New year, similar footsteps

Second year has arrived and with it an overwhelming amount of things to study for. End of the last year has been extremely difficult for me, and in spite of my complete focus and a lot of success, few things did not go as planned. I was fighting with my anatomy exam until September, successfully, which cost me both histology and latin. Nevertheless, anatomy has been the most important exam of the first year, so the sacrifice has been worth it.

Because there is such a controversy around the anatomy exam, it would be beneficial to go over it in a greater detail. This exam has the greatest evaluation with the total of 10 credits. To be able to attend an exam, one has to complete both semesters of anatomy as well as 2 dissecting-room exams. Despite the difficulty of solely the requirements, a person is quite far from success, as the exam itself is immensely difficult.

After completing aforementioned requirements, signing up for the exam date follows. This process is also quite arduous, as medicine students fight for exam dates like gladiators. When a person does finally sign up, an entrance test follows. Approximately 70 students uncomfortably sit in the anatomy lecture hall, thinking about what they forgot or did not learn over the year. The lights dim and silence and a complete focus of the students ensue. Subsequently 30 pictures, each only visible for 30 seconds, decide fate of the students. In such a short amount of time (15 minutes) the professors decide, whether one is fit for the anatomy exam or not. It seems slightly unfair to decide one’s knowledge on a picture test only lasting 15 minutes, but that is how Czech medicine works.

I have twice been leaving the institute of anatomy with mixed feelings after more than a month of thorough preparation before each attempt. I missed the opportunity to attend the exam by only 2 points in the entrance test. Out of 30 points, students have to have above 21 to pass and move on to the next section of the exam. The third attempt has been therefore critical for me. September came and I, for the third time, sat down with the rest of people who have spent their summer to study anatomy. To my surprise the test was quite easy, and despite the fact that I no longer required to pass it as it was my third attempt, I passed with 27 points.

After a successful test I was taken to dissecting-room. I was asked about vertebra, liver, cerebellum and heart and after 15 minutes I was already on my way to the final part of the exam, the oral part. Year’s worth of work and studying was embedded in the box containing my exam questions, from which I took my quadruplet of questions. Upon seeing my choice I rejoiced, as my questions were the topography of the neck, kidneys, sacral plexus and the tympanic cavity. After an hour of preparation and more than six A4 papers full of notes I headed to my professor for my final task and challenge. The final part of the exam itself went by really fast and I was leaving the department of anatomy full of joy with a grade C, which stands for completed.

This year I, including the exams I will be retaking, will be studying medical english, biology and genetics, care-taking and immunology. After merely two weeks of holidays I am slowly returning to my study mode, full of energy and enthusiasm.

Despite the fiasco in histology and latin, I can say that I am proud of the work that I have done during the last year, as I passed one of the more difficult exams on medicine. I am currently in the ISP program, which means I have to retake the two exams, however I can continue studying. This was merely a bump on the road to completing my studies on the First Faculty of Medicine, as I am motivated to complete my studies more than ever.