A Brief History of Poland by The World
Factbook 2006
Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. Read
More
English Language Program at the
Medical University of Silesia
The Medical University of Silesia, one of the biggest Medical Teaching Centers in Poland and Central Europe was founded in 1948. It employs 3000 professors, independent researchers and academic teachers. In 1995 an agreement with the Hope Medical Institute was signed, which initiated a program of teaching English -speaking students at the Medical University of Silesia. Since then the majority of graduated students started suitable employment in the USA.
The teaching program comprises all branches of modern medicine and is comparable to medical programs of the best medical teaching centers in the USA, which give the opportunity to achieve career rotation in the USA. We also provide a very interesting program of rotation in the best clinical departments of our University. Of special interest is electives program (master - student interaction) which provides the chance to combine theoretical knowledge and clinical practice.
The American Medical Students Association is affiliated at the Medical University of Silesia. This is a very active student's association which enables communicating with Polish medical students as well as continuing the national tradition of the students.
Modern teaching and the clinical Center is located in Katowice -Ligota. Excellent location ( international airport, railway connections to most European capitals: Vienna 400 km, Prague 450 km, Berlin 500 km, Budapest 400 km) makes it very attractive to plan medical education here.
History of the
Medical University of Silesia
The Medical University of Silesia with its headquarters in Bytom-Rokitnica was established on March 20, 1948. In March 1950 the school was given its official name The Warynski Silesian Medical Academy. The present name, the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice was given to the school by decree of the Senate on February 28, 1990.
The main idea that lay behind the foundation of the school in Upper Silesia was to train and produce broadly educated physicians who would provide the best possible health services to the residents of the largest industrial region of Poland characterized by rapidly increasing air and water pollution and soil contamination. The organizer and first rector of the school was Professor Brunon Nowakowski, a world famous specialist in epidemiology.
During the first decade of the life of the school, four towns were considered as its possible seats, namely Rokitnica, Zabrze, Bytom and Katowice. In December 1957 the Regional Council a passed decree establishing the ultimate location of the school in Katowice.
In 1971 the Faculty of Pharmacy was established with majors in pharmaceutical analysis, and environmental bioanalysis and the study ( the letter since 1978);
In 1974 the Central Teaching Hospital in Katowice-Ligota started admitting patients. Also, the Nursing Faculty in Katowice-Ligota was established, which awards a master's degree in nursing (in 1990 the faculty was changed into a division of the Katowice Medical Faculty and in 2002 was included in the Faculty of Health Care and Education).
In 1975 the Clinical Teaching Center was opened in Tychy, and the second Medical Faculty was established in Katowice-Ligota. In the same year the Interdepartmental Institute of Anasthesiology and Resuscitaion was established ( presently, Department of Anasthesiology and Intensive Care)
In 1977 the Polish Institute of Ophtalmology was established as a Department of the Medical Faculty in Katowice.
In August 1995, the Agreement with the Hope Medical Institute was signed. The first American students came to Katowice in February 1996. This began the new stage in the history of our university associated with the development of the four-year English language program.
In 1998, the new medical center, Zabrze-Gliwice Medical Complex, was founded. The university celebrated its 50 year-anniversary in October 1998.
The progress of the school organization was accompanied by simultaneous development in teaching and research methods as well as provisions of health services.
In 2002 the Faculty of Public Health and Faculty of Health Care and Education were established and the Faculty of Public Health was founded.
Admissions for the
Medical University of Silesia
Candidates for 6-year program are expected to hand in the following documents by the 15th of August prior to the beginning of the prospective academic year:
- original or notarized copy of High School
diploma which qualifies a candidate to take up
the higher education in his/her residency
country, certified by the original educational
unit or by the proper diplomatic agency
- original High School transcript
- personal application form (sample provided
by school)
- xerox copy of an identification document (on
presentation of the original document)
- 3 passport photos
- copy of birth certificate
- health certificate confirming no objections
for a candidate to take up the medical education
The multiple choice test aiming at evaluating candidate’s knowledge in biology, chemistry and physics on High School level will be the base of the admission process.
Candidates who graduated from or attended pre-medical or paramedical college before can apply for transfer to third year of the 6-year program (4-year medical program in English). They are expected to hand in the following documents by the 15th of August prior to the beginning of the prospective academic year:
- original or notarized copy of High School
diploma which qualifies a candidate to take up
the higher education in his/her residency
country, certified by the original educational
unit or by the proper diplomatic agency
- original premedical or paramedical college
transcript including at least 90 credit hours
obtained in courses compatible with the first
two years of the 6-year medical program at the
Medical University of Silesia (1 credit hour =
15 didactic hours)
- original or notarized copy of pre-medical or
paramedical college diploma (if available)
- official document confirming the legal
status of college attended by a candidate
(state/private school recognized by the state,
whom it was given the higher education
accreditation by)
- personal application form (sample provided
by school)
- xerox copy of an identification document (on
presentation of the original document)
- 3 passport photos
- copy of birth certificate
- health certificate confirming no objections
for a candidate to take up the medical education
Tuition fee for one year of studies is $11,400. Registration fee of $500 paid by the student to University for the whole period of study is not refundable if student dropped from the study.
Clinical Rotations in the USA
Students from the Medical University of Silesia are ideal candidates for all rotation programs worldwide. Due to that most of our graduates joined very attractive residence programs in the best clinics and medical centers in the USA. However, in order to improve the quality of education in our University and to give the chance to know better the medical heath system in the USA, the Medical University of Silesia in close cooperation with the Hope Medical Institute is offering a most interesting program of rotations.
Here is list of some medical centers in the USA, where our students can apply for rotations:
- Saint Antony Hospital Chicago, Il
- Wyckoff Heights Center Brooklyn, NY
- Horthside Hospital Youngstown, OH
- St John's Episcopal Hospital Far Rockaway, NY
1. GENERAL INFORMATION & HISTORY
The Medical University of Silesia in Katowice was established by the
Ordinance of the Minister of Health of March 20 th 1948, as a Medical Academy
consisting of one School of Medicine and one Division of Dentistry. From the
very beginning, the university has enjoyed the status of a state university. Its
first seat was Rokitnica Bytomska (presently, Zabrze- Rokitnica), where in the
former hospital buildings of the Bracka Company, the Rector’s Office and the
library as well as the basic sciences departments were installed. The first
clinical sciences departments were situated in the hospitals in Zabrze and
Bytom. The subsequent ones, as the university was developing, were established
in various other towns of the Silesia region, i.e. Katowice, Lubliniec,
Tarnowskie Góry, Chorzów, Tychy, and Sosnowiec. In the 70s of the past century,
the university considerably expanded. In 1971, it eventually found its legal
seat in Katowice (earlier, in 1964, the Office of the Rector had been
transferred to Katowice). In the same year, the construction of the academic
campus in Katowice-Ligota was started and the School of Pharmacy in Sosnowiec
was established. Three years later , the School of Nursing was established in
Katowice, which was then incorporated into the 2 nd School of Medicine in
Katowice, established in 1975. In the recent years, the School of Health Care in
Katowice (2001) and the School of Public Health in Bytom (2002) were
established.
2. EDUCATIONAL PROFILE
The Medical University of Silesia in Katowice holds an accreditation of
the State Accreditation Commission upon which it is authorised to provide
education in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, medical analytics, public health,
nursing and midwifery. Also, the university holds a certificate of the US
Department of Education, upon which it is authorised to provide instruction in
English. Studies in English have been conducted in the field of medicine in
Katowice since 1996. The five Schools which constitute the Medical University of
Silesia train physicians, dentists, pharmacists, medical analysts,
bio-technologists, along with specialists in public health, emergency medicine,
dietetics, nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, and cosmetology. In addition to
day-type intramural studies, the Medical University of Silesia has been
offerring an opportunity for extramural and evening studies. Within the
postgraduate training programme, day-type, evening , and extramural doctoral
studies are offered, as well as specialist training and residency programmes.
The following three Schools of the Medical University of
Silesia are vested with the right to confer the scientific degrees of a
Ph.D and postdoctorate degree (habilitation, dr.hab.) : School of
Medicine and Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, School of Medicine in Katowice,
School of Pharmacy and Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec.
3. SCHOOLS OF THE UNIVERSITY, STUDY FIELDS, STUDY TYPES
Intramural Studies (day-type)
- School of Medicine and Division of Dentistry in Zabrze
: fields of medicine (6-year study) and dentistry (5-year graduate study)
- School of Medicine in Katowice : field of medicine
(6-year graduate study) This School also offers paid medical studies in
English for persons with citizenship other than Polish.
- School of Pharmacy and Division of Laboratory Medicine in
Sosnowiec: fields of: pharmacy (5-year masters studies), medical
analytics (5-year masters studies, 3-year Cycle-1 studies, and 2-year
Cycle-2 complementary masters studies ), cosmetology ( 3-year Cycle-1
studies, and 2-year Cycle-2 complementary masters studies), biotechnology
(5-year masters studies), informatics with focus on bioinformatics (3-year
Cycle-1 studies)
- School of Health Care in Katowice : fields of: nursing
(3.5- year Cycle-1 studies, 2-year Cycle-2 complementary masters studies),
midwifery ( 3.5- year Cycle-1 studies, 2-year Cycle-2 complementary masters
studies), physiotherapy ( 3-year Cycle-1 studies, 2-year Cycle-2
complementary masters studies, and 5-year uniform masters studies)
- School of Public Health in Bytom : field of public
health (2-year Cycle-2 complementary masters studies, and 3-year Cycle-1
studies in the specialties of : medical emergency rescue, employee health
care, dietetics, epidemiology and biostatistics, environmental health).
Evening and/or Extramural Studies
- School of Medicine and Division of Dentistry in Zabrze
: fields of medicine (6-year graduate study) and dentistry (5-year graduate
study)
- School of Medicine in Katowice : field of medicine
(6-year graduate study)
- School of Pharmacy and Division of Laboratory Medicine in
Sosnowiec : fields of: pharmacy (5-year masters studies)
- School of Health Care in Katowice : fields of: nursing
(undergraduate complementary studies for a bachelor’s degree , and 4-year
uniform masters studies); midwifery (undergraduate complementary studies,
for a bachelor’s degree)
- School of Public Health in Bytom : field of public
health (2-year Cycle-2 complementary masters studies, and 3-year Cycle-1
studies in the specialties of : dietetics; epidemiology and biostatistics;
employee health care; environmental health).
4. STUDENTS & ALUMNI
STUDENTS:
Currently, the total number of students given intramural academic instruction
in the Medical University of Silesia is 5388.
This number includes:
- in Katowice:
- 1164 students of the School of Medicine
;
- 319 students of medicine in English,
and:
- 1108 students of the School of Health
Care;
- in Zabrze:
- 791 students of the School of Medicine,;
- 417 students of the School of Dentistry;
- in Sosnowiec:
- 1468 students of the School of Pharmacy and Division of
Laboratory Medicine.
- in Bytom:
- 440 students of the School of Public Health.
The total number of students of either evening or extramural studies in
the fields of medicine, dental medicine (dentistry), pharmacy, or public health,
is 732 .
ALUMNI:
A diploma of the Medical University of Silesia has been granted to as many as
32,095 alumni, including:
- 26,036 physicians and dentists
- 3,646 pharmacists, medical analysts, and cosmetologists
- 2,172 nurses and physiotherapists
- 241 public health specialists
5. STUDENT ORGANISATIONS
Students’ Government
represents students in faculty councils and in the Senate of the university,
gives opinion on study curricula and study schedules, assists students in social
and maintenance matters, participates in organisation of events related to
scientific research, as well as sports and cultural events;.
International Medical Students Association –IFMSA Poland, Branch
Office in Silesia
deals with students’ international co-operation, research & social programs,
academic instruction & medical education. It also organizes students’ holiday
trainings abroad, scientific exchange (including internships), and scientific
conferences for students and young physicians.
Polish Students’ Association
plays an important role in integration of the whole students’ community and
helps solve its problems; This Association is involved in numerous projects,
such as preparatory courses for candidates to medical universities; it organizes
Stage-1 ( within the university) students’ scientific contests like Primus
inter Pares (the best student) and Primus Ekspert Medyk (the best
medical expert); participates in organization of the “FAMA” student singers’
contest, at a regional level; organizes plenary sessions; takes up charity
actions;
Students’ Sports Association
in the Department of Physical Education & Sports in Zabrze-Rokitnica
Students’ Scientific Society
It is open to those students who wish to participate in scientific research
within over 100 students’ scientific interests groups, organised within
university departments. The supervising officers in charge of such groups are
experienced academic teachers. Students Scientific Society organizes annual
scientific conferences to present the results of research activity of its
members, both at the university and national levels. The best research papers
have been published for almost 30 years in following the university periodicals:
“Annales Societatis Doctrinae Studentium” and “Annales
Academiae Medicae Silesiensis”.
6. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Since the 2005/2006 academic year, the Medical University of Silesia in
Katowice has been participating in the Socrates/Erasmus international exchange
programme for undergraduate & graduate students, postgraduate doctoral students,
and academic teachers. Co-operation agreements in this matter have already been
signed with as many as 20 medical universities from such countries as : the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Holland, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary,
Italy, Rumania, Turkey. In all of the Schools of the Medical University of
Silesia, the European Credit Transfer System, indispensable for international
exchange, has been implemented. The university also participates in multi-center
clinical research programs as well as in the projects within 6 th European Union
Framework Programme. Many of the university departments and clinics work in
close co-operation with European research centers and research institutions from
other parts of the world, such as US, Canada, Japan.
7. FACULTY MEMBERS & ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION
Currently, the number of the academic staff members providing education
and conducting research in all the years of study and in all the fields of study
is 1449 academic teachers, in total , including 235 independent researchers and
1214 other academic staff members.
Many of the representatives of the academic staff are involved in the work of
establishments acting outside the university, e.g. committees of the Polish
Academy of Sciences, scientific institutes and societies, and also, national
specialist supervisory bodies.
The university offers diversified forms of academic instruction, e.g.
it provides an opportunity for students to pursue an individual course of study,
adjusted to students’ individual needs.It has implemented the tutorial system
(“master to student), facultative courses, and integrated lectures . The quality
and effectivenes of the instruction provided by the Medical University of
Silesia can be confirmed by the fact that its numerous students receive grants
of the Minister of Health, year by year, in recognition of their excellent
academic performance.
The students of the Medical University of Silesia are also granted numerous
awards in national contests testing their overall scientific knowledge (e.g.
“Primus inter Pares”, or “ Primus Ekspert Medyk”) .
Another proof of high quality of education provided by the Medical University
of Silesia is excellent results of its alumni in the State Examination for
Physicians (Polish: LEP- exam), which is an obligatory examination taken upon
completion of a medical university.
Professors and postdoctorate degree holders (Ph.Ds with habilitation)
of the Medical University of
Silesia: c.f electronic database
8. EDUCATIONAL & RESEARCH BASE; CLINICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
The educational & research base along with the clinical infrastructure of the
Medical University of Silesia comprises over 200 organisational units, in total,
(i.e. departments, institutes, clinics, clinical departments, colleges, and
other units ), located mainly in towns which are legal seats of the respective
Schools of the university, i.e. in Zabrze, Katowice, Sosnowiec, and Bytom. The
Schools have at their disposal well-equipped lecture halls, seminar rooms, and
classrooms. The practical training in clinical subjects is provided by the
clinical sciences departments. The university has 7 self-governing public
clinical hospitals: 2 in Zabrze, and 5 in Katowice. The clinical sciences
departments of the Medical University of Silesia are also based on the
infrastructure of 10 other health care institutions in Katowice, Zabrze, Bytom,
Sosnowiec, Tychy, Tarnowskie Góry, and Ruda Śląska.
9. SCOPE OF RESEARCH, INCLUDING CLINICAL RESEARCH
The research activity of the Medical University of Silesia involves
both the basic medical sciences and the clinical disciplines, such as: medicine,
dental medicine (dentistry), medical biology, and pharmaceutical sciences. The
university has one of the largest research paper output among medical
universities in Poland (the total number of research publications within the
past 25 years being 60,000, approximately). The clinics and clinical departments
of the Medical University of Silesia rank high in the medical services domestic
market and they are given top places in various national ranking lists as the
best centers in many medical & surgical areas, such as cardiosurgery,
cardiology, invasive cardiology, angioplasty, electrocardiology, hematology,
advanced specialist surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, obstetrics and
gynecology, pediatrics, nephrology, and gastroenterology.
10. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
The Library of the Medical University of Silesia has gathered
approximately 149,000 volumes of books and over 29,000 volumes of specialist
medical magazines, deposited mainly in the Main Library in Katowice and its
office branches in the university schools in Katowice-Ligota, Zabrze, Zabrze-Rokitnica,
and Sosnowiec. All of the university libraries have reading rooms, both
traditional and computerized . The Library operates within the ALEPH integrated
library-information system, which enables full service of the readers who seek
information on any title deposited in any of the the university libraries
(including on-line orders, monitoring of the inflow of books and magazines). The
library catalogues are available through the university library network , and
also via the Internet , from a PC. Thanks to the medical databases, such as
Medline, Embase, Proquest, Cochrane Library, SCI-Expanded, the Library of the
Medical University of Silesia provides access to the electronic version of
research publications, and also offers instruction how to use medical databases
and the Internet.
|
