Universität Fribourg Université de Fribourg Suisse | Universität Freiburg Schweiz Course offerings

 

Human Medicine

Abstract

The Master programme teaches students the skills required to work as an intern after passing the Swiss Federal Examination in Human Medicine (Eidgenössische Prüfung in Humanmedizin/Examen fédéral en médecine humaine). The University of Fribourg offers an innovative study programme that focuses on the practical training with patients. Medical students actively participate in their learning process. They are taught to cope with the challenges of the medical profession through interactive teaching formats, practical courses, mentored self-study time the immersion in a clinical environment.
The study programme is based on the national criteria laid down in PROFILES (Principal Relevant Objectives and Framework for Integrative Learning and Education in Switzerland). Further focuses emphasise on general practice and family medicine, developing a professional attitude, and dispensing socially responsible, people- and needs-oriented medical care.

Show the study programme profile

Profile of the study programme

The Medicine Section of the Faculty of Science and Medicine will offer a Master programme in Human Medicine for 40 students starting in autumn 2019. Graduates will obtain the title «Master of Medicine». The curriculum prepares students for the Swiss Federal Examination in Human Medicine (Eidgenössische Prüfung in Humanmedizin/Examen fédéral en médecine humaine). On passing this exam, the candidates receive the Swiss medical diploma entitling them to work in a clinical environment as an intern.

In addition to the general requirements for all medical schools in Switzerland, which are set out in the competency catalogue PROFILES (http://www.profilesmed.ch/), the Master studies in Fribourg offer further themes that take into account the dynamic environment of medicine of the future. These are family medicine, the development of a professional attitude, social accountability, and the application of reflective practice.

The Master's degree course consists of 3 phases that build on one another:

  • Phase 1 facilitates the transfer of the basic skills obtained during the Bachelor's degree to clinical practice. The focus is on disease types, symptoms as an introduction to a pathology and patient needs in the different stages of life;
  • In Phase 2, the students pass through the sections of the associated clinics in several rotations, acting as part of the team there. In regular one-day stints in a general practice, the students also learn about the specific nature of ambulatory medicine throughout the year;
  • In Phase 3, the students are in their electives year and amplify their clinical skills with a stay of several weeks in a clinic in Switzerland or abroad.

Students must also write a thesis. This is a piece of independent, personal academic research, undertaken and documented by the student.

The study programme uses various formative assessment methods, such as MCQ tests, essays, OSCE, project work and direct observation. The information thus acquired is compiled in an electronic portfolio, which is a kind of diary that documents the student's personal progress. The evaluation system includes self-reflection and the development of individual learning objectives by the students.

Fribourg profile
The Master's degree in Human Medicine at the University of Fribourg has the following particularities:
– Thanks to the strong focus on practical teaching and intensive exploration of concrete issues of medicine, the students receive broad medical training to Swiss national standards. At the same time, the emphasis at the University of Fribourg on general practice and people-oriented medicine, as well as the teaching concept that requires and promotes the active participation of students, is unique;
– Admission to the Master programme is restricted to 40 students. This small cohort offers a personal atmosphere and guarantees that students are well-accompanied during teaching units and their stays in the clinics;
– Human Medicine at the University of Fribourg is taught bilingually. The students have the opportunity of communicating with professionals, team colleagues and patients in German and in French. This offers them the chance to apply and expand their specialist terminology in both languages.

Learning outcomes and career openings
After successfully completing the course, students are admitted to the Swiss Federal Examination in Human Medicine (Eidgenössische Prüfung in Humanmedizin/Examen fédéral en médecine humaine). On passing this exam, candidates receive the Swiss diploma in medicine and can undertake the further training compulsory for independent medical practitioners.
The main career options are:

  • Independent medical practitioner: specialising in general medicine or another specialisation;
  • Employed medical practitioner, usually in a hospital;
  • Doctor in research (university, industry, etc.).

Studies organisation

Structure of studies

180 ECTS credits, 6 semesters

Curriculum

In preparation

Comments

The number of places on the Master's degree course in Human Medicine is limited to 40.

Admission

The requirement for admission to the Master's degree is a Bachelor's degree in Human Medicine. Applicants who completed their Bachelor's degree in Fribourg have priority. The places are allocated according to a defined selection process.
Applications from other Swiss universities or recognised foreign universities can also be considered if places are available.