Filip Dabrowski (24) is a fifth year medical student from Warsaw, Poland.

 

Do you live with your parents or on your own?

I used to live with my parents until I went to Finland for Erasmus programme. When I came back I couldn’t even imagine to stay in the same place with them. I live alone in 4 bedroom apartment. Next year my little sister is coming back from Brussels and besides that I plan to rent one room to some fellow student so it’s going to be pretty crowded.

 

How’s university life in Warsaw?

Warsaw is the capital city, with population of approximately 3 million people, 350000 students are kind of lost in this crowd. Nevertheless there are plenty of pubs, clubs, parks, theatres and other attractions for youth. It’s a very green city as well – we have the largest amount of parks and forests among European capitals. So it’s always easy to hop on your bike and have a ride in the shade of trees in the afternoon and still don’t be late for a crazy all night party in the centre.

 

How many hours a week do you spend on your study?

How many do I spend, or how many should I….on 5^th year we have only clinical classes – we start around 8am and usually leave hospital at 1pm. I’ve heard that we have some lectures as well, but this can be a myth…never met anyone attending them.

 

Is it financially possible for everyone to study medicine in Poland?

Studying in Poland is free of charge! Usually I’m lucky enough to get my books from the library, so only expenses I have to issue are parking tickets in the city centre and hectolitres of coffee. There is system of scholarships for people from low income families to support their rent and living costs in the city as well as grants for best students.

 

What do you think is the best part of the medical education in Poland?

Clinical practice based on solid rock of pharmacology. During our first 3 years we have a lot of courses on our pathomorphology, physiology and pharmacology, but later on we are ready for every hit we can get from clinics. Starting with our 4^th year we have opportunity to do almost everything in the hospital, have plenty of contact with patients, conduce minor procedures, assist doctors in everything. I hope it will prepare us for the ‘real life’ when we finally graduate.

 

If you can change one thing of the medical education in Poland, what would that be?

Internal Medicine Exam…that’s the thing I fear most nowadays. This exam consists of cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, haematology and nephrology questions from classes we had during 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th year. It starts with a test, than practical part and finally oral exam with senior professor.

 

You are involved in IFMSA and especially during international meetings you meet a lot of different medical students from all over the world. What do you think that is the biggest difference in study medicine in The Netherlands and Poland?

I think we have quite similar educational base. The only difference I have noticed is this 3 month research project you have in The Netherlands. In Poland we don’t have such a thing, but instead many students are involved in scientific research groups created at the clinics and labs. Still this is a bit chaotic and many bright souls decide to leave scientific field because of some problems at the beginning.

From social point of view – in Poland education is for free and therefore many people don’t respect it and don’t appreciate it enough. We like to party hard, we always leave things to be done at the last moment. We study, we live... sometimes we pass and sometimes we fail. I guess this goes around in every place on the globe.

 

Describe your life in 2020…

Wow! That’s a good one. I hope to be Ph.D. with a decent specialisation at that time. I’m thinking about leaving hospital work and earning bread from in-patient clinic and private practice. Would be nice to have pretty and smart wife, bunch of kids and place to raise them well. That was vision no.1…now the alternative version. If I’m crazy enough (and I’m afraid I am) after studies I’ll go for couple years to India to help people there. Or to one of Micronesia Islands? By 2020 probably I will have enough of this struggle and settle down in some local hospital, working at the child traumatic surgery department, spending my afternoons on improving health of local community. If anyone has a key to connect those two dreams don’t hesitate to mail me.