The surgery courses from the 3rd to 6th year are divided into blocks and include classes, seminars, and lectures. Lectures are held independently, while classes typically start between 8:00 and 8:30 and end around 11:00, but may vary depending on the department and teacher.

• In the 3rd and 4th years, the course lasts two weeks and covers Gastroenterological Surgery and Endocrinology Surgery, with a switch after one week. The format includes in-person classes and online seminars, involving OR observation, physical examinations, and surgical procedure discussions. The Endocrine Surgery week concludes with a 10-question multiple-choice test.

• The 5th-year surgery block spans three weeks in various departments: Pediatric Surgery (not included in the final exam), Thoracic Surgery (three days with impromptu quizzes), Vascular Surgery (department tours and OR visits), and Cardiosurgery (seminar and optional surgery observations). 

• In the 6th year, the course lasts approximately one month, rotating through five surgery departments with a mix of classes and PRPK (interactive case discussions), both conducted in-person. There are no credit tests, but attendance and completion of all blocks are mandatory. The final assessments include a theoretical exam (100 multiple-choice questions) and an oral exam covering various topics from the five departments.

Students are required to complete surgery Duties documented in their booklets over the four years. Duties involve signing up, attending assigned sessions, and obtaining signatures from the doctors on the last page in the Surgery booklet. 

The theoretical exam, typically scheduled early in the 6th year, consists of 100 multiple-choice questions with a 60% passing mark. Preparation involves using previous students' notes and tips from the department. The oral exam, randomly assigned in one of four departments, involves discussing three topics from a set of 30. The oral exam format varies by department but generally lasts 15-30 minutes. 

To succeed, leverage notes from previous students and departmental advice, be adaptable to schedule changes, complete duties progressively, and aim for strong theoretical grades to ease your oral exam process.

6th Year

Your last Surgery blocks take place in the Winter semester, and lasts for about a month in total, allowing Surgery to be one of your first finals in 6th year. All clinical groups rotate through the five Surgery departments listed above.

Classes: Similar to Surgery classes in the previous years. Usually start at ~08:30 or after the assigned teacher's morning briefing, and end depending on the assistant. Your group may go the operating theater, practice bedside anamnesis and examinations, and/or sit and discuss different topics. 

PRPK: Held for each department; this is an interactive discussion, where you will be presented different surgical cases and talk about the best approach. These are held with multiple clinical groups congregated together in-person.

According to the schedule, half of our class was scheduled to start with mostly PRPK in the first 2 weeks and proceed with classes in the following 2 weeks, while the other half was scheduled the opposite. However, in reality the classes and PRPK were held rather interchangeably depending on the department and availability of teaching assistants. You also rotate departments every two-three days, so expect a dynamic block. We advise you to be flexible, and to keep in mind that the information in the harmonogram is not always set in stone.

There were no credit tests in the 6th year. Class tests are a possibility, though rare. All groups had to attend and complete all Surgery blocks before the exam.

End-of-block Test / Colloquium

At the end of each block except for 6th year, there is a small test. Practical classes and seminars are not subject to individual credit.

Ask your teachers on what to prepare, and don't worry, you just have to pass them, no grade will enter your records.

BRING YOUR SURGERY SYLLABUS BOOKLET! Once you pass, your surgeon's signature confirms the credit. You will get your booklet during your first block. Ask for them in the department, because the Dean's Office is not responsible for them. Keep them til 6th year and don't loose them!

Duties

In your booklets, at the very end, you will find the DUTIES page. You have all four years to complete those. You can do them whenever you please - as long as they're done before your final exam. However, is it advisable to not put off all duties until shortly before your finals in the 6th year, as scheduling conflicts may arise and potentially cause issues.

Signing up for a duty is simple: you go to the department, go to the doctor's room, and ask for their list to sign up. 

Once signed in, come to the department at your signed time and follow the attending doctors. Make sure to get their signature in your booklet once you're discharged.

Surgery gives you credits each year after having passed the requirements of the blocks. 

In the final year, credits are tied to passing the final exam. 

The final grade you receive is taken solely from the final exam and calculated in front of you after your oral exam (you walk out of the oral exam with your grade).

Consider the Syllabus for the grading scale.