First medical course in English in Portugal

Our course is the first medical course taught in English in Portugal. I've been asked if I don't feel limited compared to my colleagues from other faculties who learn in Portuguese. My answer is always no, quite the opposite! As well as having the chance to study and work abroad after finishing, the course at Católica Medical School gives us a huge advantage in the field of research, an area where the universal language is English. What's more, we have wider access to books, articles and videos made in English, which helps us with self-study.

Extracurricular activities

Did you think our faculty was lagging behind when it comes to extracurricular activities? Think again. From elective internships to checkup days, futurália, volunteering, surfing or hazing, we're always innovating! There are new projects every year so that we never have our arms folded.

Skills lab

How impressed would your classmates be if you told them you learned how to give injections in your first year? And how to do a blood gas in the second year? The skills lab is where the best part of college is hidden: where we learn to care and heal! It's definitely the best part of the curriculum, but I'm suspicious.

PBL

You've probably heard of PBL: Problem Based Learning. PBL, already used in other faculties in Portugal and abroad, is an incredible teaching method where you learn independently and where knowledge doesn't slip away once the exam is over. It consists of analyzing a clinical case in class, defining the most difficult words, the key words and the problem implicit in the case and then brainstorming, or as we like to call it, a Brainstorm, where we recall past knowledge that could be useful in solving the clinical case. Finally, since you can't learn without objectives, we set our learning goals so that we can go home and study independently. In the next class, we all discuss what we've studied. Knowledge is built.

Curriculum support

There are only a few of us, which means that we have a close relationship with our teachers. Teachers who care about us, help us and guide us. If you need anything, just find a teacher in the cafeteria or knock on their office door: they always welcome you with a smile and friendly advice.

- 2nd year student, Lúcia Diógenes e Nogueira