Lectures
The lectures take place in lecture halls of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine. The aim of the lectures is to open up a given topic for the students, to bring it closer, giving examples from the medical practice, and to demonstrate the teacher's attitude to the subject. Moreover, the lectures are to complement modern English-written textbooks of pathology, preferably Robbins' Basic Pathology (10th ed.), and they are to delineate the extent of the topics required to pass the examination. The lectures also enlighten gross and microscopic findings which may be difficult to comprehend from studying textbooks only. The lectures are considered an indispensable part of the courses. Textbooks and self-study are important parts of the study, but lectures can give students an idea about the approach of the teachers. Lectures explain data and findings more difficult to comprehend and/or to imagine. However, the lectures are optional, yet strictly recommended.
In case of eventual absence of your teacher (according to the syllabus), his/her lecture can be substituted by another teacher from our department, or the distant form of the lecture can be provided (via Zoom). The distant form of teaching can be also chosen in case of cancellation of the present form of teaching for any reason (including holidays).
It is forbidden to record any lecture without previous permission of the teacher.
Practical classes
Practical pathology teaching takes place in the teaching rooms of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University – in the Microscopy (Large) Teaching Room in the monoblock for adults (“blue building”), node A, 2nd floor, and in the Dissection Teaching Room in the autopsy tract of the department (Motol University Hospital campus, pavilion 11). Attendance at practicals is compulsory, and punctual arrival is required. Students arriving late will not be admitted to the class and will be marked with an unexcused absence. Due to capacity limitations and the counting algorithms of the Kahoot! platform (see below), make-up classes between groups are not possible. The content of practical classes differs depending on the teaching room.
Macroscopic (autopsy/pathological-anatomical) practicals:
During macroscopic practicals, students will learn about the morphology of human diseases at the macroscopic (“visible to the eye”) level through several modalities under the guidance of their group assistant. Classes are held in the Dissection Teaching Room in the autopsy tract of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine (Motol University Hospital campus, pavilion 11) every two weeks – alternating weekly with microscopic practicals for each study group; the specific schedule for each group will be specified at the beginning of the academic year. A changing room for students is available in pavilion 11. The content of autopsy practicals will vary and will be defined in the syllabus.
- Autopsy cases – During the semester, students may attend a pathological-anatomical autopsy, or alternatively, they will be presented with annotated autopsy videos and case presentations. Autopsy cases concern specific deceased patients of Motol University Hospital; therefore, students of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine are strictly bound by confidentiality. Furthermore, students must follow valid hygiene regulations during practicals (protective equipment will be provided for each class; rubber gloves, if desired, are to be purchased by each group at their own expense). Any audio or video recording during autopsy is strictly prohibited. Pregnant students cannot participate in autopsy classes. In case of pregnancy, the student must interrupt the academic year (in cooperation with the study department and the dean’s office).
- Gamified practise – Several times per semester, interactive testing of topics discussed during previous lectures will take place in the form of a quiz competition within each student group.
- News – Part of the practical focuses on the presentation of the new topic, related to the subject discussed during actual lectures. The presentation itself is going to be supplied with demonstration of microscopic slides, for which tablets will be available on loan.
- Kahoot! – During the summer semester, as the exam approaches, the topics discussed during previous lectures will also be tested using the virtual platform Kahoot! (see below) within autopsy practicals.
Microscopic (histopathological) practicals:
During microscopic practicals, students will learn about the morphology of human diseases at the histopathological (“invisible to the naked eye”) level by working with a light microscope under the guidance of their group assistant. Classes are held in the Microscopy (Large) Teaching Room of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine (adult section of Motol University Hospital, node A, 2nd floor) every two weeks – alternating weekly with autopsy practicals for each study group; the specific schedule for each group will be specified at the beginning of the academic year. For entry into the teaching room, indoor shoes and a white coat are required; students must arrive already changed, as no student changing rooms are available in these premises.
- Kahoot! – The practical includes ongoing interactive testing of topics discussed during previous lectures. The testing will be done via virtual platform Kahoot!, which allows the teacher to put quiz questions and microscopic slides into the presentation. The specific topics, which are going to be tested (also prerequisite lectures and seminars), will be noted in the syllabus. The questions are going to be asked right during the lesson itself and every student is required to answer via his/her phone/tablet/notebook. Logging in Kahoot! is provided online (there is a WiFi network Eduroam UK available in the auditorium) after obtaining a code for every single training from the teacher. The teacher will also instruct the students while working with this platform. The aim of this part of the training is to test the students and to keep their attention on discussed topics.
During both parts of the microscopic training, the students are encouraged to work with light microscopes and to train recognition of the slides from prepared sets. These slides represent a significant part of the sets of exam slides. At the end of the practical classes the seminary for all the study groups is held in the auditorium of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine.
“Clinical/Biopsy Week”
Twice per academic year, students from each group will be distributed among the various laboratories of our department, where they will spend their instructional time observing the real daily diagnostic practise. Afterwards, they will prepare a brief report on their experiences within their subgroup, which they will present to their peers at a joint meeting with the department staff. The report will be presented in the form of a shared PowerPoint presentation (one file), where all subgroups from the respective group will upload their presentations in the following order of topics: Material Trimming, Staining methods, Intraoperative Biopsy, Muscle Laboratory, Electron Microscopy, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Flow Cytometry, Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH), PCR and Sequencing Methods. This part of the instruction will take place instead of the designated autopsy and aims to actively introduce the daily diagnostic work of a pathologist and pathology as a modern diagnostic field. Clinical/Biopsy Weeks are a mandatory part of the curriculum, and absences cannot be excused during this time.
Seminars
At the end of practicals, a seminar on the designated topic will take place jointly for both groups in the Microscopy (Large) Teaching Room of the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and Motol University Hospital (adult section of Motol University Hospital, node A, 2nd floor).
Consultations
Consultations may be arranged in advance with your teachers before the end of the Summer Term (before the examination period) – a consultation with a group of students is preferred to consultations with individual students. No consultations are provided by the department during the examination period.
Exams slides
The sets of exam slides are available for downloading or browsing in online Smartzoom atlas on the website of the department, including videos with teacher’s explanations.
