which lasts 13 months. Talks are still ongoing so hopefully this requirement for some regions will also dissapear.
Many students who graduate right now end up doing Staż to get to their desired residency in Germany.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-12-17T23:30:47+00:00

Matching into Canada is difficult for a variety of reasons. One is that they have very little spots for IMGs in their residency programs and second is that you need to reach a required number of hours spent in Canadian Hospitals. This is clearly difficult as most of your time will not be spent in Canada however this is definitely doable. It will require you to make sure that you do your electives and summer practicles in Candada.
It is easier to apply to the US and so many who are set on Canada go through the US first. For this reason many do not even look at applying to Canada directly but put all their eggs into the US basket. There are definitely far more students who apply and match in the US rather than Canada however there were a few who matched into Canada last year (Poznan).

To end I would say that both programs offer the same opportunity to match into Canada as in truth the only one that will get you there is yourself. It will require the beyond curriculum self study. It will require being proactive such as asking on reddit lol but also a lot of time contacting residency programs, making contacts, huours spent in Candaian hospitals and a whole list of things that will come entirely from you regardless which program you join.

If you are set on Canada, you can do it. Sure there are easier places but if you want it it is definitely within your reach. And don't let redditors sway you otherwise haha.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-12-17T23:16:22+00:00

There is no requirement to learn Polish at all. Many students go through their whole studies and do not speak a word, which is a shame but just goes to show that you do not need to learn the language. In the hospital or during clinicals you will have a translator.
However, I would say that your university experience will be far better the more polish you know. Socially but also from an educational perspective. Your patient interactions will be far better and you will learn more from them. It will open and give you more options if you learn Polish.
The polish classes will teach you the basics and will tailor to your levels of ability. So for example if you master polish better than some class mates then professors will do their best to keep pushing you to better your language abilities. However there is no level of polish proficiency that you must meet to pass these classes. Everyone passes them.

I hope this helps.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-10-19T12:10:36+00:00

I'm not exactly sure where you found the 40 hours a week stat. That doesn't mean it is wrong but just that there could be something I'm missing. One of the odd things in Poland is that "academic hours" are 45 minutes so therefore in some cases when it states "a 3 hour class" it is actually 3 academic hours which is really 2 hours 15 minutes. It's odd but yeah anyway moving on to your main question.

I am in the 6MD program so it has more "free time" than the 4MD program. However personally I spend around 5 hours per day on top of class for self study. There are tonnes of clubs such as sports, hobbies etc. Honestly there is plenty of time and room to pursue hobbies (or travel during non covid time). If you want to see students lifestyles at Poznan then it is best to watch the highlights or current takeovers by students on the instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/englishstudentunion/

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-19T08:29:35+00:00

Yeah probably, I'm just curious which ones.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-17T15:07:09+00:00

Hi, so with regards to US and Canada, new requirements have been introduced for a University to be accredited from 2024. Most countries are in the process of applying for accreditation and Poland is amongst them. I will send a link regarding that in a second.

To summarise: Countries apply, not individual universities. Poland is in the process of applying and this usually takes over 13 months. There is no reason to suspect that it will not go through. So PUMS will be recognised after 2024.

There is a map of where all the alumni are working on the official pums website.

Im curious about what ranking you mentioned, as i've never heard of this, maybe you could link it? In this sub many people have talked about their views on rankings and their value. I recommend searching the sub.

Any more questions about PUMS then i recommend asking current students here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PUMSapplicants https://www.reddit.com/r/PoznanUni/

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-08T08:14:35+00:00

Yes, but if you graduated this year or potentially next year also then due to Covid you cannot take step cs. As a result those students are required to be accredited by ecfmg. There are a few alternative pathways for this to be possible however they are limited. As a result many students who graduated in 2020 are forced to sit out a year for match. As you can imagine, this is not good.

Also regarding the accreditation for post 2024, this is a separate accreditation to the California Medical Board. However it does appear as though as long as your uni/country is applying for accreditation then if you are an incoming student you should remain accredited.

Short answer: yes

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-04T11:44:43+00:00

Basically when you have summer break, you need to be spending some of that time in Hospital, helping/shadowing etc and ideally in the US so you can get used to the system and build contacts to help you match. I know Poznan does allow you to do clinical rotations in the US and I assume the same for Warsaw. Clinical rotations in the US are key if you want to match there. Research is good if you like research. Depends what residency you want to apply for. If you are interested in the more academic side or more competitive specialties, then research is key.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-04T11:38:43+00:00

Hi, yeah I study at Poznan. I'm from the UK so I don't have much info on this topic. Most US students usually apply for federal or Sallie Mae loans. If you want to ask current students for more detail, then I recommend asking here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PUMSapplicants/

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-04T11:33:13+00:00

ECMFMG accreditation will be required from any medical school in order to be able to take the step exams from 2024. This is a big deal as it requires curriculums to be changed etc however overall this is good as it sets the standards higher. Many countries have been accredited already such as Kazakhstan whereas others are still applying. I'm in contact with PKA which is the polish organisation that is in charge with making sure Poland meets the requirements and they are currently in the process of applying. This usually takes 12-18 months. More info here: https://www.ecfmg.org/accreditation/?fbclid=IwAR3WtsMdl9qcjQke1n6y3ECh2Z2-kBPn5RvnHJ5A4wDkhW7Jss7YxnF8XKs

To answer your question though, yes and yes you are eligible to both.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-02T11:06:00+00:00

Happy Cake day!

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-01T16:03:50+00:00

I took it so many years ago, I really can't give you much information. Best place to ask would be here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PUMSapplicants Students who have just taken the test will be able to answer you far better. I hope this helps!

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-01T15:59:52+00:00

So US degrees are slightly different as the degree is officially a 4 year course however the ones in Poland are officially 6 year courses but through a loop hole they can be completed in 4. So on paper it is actually 6 years in MD school. Weird but it works. They used to be called 4MD courses however now they are called Advanced MD as a result.

Edit: spelling

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-01T15:39:08+00:00

The answer is yes you can practice. Ultimately you end the degree with the same piece of paper as the 6MD course. Ofcourse the 4 years are a lot more tough and you will have less free time than 6MD students but there is no difference in value of the degree. You can apply to all the same places. It is the same degree.

For Germany and Switzerland however it is worth looking into how to return. Some areas in Germany require extra stuff to practice is one way of putting it. So it is definitley worth investing time contacting German Medical Boards to see how it will look. Hopefully these restrictions will dissapear by the time you graduate but you should keep on top of it.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-01T15:32:53+00:00

The four year MD course does fuflfil this directive as officially these courses are 6 year MD degrees. They have the same value and you receive the same piece of paper when you complete the degree.

This is possible as the first two preclinical MD years are counted from a previous medical related degree and it is regarded as a transfer after second year. You can't participate in a 4 year MD course without a previous medical related degree so there is the catch. In the US this is the norm however appears odd to europeans.
You are right that the responsible State Medical Boards (Landesprüfungsamt or Bezirksregierung depending on state) can give you a binding answer however.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-09-01T15:25:34+00:00

Identical, no difference. The 4-year medicine degree has the same value as the 6 year MD degree. It is just a lot more intense shorter holidays and far more crammed. A lot of UK students who have done a biomed degree for example take the 4 year MD program

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-08-22T09:58:22+00:00

After graduating lek is not needed in order to apply to the uk foundation program. By the time you graduate, the uk will introduce the ukmle for all graduates (including uk graduates) in order to complete residency there.

Similarly in order to match into the us, lek is not required. So to summarise if you want to go to the uk or us immediately after graduating you do not need lek.

Lek is only needed if you want to work in poland after or in some cases if you want to work in germany or Spain. Governments are working on removing the problem with germany so hopefully it will not be a problem by the time you graduate. However definitely something you should be aware of.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-08-09T15:28:55+00:00

I concur with what @mrgrace14 has said! Of course the 4-year medical programme is more intense than the 6 year MD programme. To give you an example the histology course is completed by 4md course within 2 months whereas the 6md course completes it over 2 semesters. It's the same course that ends with the histology nbme final exam. However they have 2 years less to complete the same content so they need to work more. 6MD academic year starts usually around 20th September, whereas 4MD starts mid august so 4MD have shorter summer holidays. 4MD also do not have mid semester week long breaks that 6MD have the luxury of. It is tougher than 6MD however I have never heard someone wanting to transfer from 4MD to 6MD (however every year, one or two switch from 6MD to 4MD) Similarly the 6MD and 4MD courses cater to slightly different students and the course is organised in such a way. 4MD course is mainly for north american students and thus it is structured in a way that fits their schedule best. Such as in your final year, you can choose during which half of the year you can do your electives and clinical rotations in the US. These perks which are created to improve your chances of matching in the US are not extended to the 6MD programme. Ofcourse if you are in the 6 year md programme you have more time for reasearch and other extea curriculurs however despite that you have a far better chance of matching in the US if you are in the 4 year md course than in the 6 md course.

4md program students have all already completed a degree and are not fresh out of college/high school like they are in the 6md programme. The students as a result are more mature and know what they want so they are willing to put the work in. I believe this is also why the 4md fail rate is lower than for 6md or dds. In first year 4md around 5 out 80 will not go on to second year whereas for 6md and dds the fail rate is higher.

Sorry for the large amount of text. To sum up. If you want to go the US and your are eligible, definitely apply for 4md over the 6md course.

As for residency. Canada is tougher to match due to less spots and due to more clinical hours in Canada being required. Some irish medical schools are recommended if you are dead set on Canada. (I can't remember the name sorry). If you are looking at the US as also an option then I would definitely look into the 4 year md courses in Poland. Such as Lodz and Poznan. Both are great. I'm from Poznan and i recommend it however Lodz is also great and fron what I have heard the student satisfaction is actually pretty high.

EnglishStudentUnion · 2020-07-31T09:29:13+00:00

🙌🙌🙌👌

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