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USCB Students Study Abroad at Poland's Poznan University of Medical Sciences

The U.S. needs more doctors, but the high cost of medical school keeps many undergraduates from pursuing a career in medicine. Some pursue their dreams of becoming physicians by attending less-expensive, high quality medical schools in other countries. This summer, USCB students were invited to an innovative study abroad experience in Poland, where they sampled the English-language curriculum offered at Poznan University of Medical Sciences (PUMS).

Seven USCB students —three Public Health majors and four Biology majors — spent July 21-29 in Poland as guests on the PUMS campus. There they slept in one of the university’s residence halls, ate at the PUMS Campus Bistro, and attended classes held in the school’s Medical Biology Center, Medical Simulation Center and other facilities. The goal of the summer study abroad program was to give Sand Sharks a taste of life as a medical student at PUMS.

USCB participants were Biology students Logan Stewart, Ashley Duggan, Isabel Cannon and Milla Wojciechowski (who has dual citizenship with Poland), and Public Health students and Tameika Lynard, Darniece Calistro and Kari Hill.  Dr. Joe Staton, chair of USCB’s Natural Sciences department, and Carol Weir, Senior Director of Communications, accompanied the students.  

The Sand Sharks completed USCB summer school coursework, including reflection essays, based on their experiences in Poland.

“Going to another country to experience a medical school education overseas was amazing,” Kari Hill said. “I had fun, met new friends and gained a new perspective on cultural acceptance and tolerance.”

Public medical school PUMS pioneered offering English-language programs to international students in Poland in 1993. PUMS is affiliated with five clinical hospitals and has 7,000 students, including 800 international students in English-language programs in medicine and dentistry. So far, 627 students from the U.S. have earned M.D. degrees at PUMS and 79 have earned D.D.S. degrees. There is evens a PUMS gradate who is practicing in South Carolina Dr. Raymond Turner is a Neurosurgeon at university of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville.

To facilitate stronger ties and cooperation between the two universities, 
a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is in the works by USCB’s Chancellor Dr. Al Panu and PUMS President Professor Andrzej Tykarski, M.D., Ph.D. The agreement will allow the two schools to more easily organize visits, conferences and symposia; carry out collaborative research and education; exchange academic staff and students; and co-operate on scholarly publications. 

“We send our most sincere appreciation for the significant experiential learning experiences our USCB students, faculty, and staff received at PUMS this summer,” said Dr. Juanita Babet Villena-Alvarez, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Coordinator of USCB International Programs.

In addition to President Tykarski, many PUMS faculty and staff members worked to provide the USCB group with a first class experience, including: PUMS Past-President. Prof. Jacek Wysocki; Prof. Agnieszka Zawiejska; Prof. Adrianna Mostowska; Prof. Grzegorz Dworacki; Assoc. Prof. Ewelina Chawłowska; Assoc. Prof. Ewa Baum; Prof. Anna Mania; Dr. Joanna Błaszak; Patryk Gawor; Katarzyna Żukowska and others.

PUMS faculty taught classes for the Sand Sharks and gave tours of the university facilities, including of labs where they conduct research focused on healthy and active aging, innovative pharmaceutical technologies, metabolic programming and other topics.

The USCB group was especially impressed with the five-story Medical Simulation Center, with high and low fidelity medical mannequins and environments closely imitating real life. Students simulated triage at a car accident and loaded a patient into an ambulance for transport. Other floors of the simulation lab hold a surgery center, trauma unit and obstetrics and gynecology center complete with a mannequin that gives birth.

Current medical student Adonis Hawari, who is Palestinian, gave a presentation to the USCB group where he said his decision to enroll at PUMS was based on the university’s academic rigor; the relatively low cost of tuition and living in Poland; the university’s comprehensive student services; and the ability to visit Europe during university vacations. Tuition at PUMS for the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) programs is $15,300 per year — about a fifth of the cost of many comparable U.S. programs. 

While acknowledging the challenges of adapting to a different educational system and culture, he said that learning different medical practices, healthcare systems, and cultural approaches to medicine is important in an increasingly globalized world.

“Studying medicine abroad can provide a diverse and international perspective on healthcare,” he said.

Hawari cautioned the USCB students that international medical graduates (IMG - doctors who completed their basic medical training outside of the US) face less favorable odds when the time comes to seek a residency program. Not every residency program hires IMGs and national graduates are sometimes favored. But the number of residency spots available to them is steadily increasing, and PUMS match stats are higher than the average for IMGs. Its residency match rates in the U.S. in recent years were: 2019: 60%, 2020: 63%, 2021: 36%, 2022: 61%, 2023: 85%.

For their participation in the PUMS summer school, the University of South Carolina Beaufort students received certificates of completion and three USCB academic credit hours. But their time in Poland wasn’t all academic: the Sand Sharks went Nordic walking (with poles) around Poznan’s Lake Rusałka; played musical chairs and took a salsa dancing class with current PUMS students; took a guided city tour of Poznan; and visited the Imperial Castle. Logan and Ashley had fun hosting a social media takeover of the PUMS English program student organization’s Instagram channel (@epsu.pums). USCB and PUMS faculty and staff enjoyed collegiality, delicious food and sunset views at a farewell dinner at Hotel Kolegiacki —while planning for future collaboration.