MEDICAL FACULTY - SOFIA
STRUCTURE AND ACTIVITIES
HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
The Medical Faculty at the Sofia Medical University is situated in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria.
Sofia’s name means “wisdom”, and its motto reads “A city that grows larger without growing older”.
Sofia is one of the oldest European cities. It was founded by the Thracians in the 7 th century B.C. Everywhere ruins can be seen dating back to Thracian time, to the Roman and Byzantine Empires.
Nowadays Sofia is an academic and cultural center. There are many universities, museums, theaters etc. Sofia is surrounded by mountains, perfect for winter sports, attracting tourists the year round.
The Medical Faculty – Sofia is the oldest medical higher education institution in Bulgaria. It was established in 1918 as a Faculty of Medicine at the Sofia University. The first lectures were delivered on 10 th April 1918. The first nominated Bulgarian professors in medicine laid the foundations of the present medical faculty, our Alma Mater, where thousands of Bulgarian and foreign doctors of medicine acquire knowledge, scientific, practical training and a code of ethics, bequeathed to us by Hippocrates.
From 1995 until 2005 academic year 5750 students graduated, 1280 of who were foreign students coming from Greece, Macedonia, India, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus, Iran, etc.
The Medical Faculty has a structure of 47 departments and clinical centers, where highly qualified lecturers, of whom 116 professors, 276 associate professors and 960 assistant professors, are working to deliver a high level of education and up-to-date training. The level of teaching is professional and it is based on updated syllabuses.
About 35 000 doctors have graduated from the Medical Faculty, from the moment of its establishment up to the present day.
ACTIVITIES AND AIMS OF THE MEDICAL FACULTY - SOFIA
The mission of the Medical Faculty is to adequately satisfy the needs of the state and society of medical and manager professionals in health care and the social sphere in correspondence to the national strategy and doctrine for the development of education and health care and the international standards as well as to safeguard and bring to perfection the academic and professional autonomy.
The Medical Faculty realizes its object of activity by:
- Preparing Bulgarian and foreign professionals in the accredited specialty of 'MEDICINE' to be awarded the education and qualification degree 'MASTER'.
- Preparing Bulgarian and foreign doctor degree fellows to be awarded the education and science degree 'DOCTOR'
- Postgraduate education of medical professionals to master a specialty in a field of medicine during a residency.
- Fundamental and applied science investigations
- Consultative and expert activity
- International and integrational activity in the spheres of education and science
- Administrative, social, sport informational and other activities.
The Major goal of the Medical Faculty (MF) is to realize its object of activity according to the principle of academic autonomy in correspondence to the health needs of the nation and the priorities of the national health care strategy.
Academic autonomy means freedom in educational activities, freedom in research investigations, freedom in creative initiatives and freedom in teaching.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
- Organizing and realizing the education of Bulgarian and foreign students to get higher education at the education and qualification degree 'MASTER';
- Harmonizing education with the standards of other higher institutions in Bulgaria and abroad;
- Reaching a level of comparability of the education received in MF with that in the countries of the European Union;
- Creating optimal conditions for socially important personal, intellectual and professional perfection of students, doctor degree fellows and residents and for their quick adaptation to the dynamic social environment;
- Realizing the process of education with contemporary education equipment;
- Organizing and realizing education to get the education and science degree 'doctor'
- Organizing and realizing postgraduate education;
- Continuous sophistication of the education process through a system guaranteeing quality;
- Mobility of lecturers and students for educational purposes;
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
- Creating conditions for the continuous development of lecturers and talented students in the sphere of research;
- Further strengthening of MF's position as a research centre at national and European level;
- Stimulation and support to the academic community for participation in competitions for specializations and research projects, financed according to regulations by different institutions in Bulgaria and abroad;
MORAL OBJECTIVES
- Bringing to perfection the professional ethics, the legal and organizational culture of specialists in different medical fields;
- Forming a contemporary value system in the specialists in different medical fields;
- Regulating interprofessional relations during the thorough reform in Bulgarian society and health care.
MEDICAL FACULTY- GOVERNING BODIES
DEAN
Prof. Dr. Marin Marinov, MD, PhD, DMSc
FACULTY COUNCIL
The Faculty Council is elected by the General Assembly of the Medical Faculty with a mandate of 4 years. The present participants were elected оn 7th February 2008. Most of the changes and initiatives in the spheres of education, scientific research and other activities are realized according to its decisions. The Council assesses the considerations of the departments for proposing new assistant professors, associate professors and professors as well as their election. Its structure is determined according to the clause in the Law of Higher Education.
EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
The education of students is realized according to the necessary education documentation for the education and qualification degrees and forms of education.
The process of education in the Medical Faculty is realized according to educational documentation, which encompasses a Qualification Characteristics (QC), syllabus, programs and an annual schedule of hours.
The education activities are realized through the following obligatory organizational forms:
- Lectures;
- Seminars;
- Colloquia;
- Exercises;
- Courses;
- Practicals;
- Duty hours;
- Consultations, etc;
According to the Law of Higher Education (LHE), the Regulation for the Unified State Requirements (USR) and the Rules for the preparation and organization of the academic year, the education of students is realized in obligatory, elective and optional subjects. For every student there exists an opportunity for a choice of subjects within the approved syllabus and the state requirements.
There have been developed qualification characteristics, syllabi and programs for the education and qualification degrees the content and quality of which are in correspondence with the aims of the EQS in the professional field.
To realize its major goal the Medical Faculty realizes education on the basis of developed and approved documents as follows:
І. Qualification characteristics. The Medical Faculty- Sofia prepares doctors with the education degree Master. They have to possess knowledge and skills, which allow them to start autonomous, work in the system of pre-hospital and hospital medical care as well as to specialize in the different spheres of medicine and health care.
The qualification characteristics does not have a completed form as it represents an open system where continuously in the course of time new sophistication will be applied in connection with the advances in medical science and the new teaching methodology. It is also open to be supplemented from all other medical subjects, which have not been included there up to now.
ІІ. Syllabus – developed in correspondence to the Regulations for the Unified State Requirements and approved annually by the Academic Council of the Medical University. It contains the total hours for the obligatory, elective and optional subjects. It is structured in:
- pre-clinical subjects and propedeutics;
- clinical subjects;
- summer educational practice and types of activities during it;
- clinical practice and pre-diploma internship;
In response to Directive No 21/30.09.2004г. of the Ministry of Education a credit system of grading is introduced for all students in MF. The credits are received from:
- obligatory subjects;
- participation in research projects;
- participation in science sessions with reports;
- publications in Bulgarian and foreign journals;
- elective courses/modules.
ІІI. Subject programs.
The education in every subject is realized according to a program, developed by the corresponding department, which corresponds to the number of hours for the subject in the syllabus. It contains – thematic lectures, exercises, thematic schedule for the lectures, exercises, seminars, thematic courses about the new findings in the subject which go beyond the regular lecture course, a list of topics for the theoretical and practical examinations, the number and forms of progress assessment of students, the volume of knowledge to be acquired, a weekly schedule, major textbooks, tests published by the department, etc. which are to be used in the education in the corresponding subject. They are renewed by the departments in correspondence to the new findings in the medical fields and are approved by the Faculty Council. Every department determines the necessary minimum of knowledge and practical skills, which should be mastered by the students, which study that obligatory subject. The teams of the departments propose interdisciplinary programs for elective courses/ modules. The obligatory as well as the elective modules include three basic forms of education – lectures, problem seminars / discussion of problems with bigger groups of students who have prepared in advance/ and practicals / doing tests, investigating a patient, etc. according to the specificity of the subject/.
ІІІ.1. Programs in pre-clinical subjects and propedeutics – developed on the basis “The healthy man. Fundamental aspects of the natural sciences” – structure and function of cells /chemistry, biology, anatomy, histology, biophysics, etc../; communication and bioethics etc.; structure and function of organs and systems /anatomy, human physiology, biochemistry etc./; fundamentals of clinical medicine /propedeutics/ .
The educational content of the programs is in correspondence with the aims of the education and qualification degree and is built on the principles of interconnectivity, integration and consequence in the continuous expansion of knowledge about the human organism. During the first two years education is based on fundamental investigations in the sphere of medical chemistry, biology, the theoretical foundations of immunology, the basic principles of the laws of physics, connected with the work of medical apparatuses, the processes in molecular biology, connected with the study of biochemistry and pathobiochemistry, cytology, histology and anatomy of the human organism, biophysics and physiology. The study of the theoretical bases of microbiology begins, The transfer from the fundamental sciences to the concrete clinical subjects is performed in the third year when the education in microbiology, pathophysiology and the fundamentals of general pathology comes to an end.
Programs of the obligatory subjects – Programs are developed in biology, physics and biophysics, chemistry and biochemistry, anatomy, histology and cytology, physiology and pathophysiology, microbiology, medical genetics, pharmacology, general pathology, propedeutics of internal diseases, general and operative surgery, general medicine, Latin language, foreign language training, sports, medical ethics, biostatistics and medical informatics, medicine of disasters and social medicine – with a total number of hours 2820 – 174,6 credits /.
Programs of the elective courses/modules – They give the opportunity to expand and deepen the fundamental knowledge of students in the chosen fields.
ІІІ.2. Educational programs in the clinical subjects – developed on the basis of “The ill person” – principles of clinical medicine, prevention, diagnostics and treatment.
The educational content of the programs is synchronized with the major goal of education in the clinical subjects under the modular system – acquiring a greater number of practical skills, a greater number of hours per day spent in the clinics in one speciality, providing opportunities for follow-up of the clinical development of a given disease as well as the effect of treatment. The theoretical hours in the form of seminars are oriented to one nosologic unit or the solving of a diagnostic -treatment problem. The principle of modular education includes the idea about a clinical and anatomical parallel when discussing nosologic units. For this purpose the three-week education in internal diseases is followed by a one-week clinical education on the morphological substrate of the same diseases in clinical pathology.
ІІІ.3. Pre-diploma /clinical/ internship – a major principle of the program for the pre-diploma internship is 'Be coming a doctor'. Its content is directed to acquiring the professional knowledge and skills of a physician. In addition knowledge in the psychology of the patient, communicative skills, necessary for the future doctor, principles of medical ethics and morals in the doctor-patient relationship, prevention of diseases, the structure, organization and management of health care activities and medical help in cases of natural disasters, big industrial accidents , terrorism,etc. is acquired. This knowledge helps to develop the view of the doctor on prevention, skills for work at different levels, structures and conditions of the health care system. The educational content of the programs is directed to:
- improving the practical preparation of the future doctors – communication with patients, diagnostics, therapy, getting to know the work in intensive care units and emergency cases for hospital admission;
- acquiring clinical knowledge and skills – two hours of clinical practice every day in the IV-VI year are included in the modular system education according to the syllabus;
- participation in the overall process of hospital treatment – admission of a patient, history of the disease, status, investigations and treatment;
- knowledge of the aims, tasks, principles, rules, functions, methods and forms of the general medical practice.
Programs in major subjects of the clinical internship – Programs have been developed in internal diseases, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, hygiene, epidemiology, infectious diseases and social medicine and emergency medicine – total in: calender days – 80; hours- 1440; credits –88.4.
ІІІ.4. Summer educational practice
In correspondence to the Regulations for the Unified State Requirements and the syllabus the students in medicine pass summer educational practices in the course of their education as follows:
- After ІІ semester - 15 calender days general hospital practice/120 hours/
- Aftert IV semester - 15 calender days general hospital practice /120 hours/
- After VІ semester - 15 calender days internal diseases and surgery /120 hours/
They are carried out according to an approved 'Program for the summer educational practices', which is an inseparable part of the syllabus on the speciality.
The aim of the general hospital practice is to start the contact between the future doctor and the patient in a hospital environment. Under the supervision of a nurse-supervisor the practicing student should master the major skills and care of the patient, which by far predetermines the success of treatment .
The students who carry out the summer educational practice in the VI semester master the comprehensive care of the patient, expand and deepen their knowledge acquired in the propedeutics in internal diseases and surgery, namely, the fundamental and supplementary methods for investigation of the patient. The types of activities mastered by the students are included in the syllabus.
ІІІ.5. Extracurricular groups - The departments in the Medical Faculty organize extracurricular groups of students with the purpose of deepening their practical and theoretical knowledge and their inclusion in research.
The students who participate in the extracurricular groups present their research papers during the science sessions for young researchers and are presented with prestigious awards at national and European level. A significant part of them continue their scientific work after graduation.
EDUCATION BASES
University hospitals are a place to acquire professional skills, professional thinking and knowledge, covering the new achievements in medicine.
Forty-five department and clinical centres based in the university hospitals are included in the structure of the MF and the Medical University has signed contracts with them:
- UMHAT 'Alexandrovska'
- MHAT "Tsaritsa Ioanna'
- UMHAT "Sv. Ivan Rilski";
- SHATOG "Maichin dom“
- SHATPD "Sv. Sofia";
- SHAT in pediatric diseases
- SHATOT “Prof. B. Boichev”;
- USHATE;
- SHATNP "Sv.Naum";
- UMHAT "Sv.Anna";
- USHATCVS "Sv.Ekaterina";
- MHATEMH “Pirogov”;
- MMA.
ENROLLMENT OF FOREIGN STUDENTS
The Medical Faculty provides enrollment and education of foreign students after the filing of the necessary documents (see this link ).
The special subjects which must have been studied and must be present in the diploma of applicants for the Medical Faculty – Sofia are chemistry and biology and the minimum average grade must not be less than 62% of the maximum possible grades.
PREPARATORY ACADEMIC YEAR
Foreign citizens studying at the Medical Faculty-Sofia are enrolled after successfully undergoing language and specialized training in the Bulgarian language. The education is carried out according to a syllabus.
Language education is organized in students’ groups, as follows:
- for foreign students – not less than 9 month
- for foreign doctoral degree applicants – not less than 6 months
- for foreign postgraduate students – not less than 6 months
Foreigners of the Bulgarian nationality as well as Bulgarian secondary school graduates can apply and be admitted for education after successfully passing an examination in the Bulgarian language at the beginning of the academic year.
TUITION FEES
TUITION FEES FOR THE EDUCATION OF FOREIGN CITIZENS FOR 2008/2009, ACCORDING TO ACT OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS №96/ 12.05.2008, PUBLISHED IN STATE NEWSPAPER №47/2008, ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Preparatory academic year:
- for students, doctoral degree candidates and residents is 3 500 EUR
ANNUAL TUITION FEES:
- for students of medicine (in Bulgarian) – 5 000 EUR
- for students of medicine (in English) – 6 000 EUR
- for ergotherapists – 3 000 EUR
- for residents –5 000 EUR
- for doctoral degree candidates:
- full-time – 5 000 EUR
- part-time – 4 000 EUR
Foreign citizens with citizenship of two countries, one of which Bulgarian, can study at a price, amounting to 50 % of the annual fee.
DOCTORAL DEGREE FELLOWSHIPS
The Medical Faculty - Sofia relies on the scientific potential and contemporary experimental base for provision of a high level of medical education in three degrees. The third degree is the doctoral degree, by means of which highly qualified specialists.
- a full-time research position leading to a doctoral degree – 3 years’ duration
- a part-time research position leading to a doctoral degree – 4 years’ duration
SPECIALIZATIONS
The specialization/residency/ to acquire 1 of 52 main specialties has a duration of 3-5 years and is completed after successfully undergoing examination before the State Examination Commission.
Foreign citizens can carry out their postgraduate specialization at the Medical Faculty-Sofia only in the full- time form of education, on condition that they are holders of a Master’s degree diploma.
DOCUMENTS NECESSARY FOR ENROLLMENT IN A RESIDENCY ( see this link)
ANNUAL AWARDS
To stimulate the professional and creative activity of lecturers, doctoral degree fellows and students, in 2001 the Medical Faculty has initiated annual awards for significant contribution to science and academic work in the sphere of fundamental sciences – in name of academician Dimitar Orahovac, surgery – in name of Professor Parashkev Stoyanov, therapy – in name of Professor Konstantin Chilov, for a young scientist up to the age of 35 – in name of Professor Assen Hadjiiolov. In 2002 an award for an overall contribution to academic and science activity has been initiated in name of Professor Stoyan Kirkovich, and in 2003 – a student's award for science activity in name of Professor Assen Zlatarov.
Those presented with the award for fundamental science are Professor Ivo Kremenski (2001), Professor Vladimir Ovcharov (2002), Professor Ivan Mitov (2003), Associate Professor Draga Toncheva (2004), Professor Vanyo Mitev (2005), Associate Professor Ludmila Georgieva (2006) and Associate Professor Radoslav Gurchev (2007).
Those presented with the award for surgical sciences are Professor Stanislav Baev (2001), Professor Ivan Tsenev (2002), Professor Petar Panchev (2003), Professor Borislav Vladimirov (2004), Professor Ilko Karagiozov (2005), Associate Professor Dimitar Trifonov (2006) and Professor Nikolai Yaramov (2007).
Those presented with the award for therapeutic sciences are Professor Ivailo Turnev and Associate Professor Snejina Vasileva (2001), Dr. Lubka Miteva (2002), Associate Professor Luchezar Traikov (2003), Dr. Mihail Boyanov (2004), Professor Ivan Milanov (2005), Associate Professor Penka Perenovska (2006) and Associate Professor Zdravko Kamenov (2007).
Those presented with the awards for young scientist are Albena Yordanova (2001), Dr. Yanko Yankov and Dr. Desislava Bogdanova (2002), Maria Praskova (2003), Dr Velina Gergelcheva(2004), Dr Borian Bujov and Dr Boriana Zaharieva (2005), Dr Ivanka Dimova (2006), Dr Dobroslav Kyurkchiev and Dr Mila Doncheva (2007).
Those presented with the award for an overall contribution to academic and science activity are Professor Zdravko Kiryakov (2002), Professor Kamen Uzunov (2003), Professor Veselin Tanev (2004), Associate Professor Kiril Pramatarov (2005), Associate Professor Berislava Deseva (2006) and Professor Zaharii Krastev (2007).
Those presented with the student's award are Emanuil Naidenov and Vasil Papanchev (2003), Tsveta Ivanova (2004), Yulian Borisov (2005), Delian Ferdinandov (2006) and Georgi Georgiev (2007).
BULGARIAN MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
The Bulgarian Medical Students’ Association /BMSA/ was established on 3 rd March 1990. Its main objectives are:
- To support scientific and educational work;
- To improve medical students’ theoretical education;
- To organize national and international meetings, seminars and annual scientific sessions.
Being a full member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, BMSA participates in the international clinical students’ exchange program, providing to more than 8000 students the opportunity to study in colleges, universities and hospitals of different countries. Bulgaria signs 40-45 contracts every year with more than 15 countries, among which Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands etc.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
The Medical Faculty also participates in international scientific projects, for example, in Socrates.
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION
The Medical Faculty –Sofia also participates in international scientific cooperation. In 2005-2006 contracts were signed with:
For students:
UNIVERSITE PARIS V RENE DESCARTES,
UNIVERSITE PARIS VI PIERRE ET MARIE CURIE,
UNIVERSITE PARIS VII DENIE DIDREAU
UNIVERSITE DE FRANCE-COMTE
UNIVERSITE LOUIS PASTEUR, STRASSBOURG
UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRIXELLES
MEDICINE FACULTY AT HUMBOLT’S UNIVERSITY, BERLIN
CHARITE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, BERLIN
COLOGNE UNIVERSITY
“DEMOCRITUS” THRACIAN UNIVERSITY, ALEXANDROUPOLIS
“HERAKLION” UNIVERSITY, CRETE, GREECE
For Doctoral Degree Fellows:
UNIVERSITY OF CARDIFF, UK
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IN LONDON
UNIVERSITE MONTPELLIER II, France
FACULTE UNIVERSITAIRE
NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS, Namur, Belgique
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