What does modern medicine look like? What is the job of a doctor? What is the difference between psychiatry and psychology? The answers to these and other questions were presented during a free-of-charge workshop of the ADAMED SmartUP Academy held on 12–13 March 2016 in Łódź. During the course, the youth had an opportunity to learn suturing techniques, conduct internal medicine consultations as well as learn the rules of behaviour in life-threatening situations.

The first classes during the workshop concerned the terminology used in medical practice that is essential for moving around the medical world. Each medical student – before gaining the knowledge and skills necessary for treating patients – needs to learn in-depth how the human body is built. Therefore, the instructors recalled all the most important terms connected with anatomy.

A properly given diagnosis is equally important in a doctor’s practice. The participants were told how to talk with patients in order to obtain as much important information as possible. Together with the instructors, they practiced verbal and non-verbal communication techniques. Playing the role of a doctor who gathers information about the patient’s medical history helped students to experience first-hand the difficulties connected with it.

Moreover, the instructors discussed the characteristics of a neurological examination, explained how a reflex is established and why it cannot be stopped. During the classes they also presented the classification and basic types of mental disorders. They talked with the participants about how doctors deal with mentally ill patients and what the basic diagnostic methods are. Apart from that, they recalled the most interesting cases in psychiatry to show how difficult this field of medicine is.

Much interest was raised by practical classes on suturing techniques, which require not only dexterity but also a broad knowledge on anatomy, types of stitches, wounds and healing models.

During the final class the instructors explained what life- threatening conditions are and what to do in the most important cases when they occur.
In the workshop part, the participants had an opportunity to learn first aid using training manikins.

Medicine is also going to be the subject of the ADAMED SmartUP Academy workshop in Lublin on 21–22 May 2016. We encourage you to register via the application form available at: www.adamedsmartup.pl/academy. Additionally, the next few months’ courses in biochemistry, chemistry and physics will be organised in Gliwice, Gdansk and Warsaw respectively.