Hello, hello fellow students.
This post is again targeted to those who are planning their rotational year, or perhaps even the summer practice. A good deal of us complete our practices in the PTE clinics or in hospitals back home, but there are also opportunities to complete practices in other teaching hospitals in Hungary. I previously did a piece on my experience at Dél-budai Centrumkórház in Budapest, which you can check out here.
Today I will be talking about the practice experience at Kaposvár at the Somogy Vármegyei Kaposi Mór Oktatókórház. I spoke to a friend who completed a few rotational practices there and was able to get some information on her time.
Q: Thank you for agreeing to be a part of this interview piece. So to start, what practices did you complete there?:
A: I completed the Paediatrics, Obstetrics-Gynaecology, Neurology, Surgery and half of the Internal medicine rotations there.
Q: How did you apply to do your practices there?
A: I sent an email to Kovács Nikolett at kovacs[dot]nikolett[at]kmmk[dot]hu, expressing my interest in completing my rotations at their hospital along with my preferred timeline. She responded within a day or two, and asked for my acceptance letters. A few days later she sent them back signed and stamped.
Q: How did you manage completing your practices there? Did you get accommodation in Kaposvár or did you have to do a daily commute to and fro?
A: I took the bus there everyday from the central bustop (Autóbusz-állomás) next to Árkád to the central bus stop at Kaposvár and back. I only had to buy a monthly Hungarian pass using my student discount, and that covered my trip.
Q: How long was the commute?
A: It took approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Kaposvár, and about fifteen minutes to walk to the hospital.
Q: Did you have to register with the HR department or secretary upon arrival? What kind of documents were needed?
A: Not really. On the first day of each practice, I met the head of the department and they each told me what was required of me and where to go. But for Paediatrics, on your first day you are given an attendance sheet, and at the end of each day, the doctor who you shadowed has to sign and stamp your sheet so take note of that.
Q: Can you describe what your first day was like?
A: Generally speaking, it was a bit confusing at first since it was my first time there, but the doctors and nurses I came across were really nice and willing to help.
Q: What procedures were you able to see and participate in?
A: Quite a bit. From echocardiography and endoscopies to the polysomnography and Pap smear collection. You can actually let the doctors know if you are interested in observing or participating in specific examinations and procedures and they will organise it to include you.
Q: What are the perks of applying to Kaposvár?
A: It was good to experience the practice outside of Pécs, and I was able to get a substantial tuition reduction on my final tuition fee since it is not a PTE clinic.
Q: At the end of the practice, who did you need to go to in order to sign your certificate of completion? How did you know who to go to?
A: I went back to the head of the department who I met on my first day at the practice and got my certificate signed. I typically look for the same person who signed my acceptance letter but from what I know, any senior doctor can sign the certificate.
Q: Were you able to get your Grade Book Of Clinical Skills signed?
A: You can but I didn’t have to since I already got my signatures in Pécs.
Q: Are there any other pieces of information you think students should know?
A: Not all departments expect you to arrive at 7:30, but always ask the department head just to be on the safe side. Also, you can bring along your lunch, but there are multiple bakeries and food spots around the hospital, as well as a cafeteria in the main hospital building.
Okay, so that’s it for the interview section of this. If you arrange to have your practices there, I was also able to get some information on how to go to and from there and will provide you need to know.
Getting to Kaposvár
If you have a valid student card, you can purchase a 30-day Hungary Pass with a student ID which puts it at around 1890 HUF. You can buy it on the MAV app or the BudapestGo (BKK) app. If you do not have a valid student card, you can purchase it on the bus from the driver for 1490 HUF per trip but it does add up and can become expensive, so try to get a student card sorted ahead of time if you can.
You will need to make your way to the central bus stop. The bus typically leaves every hour at _.00 from the 14th stop/station.
If you leave with the 6:00 am bus, you will be in Kaposvár sometime around 7:10 am, giving you just enough time to get to the clinic by around 7:25am, give or take a few minutes. The bus passengers usually stand and make a line according to how they arrive so you can just join the line/start the line.
Note: Kaposvár is typically a connecting stop, not the final stop. The final stop might be somewhere else. Nowadays, it’s Zalaegerszeg, so don’t fall asleep to avoid missing the stop.
Kaposvár Central Bus Station to KMOK
Google Maps can come in quite handy getting from the bus stop to the hospital.
On getting down from the bus, you should turn and walk to your right. You can follow the crowd as well, as most people are headed in that general direction anyway.
You will reach a crossing that takes you across Áchim András u. to Petőfi tér. At this point, it should look like this.
If you keep walking straight, you will walk through the square onto Irányi Daniel utca. Look out for a Rossmann on the left and a DM on the right. There will also be a red bridge overhead somewhere across the street.
At the end of that street, turn to your right onto Fő utca. There will be a Yettel store on your right and a second-hand clothing store on your left. It should look like this.
Keep walking till you reach a pedestrian crossing. There will be a hotel- Hotel Dorottya once you cross. Turn to your left and keep walking upwards on Széchenyi tér.
The road forks but keep on the right side and make the next right turn onto Bajcsy-Zsilinszky utca.
You will walk past a Mexican restaurant and reach another pedestrian crossing, which looks something like this.
Cross and turn left. You are now on Tallián Gyula utca. Walk straight till you get to the Szigethy-Gyula pharmacy and immediately after, the hospital. It looks like this.
Once you enter, you will be greeted by this sight. It can be a bit intimidating but there are lots of maps to help you out. If you take any entrance, you can easily orient yourself.
If you take this entrance, you will be on the ground floor of the first wing and you can make your way from there.
Kaposvár to Pécs
The bus that takes you back leaves from the 7th station/stop, or sometimes the 8th.
It should take another hour or hour and a half, depending on what route the bus takes and it will take you back to the central station in Pécs. The buses typically leave for Pécs at _:50 so if you want to make it, you should start leaving the hospital at _:25. If you have the monthly pass, that should be enough, and if not, you will need to purchase another ticket from the driver for 1490 HUF.
I hope this has been informative and will come in handy for those who have already arranged their practices at KMOK or were thinking of it. An hour there and back may seem discouraging or daunting but you can get a lot done in that time, whether you are studying, listening to a podcast/audiobook or doing some meditation. It is a small price to pay for a new experience.
I started my practice in the Neurology department at KMOK last week and I have to say- if you easily get road-sick or hate waking up super early and you can afford to, give this one a miss. To those who will complete some practices at KMOK, I wish you all a successful and fruitful time there.
Author’s note: My utmost gratitude to the student who was willing to share her experience for other students to benefit from.