Website: Department of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases (UDSK, 6th floor)

Klinika Pediatrii, Reumatologii, Immunologii i Chorób Metabolicznych Kosci (KPRIiChMK)

This block organised by the department will be your introduction to Pediatrics! It consists of lectures, seminars, and classes. As you can already tell from their website, it will be well organised. During the lectures and seminars you will learn theory, during the classes you will practise the examination of children. 

In my year (23/24) the theory was delivered online, and no preparation was needed. For classes, we had to prepare what the teachers told us to prepare for the next day, and we were advised to read through all the theory "at least once" before taking the test at the end of the semester. There were no other tests during the course.

The blocks felt much like Internal Medicine, just adapted to children. It was really fun, and the assistants were really cheerful when we wanted to do or see something more. They went out of their way to arrange opportunities when we were interested in learning something more or doing it again.

The credit was held online (on testportal.net) before the examination session, once the course was over for all groups. There were no additional (unexpected) tests at any point. Information about the credit was published in advance on their website.  Credit was given as a pass/fail, where 60% of points and above means that you passed. 

Website: Department of Paediatrics, Endocrinology and Diabetes, with Cardiology Division (UDSK, 6th floor)

Klinika Pediatrii, Endokrynologii, Diabetologii z Pododdzialem Kardiologii (KPEDzPK)

This course consists of lectures, seminars and classes. The two weeks of classes start at 8:00 in the morning with a small seminar which takes around one hour. After a break of 15 - 20 minutes, the classes will start in the department. You will visit patients, take medical histories of them and assess height and weight to see if the development is going fine. Classes usually end at around 11:00. 

For us, there was no test in the end.

Website: Department of Paediatrics and Nephrology (UDSK, 4th floor)

Klinika Pediatrii i Nefrologii (KPiN)

This course consists of 4 days of classes. Seminars where delivered online, live on Blackboard. Classes start at 8:00 and last until around 10:30. 

Classes consists of visiting patients, examining them, and talking with the teacher about treatment plans. One day will take place in the Simulation Center.

There was a small 5 open questions test on the last day. Topics included pneumonia, UTI, dyspnea and bronchiolitis. Knowledge about microorganisms reagarding these diseases were also important. 

Website: Department of Neonatology and Newborn Intensive Care (USK, Block C, 1st floor)

Klinika Neonatologii i Intensywnej Terapii Noworodka (KNiITN)

This small course consists of just 2 days. Usually Monday and Tuesday. It only includes classes which take place in the department and start at 8:00 in the morning and last until around noon. The teachers are really nice and you will learn a lot in these two days (if you want to). 

You will see how to assess all imprtant parameters of a newborn a few days after the delivery. The teacher gave us a step-by-step documents in advance that helped a lot during the assesment and lets it memotize easily. 

No test in the end.

Website: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (UDSK, Floor 0)

Klinika Obserwacyjno – Zakaźna Dzieci (KOZD)

In my year, their lectures were delivered online.

Each day started with a seminar from 08:00 - 10:00, followed by a 20-minute break and clinical classes until noon. We had to prepare the next day's topic in advance. The schedule was precise, allowing for proper at-home preparation. The teachers were demanding but excellent, so we learned a lot when we came prepared.

We had to pass five online tests on Blackboard; one per day. Each test consisted of 10 MCQs on the day's topic, with randomized questions for each student. To pass the course ultimately, each clinical group had to prepare a case presentation by the last day. The teachers then randomly selected one person from each group to present theirs. The case was not easy to understand and usually includes a non-typical course of the disease where you had to consider special procedures. 

Our last Pediatrics blocks took place in the Winter semester, and lasted for about a month in total, allowing Pediatrics to be one of our first finals in 6th year. All clinical groups rotate through most Pediatrics departments, varying between a couple of days in some departments to a a full week in others.

Classes: Similar to Pediatrics classes in the previous years. Some departments start with a brief seminar at the beginning of classes, or may end with one after classes. Usually, they start at 08:00, and end depending on the assistant. The teachers were enthusiastic and encouraging, and we got the feeling they genuinely wanted us to learn a lot and pass the finals.

PRPK: Held for each department; this is an interactive discussion where you will be presented different cases and talk about the best approach. Some departments choose to have PRPK online, while others prefer it in person. These are held with several clinical groups congregated together. They are set after the morning classes and stretch into the afternoons. However, there may be instances of discrepancy, meaning some PRPK departments may not be the same as the department with which you had classes with in the morning.

CSM: During the Pediatrics block, each clinical group will spend one day at the Center of Medical Simulation. You will be presented with different scenarios, which you are expected to solve. After each scenario, you are going to discuss the case with the tutor. All students get assigned a role for every case, and you take turns throughout the day, running 5-6 scenarios throughout. Regarding how to prepare: the relevant topics as well as regulations are listed on the department's website. Remember to bring stethoscopes, and do not forget to change to indoor shoes. 

There were no credit tests in the 6th year. Class tests are a possibility, though rare. Attendance was routinely checked throughout the month during classes, PRPK and CSM. All groups had to attend and complete all Pediatrics blocks before the exam.