Students of Paramedic practice at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University are gaining not only experience but also valuable placements at prestigious national competitions. Challenges and unforgettable experiences from action scenarios prepare them for real practice and just before the state final exams they confirm their skills in competition with Czech and Slovak teams.
Students of the third year of the Paramedic Practice programme at the Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University traditionally participate in national rescue competitions, where they take top positions. This year was no exception. In the week before the practical state final exams, two teams went to represent our faculty.
The first competition was ‘First Aid Day’, which took place in Kunčice nad Ondřejníkem and in Ostrava within the university simulation centre SIMLEK. The team, consisting of students Tomáš Sobotík, Dominika Suchá and Šimon Németh, took 5th place out of a total of 15 competing groups from Czech and Slovak universities. They faced common medical complications and complicated experiential situations during the three competition stages (day and night) in the picturesque environment of nature and a modern simulation centre. Of all the stations, the most interesting were those focused on highly contagious diseases, emergency dispatch management and the specifics of medical complications of the pediatric population. "It's a great challenge and a fantastic experience all in one. It's also the last chance to find out what our gaps are before graduation and state exams," admits one of the team members.
Almost at the same time the competition ‘Pilsen Rescue Cup’ was held in Prášily near Klatovy, where we were represented by Barbora Němcová, Michael Cmajdálka and Simon Zukal. Our students managed, close behind the home team, to take 2nd place and continued the success of our students the year before. The Pilsen region is specific in its non-standard use of whole blood in pre-hospital care. However, this was no difficulty for our students and they skillfully managed to adapt their knowledge and procedures to use it effectively. In addition to blood in trauma, the competition focused on the complications of rescuing a person hanging, psychological first aid after the death of a child in the family, and treating a patient in the unusual conditions of a brothel. ‘We take away that sometimes just a kind word, distance and enough time can heal better than quick comprehensive multidisciplinary care’ says Michael.
Šimon Zukal decided to participate in the competition to prepare for the practical state final exams. "At the competition there is an opportunity to try everything practically and get feedback, which is very important for me before the exam. So it was preparing me for my studies. The high placement is therefore the result of the efforts of all our lecturers and the perfect teamwork with my colleagues. In addition to the knowledge, we made contact with colleagues from Ostrava and Olomouc faculties and enjoyed the competition together. Despite all the scenarios, the greatest experience for me remains the beautiful spring Šumava, in which the competition was embedded. And why do I want to be a paramedic? The field is very diverse, and I never know in advance what kind of patient I'm going to meet. Working in the field also brings a great deal of responsibility and improvisation, as I am often on site with only one colleague and the hospital equipment is not available to us at the time."
Members of the Scientific Board of the Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine met for their final session of the year at the Simulation Centre. The key agenda items included the discussion of three habilitation procedures and a proposal to award an honorary doctorate to the dean of a prestigious American medical school.
Volunteers from IFMSA CZ Brno transformed the Brno shopping center Olympia into an improvised clinic over the weekend of November 15-16. On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, they offered passers-by a moment to pause, free examinations, and important education on preventing lifestyle diseases.
