Welcome to the Faculty of Medicine
Welcome to the youngest medical faculty in the Czech Republic – Ostrava University’s Faculty of Medicine. Based at a campus in the city’s Zábřeh district, the Faculty ranks among Central Europe’s most modern centres of teaching and research for both medical and non-medical fields. Currently the Faculty has around 1700 students in 27 degree programmes, with over 400 students graduating every year. Graduates are well-equipped to pursue careers in a wide range of medical and health care professions.
Teaching and learning
The Faculty of Medicine offers a broad spectrum of professional degrees taught not only in Czech, but also in English and Italian:
Bachelor’s degrees:
- Occupational Therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Nutritional Therapy
- Public Health Protection Assistant
- Midwife
- Radiographer
- Social Pathology and Logistics in Hazardous Situations
- General Nurse
- Medical Laboratory Assistant
- Paramedic
Master’s degrees (2-year programmes for holders of Bachelor’s degrees):
- Physiotherapy
- Intensive Care
- Community Midwifery
- Public Health Protection Specialist
- Geriatric Nursing
- Pediatric Nursing
Master’s degree (6-year programme not requiring a prior Bachelor’s degree): General Medicine
Doctoral degrees:
- Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology
- Surgical Studies
- Public Health Protection
- Nursing
Degrees taught in English:
- Physiotherapy
- Nursing
- General Medicine
Degree taught in Italian:
The core degree programme offered by the Faculty is the six-year Master’s degree in General Medicine (this ‘long’ Master’s degree does not require a prior Bachelor’s degree); this programme gives students a complete range of knowledge and practical skills that are necessary to pursue a career in medicine.
Teaching at the Faculty focuses on developing students’ practical skill sets by incorporating practical placements into the teaching system from the very first semester. The intake of students is limited in order to enable an individual approach; practical training is organized in small groups so that students can experience individual contact with patients. The Faculty uses a range of modern teaching equipment and methods, including simulators; we are also introducing a system of live broadcasts from selected operating theatres at the Ostrava University Hospital, which is a valuable teaching aid. The Faculty is also pioneering the use of simulation-based teaching methods using multimedia, practical simulation tools, and experimental teaching facilities.
Students have the opportunity to spend part of their studies abroad – both in Europe (we have links with over 40 partner institutions as part of the Erasmus+ programme) and beyond (e.g. National Taipei College of Nursing, Taiwan; Volgograd State Medical University, Russia). Other systems in place to support student mobility include an annual Faculty competition (winners receive an international mobility grant) and the option of receiving study credits for international mobility.
The Faculty works closely alongside the Ostrava University Hospital (which includes a number of highly specialized departments), the Ostrava City Hospital, the Vítkovice Hospital, and a range of other medical and health care institutions across the region, both in the public and private sectors.
The Faculty cultivates close links with the local community, organizing and participating in a range of educational promotional events such as World Diabetes Day, the annual men’s health event ‘Movember’, and regular lectures for senior citizens as part of the University of the Third Age. The Faculty also offers a number of further education and lifelong learning programmes focusing on geriatric and pediatric care, gynecological cytodiagnostics, and other fields.
Research
The Faculty has a strong presence in the medical research community. Its specialist teams include the Obesitology Centre (developing treatments for obesity), the Institute of Emergency Medicine (developing responses to potential bioterrorist incidents and military conflicts, developing medical and surgical methods for man-made and natural disasters), the Hematooncology Clinic (conducting genomic research to identify genetic changes which occur in patients with hematooncological disorders and prevent effective treatment), and the Centre for Epidemiological Research (focusing on epidemiology in infectious and non-infectious diseases and the natural and working environment). The Faculty’s key research priorities reflect issues which are of primary importance to public health on both the national and regional levels.
Students at the Faculty are closely involved in a range of research activities, regularly participating in student grant competitions and student conferences. Special scholarship funding is available to support student research.
Why study at the Faculty of Medicine
- A long tradition of specialist medical training at the University of Ostrava, with a strong emphasis on practical experience and an excellent range of modern equipment.
- A broad spectrum of degree programmes to study.
- Excellent prospects for graduates on the job market.
- A pleasant campus offering easy access to Ostrava’s key health care institutions.
- Student participation in Faculty research.
- The option to spend part of the degree programme studying abroad at one of our international partners.
- Several active student organizations – IFMSA, Czechoslovak Association of Medics, FyzioCafé, ErgoCafé. The Faculty supports a range of student events – such as the annual First Aid Day, where students can practise their first aid skills in simulated situations.