Olomouc, a city rich in history and culture, also hosts one of the most important institutions in education and healthcare - Palacký University of Medicine. This prestigious university is known for its rich history in educating future doctors and healthcare professionals, as well as its research contributions and innovative approach to treating patients.
Since its official founding in 1947, it has boasted a tradition of educational excellence and a wide range of academic programs. As early as the Middle Ages, Olomouc was one of the centres of learning, with the university itself beginning in 1566, making the faculty the second oldest in the Czech Republic. The influence of the university was wide, serving as a centre of learning not only for Moravia and Silesia, but also for the countries of Austria, Germany and distant Scandinavia. Over the years, the original lyceum was turned into a medical - surgical centre, which focused on ranching, anatomy, surgery and obstetrics. A significant change in the level of teaching was the establishment of a state general hospital in 1785, which was used by students for practice. The following years brought the Lyceum official university status, which it lost for its activities, but was restored in full in 1946. As part of the renewal of its activities, the faculty was given the name by which we now know it.
https://www.lf.upol.cz/fotogalerie/nase-fakulta/
The faculty has maintained its international outreach to this day, with students from all over the world coming to Olomouc to study medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and other medical disciplines. One of the keys to the success of the faculty in Olomouc is the emphasis on practical training and clinical practice. Students have the opportunity to gain experience directly in hospitals, clinics and laboratories where they work under the supervision of experienced professionals and gain invaluable clinical skills. The University of Olomouc also plays a key role in health research and development. Its research teams work on a wide range of topics, including cancer treatment, neuroscience, infectious diseases and public health. This innovative work brings new insights and contributes to the advancement of healthcare not only in the Czech Republic but also worldwide.
So what best introduces us to the faculty? Definitely the apt and candid interview with student Rachel, who didn't hesitate to tell us her path to the field and her student tips for new med students.
What led you to study medicine?
Even when I was young, I was surrounded by a lot of people who knew exactly what they wanted to be one day. I never had that, which is why I had no idea what I wanted to do until my senior year of high school. I didn't want to go to medical school at all because my sister graduated from it and I watched the whole process and all that she had to sacrifice. So I started thinking about going to science school and studying genetics. I would have enjoyed the study, but the profession afterwards, not so much. That's why I finally decided to go to medical school, but with the understanding that I'd just try out for the entrance exam and see if I could get in at all with minimal preparation. It worked out in the end and I took it as such a sign that it was the right path.
Why did you choose this particular faculty?
I only applied to the 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, the Faculty of Medicine of MUNI and the Faculty of Medicine of UPOL. I got into Prague without taking the entrance exam and I didn't even make it to Brno. I didn't care more or less where I was going, so I decided that Olomouc is where I live = it is the closest to my heart + I will have the necessary background and support from my family, which is very valuable when studying. At the same time, my best friend from high school went here, so I knew I would know someone here.
https://www.lf.upol.cz/fotogalerie/nase-fakulta/
What do you like most about the faculty?
I really liked how nice all the teachers and doctors were to us during the entrance exams. The place had a very pleasant impression on me, and it still does. I like the look of the faculty, the environment in which it is located, but I also made some of my best friends here who also made me fall in love with the faculty.
What would you like to know before your freshman year?
Any advice and insights on what to prepare for and what to avoid? That it's going to be a really huge change from high school, but that it's a change for everyone and it's normal that I'll struggle with it. That it will feel pretty lonely and empty at times, but you have to find your own balance in the chaos and pressure and not lose the joy of life. Also, that even if you are not used to it yet, in medical school you will get a taste of what it is like to be surrounded by the "best of the best" and there is no point in comparing yourself to anyone, but to work on yourself in a disciplined way. In fact, it's a great privilege to be surrounded by such smart and hardworking people, so instead of crying at home about being dumber, I think you should be happy that you can push your limits and become the best version of yourself because of them.
What's the biggest scare of freshman year and what, on the other hand, was your least fear?
Definitely anatomy. For me, anatomy was terrible from the start. Literally from the first class. I remember going home after the first class thinking, "I really don't give a shit about this and I'm going to go to another university, I'm happy. I wasn't enjoying it, it just seemed like rote memorization of nonsensical stuff, and to top it off 95% of the people around me were being horrible about it. I dreaded the exam a lot, but at the same time I didn't admit it to myself so I wouldn't go crazy. Freshman summer we have exams in anatomy, biology, Latin, and biophysics. I have to be honest, I wasn't scared of any of the other exams. I studied for each of them for 2 days max because I only had anatomy on my mind.
How did you prepare for the exams?
What helped you the most in your preparation? I think the most important thing is to study continuously and honestly over the year. That was probably the main problem with my first failure in anatomy, because I tried so hard to find a balance in the summer exam until I couldn't study honestly and effectively. But at the same time, it was the key to success for those other exams, which I really studied for over a year and then could easily pass the exam in 1 day. In preparation, the things that helped me the most were rehearsing with friends, going out to get some fresh air to help my brain take it better, and getting quality sleep! I also think it's very important to repeat the material regularly, because I wasn't used to repeating anything at all, and then what happened was that even though I was constantly learning, I didn't really remember anything. But everyone comes to the right way of learning on their own, depending on what is best for them.
intagram: @rachelrazova
How do you rate the faculty's facilities?
In freshman year it seems like one big chaos. They don't know where the classrooms are, where to find things, where to go during breaks, where to eat lunch so that they have somewhere to sit (the school cafeteria is estimated to be for 30 people, so almost no one can fit in there), etc... But in general I like our faculty very much. I like how it consists of both new and old parts, so you have the best of both worlds, haha. There are benches in front of the faculty (both the new and the old part), so you can enjoy the beautiful view of Olomouc and sit in peace at the same time. There are photogenic toilets here, a very important thing (I'm dying :DD), and the buffets are also 10/10 (I recommend the panini with sun-dried tomatoes). We also have new study rooms, which are really beautiful and I believe must be great to learn in (I'm homeschooling though, oops). For me, we have everything I've always wanted and I'm so grateful for it, remembering when I wrote my entrance exams in the faculty buildings back then and it was unimaginable for me to once live the life I'm living now.
How would you rate your first year of medical school?
Wow, I would describe my first year of medical school as ''bittersweet.'' As I mentioned before, I couldn't find my balance and it took a lot of strength and energy. That's why I even started social networking about medicine, because I wanted to create my own medical world, which would be my ''safe space'' where I could romanticize school and at the same time motivate myself with people who have the same experience. I always said that if I lost my normal life through medical school, I would drop out. That's why I've done everything I can to pursue everything I want. Often, my personal life came at the expense of school, which then resulted in me failing my anatomy exam, so I took it over the holidays. It was hard, uncomfortable, lonely, but it wasn't until I was there that I realized how much I loved this school and how much I wanted to get to sophomore year and beyond. So I fought (more precisely: for 3 months I was a girl with no life, who only learns and at the same time doesn't have the strength for anything anymore, a so-called "wreck") and I made it. And now I know that if one wants to manage to live a nice life and study at a challenging school, the tribute has to have good time management and start studying earlier so that he doesn't end up like me in freshman year, haha. Overall though, I didn't enjoy freshman year and wasn't sure if it was the right path for me. That's why I did my best to find the nice things about each class and each day that made it worth not giving up.
instagram: @rachel razova
What would you say to future students of the faculty?
Don't be afraid. Because just as the rain and the sun alternate, so will the hard days alternate with the beautiful ones. Fear and stress are definitely not worth it, because if one learns and works hard, there is no reason not to master something. It is very likely that at the beginning it is overwhelmingly hard for everyone, but one gets used to it. Even the amount of learning, even the short time he has to learn so much. The important thing is to find great people in the faculty who will pull with you. You may be able to handle it as a ''solo'' student, but at the end of this terror of studying, once you have that diploma and it's the best day of your life, you'll be standing there alone with no one to share the joy with. And nobody wants that. So try to find your own people, because you don't know how great studying with them will feel. Oh, and one more important thing! Don't hang your head when things go wrong. Those red diplomas are really few and far between, so most of us normal mortals will fail more than once during our studies. But take those failures as an indicator that there's room for improvement, not in the ''I'm stupid, I'm not up to it'' style, because that's not true. It does hurt one's ego, yes, but it's just a space to improve, whether it's knowledge or one's personality, because one is much more resilient then and nothing will break one. One last thing, don't really compare yourself. It's really hard when a lot of people around you do it and give you a hard time about every failure or worse grade, but don't give in to it and go at your own pace. There's no point!!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Don't let future/current medical students or people studying in healthcare in general lose their humanity. Let them not lose their own personality and the qualities that make them who they are. Because it's too hard not to lose yourself in the course of the chase for success and a diploma, award or recognition from others. But believe me, it's worth it not to change and not to grow stale. I know a lot of people have the tendency to think that because they're suddenly a med student and have passed the entrance exams, anatomy and a bunch of other hard exams, they're something more. But it's important to keep your feet on the ground and know that studying something you enjoy doesn't make you superior to all other people. For me, one of the saddest things is watching people who had joy in their eyes to begin with become machines who slowly but surely lose all empathy and the most important thing in life for them is to get the best grade possible and treat others as if maybe they are something less than them just because they are not medics/not learning like regular medics. And I don't even blame them, because the pressure of med school 24/7 forces you to develop a thick skin, be a breakthrough, be a solo player, and fight for your place. It forces you to just always be one step ahead and be the best no matter what. So then a lot of people don't realize that medicine is NOT your life. And just because you have to conform to that pressure doesn't mean that YOU have to change! It's a terrible shame, and believe me, it's really worth keeping that line between who I am and what I study. Because you will one day have the privilege of helping people who have tremendous trust in you, look up to you and believe unconditionally that you are the one who will save them. So after all, for these people alone, it's worth maintaining respect, humility, joie de vivre, laughing, being nice and treating them with respect. Because if you keep your heart pure and kind, you will often help more people than you ever wanted to. And that should be a common goal, for all of us.
Has Olomouc and its Haná dialect become your favourite place to study? We hope that whether you are a prospective student, a medical student or a graduate, you enjoyed today's excursion. Thank you Rachel for a great and honest interview and we wish you lots of study success!
@rachelrazova
article written by: Jana a Daniela
