Letters From the Land of Stories
I am Roba Mirzikashvili, a 5th-year medical student at the Tbilisi Medical Academy. In June, I was in the Czech Republic through the Erasmus+ exchange program at Masaryk University and I want to share my experience with you.
One of the goals of participating in this program was to find out what theoretical and clinical knowledge international students have, what is the quality of their teaching, healthcare system, methods, and equipment used during various operations. Besides, I always wanted to see the Czech Republic because of its history, culture, and amazing renaissance-style architecture.
Masaryk University is located in the city of Brno, Czech Republic, where I spent five months. The building is very beautiful, modern, and huge. Its area covers 70,000 square meters and it is connected to the surrounding clinics. The operating rooms are well equipped. I especially liked the electric trepanation drill, which automatically stops when it touches the hard shell. In several clinics in Georgia, I have seen how neurosurgeons work with old-fashioned mechanical drills.
The assessment system was also different from ours, the points were written only in the final oral exam, and to tell the truth, I didn't like it.
The first subject I took was Surgery. Lectures were held in one of the main clinics of the city, and we often visited postoperative patients. However, compared to Georgia, we were rarely allowed in the operating room. This process was very interesting.
For two weeks after the Surgery, I studied Oncology at one of the main oncology centers in the Czech Republic, where very serious patients were treated. Many of them did not know English, so there was always a Czech student with us who translated the patient's complaints.
Intensive therapy and rehabilitation was the only subject that was taught in the university building. There is a well-equipped simulation center where we did intensive care practices. After the lecture, we went into the ward in pairs, where we stabilized the model according to the vital signs displayed on the monitors. During the lectures, we discussed clinical cases. I would like to recall one of the most interesting cases that happened in the university clinic. A 6-month pregnant woman, unfortunately, died due to a severe brain injury, and in order to save the fetus, the mother's body was kept alive for three months, so that the mother's brain was dead. Three months later, cesarean delivery was performed and a healthy baby was born.
The last but not least interesting subject I took was forensic medicine. I had also passed this subject in Georgia, but not in this way. This time, lectures were held in the morgue, and we attended autopsies almost every day. The first time we saw the dissection of a mutilated cadaver we all felt disposition, but we soon got used to it. The building was old and quite dangerous. In the autopsy room, they had an old elevator to take out the cadavers, and the doctors called it "Charon", like the miner from Greek mythology, who carried the dead from one side of the river to the other. In addition to autopsies, during the lectures, we discussed various investigations, suicides, and many other accidents that happened in that city.
According to Masaryk University students and based on my personal observation, I can say that TMA, unlike their university, is more student-oriented. I think we have a better practice, and assessment system.
Finally, I am satisfied with Masaryk University. I learned a lot and tested myself. I improved my knowledge of the English language, made many new friends, and despite the difficulties, I successfully passed all subjects in a foreign language.
Czech Republic happens to be "a land of stories" indeed.
