Another year without accreditation for medicine in Nowy Sącz. "We're not giving up."
- For students who started their third year of medicine at the ANS in Nowy Sącz, the university established two clinical departments in the hospital in Nowy Sącz
- "Eleven people managed to transfer this summer. Some, for various reasons, still want to study in Nowy Sącz," says university spokesman Dr. Tomasz Zacłona.
- In the case of medical studies without accreditation, two scenarios are possible
The Academy of Applied Sciences in Nowy Sącz and the Academy of Applied Sciences in Nowy Targ were unable to recruit students for medicine for the second consecutive year. Currently, only one cohort of students is enrolled in the medical program at the universities (they have begun their third year of studies). In September, the Polish Accreditation Committee upheld the negative program ratings issued to the universities, resulting in the Ministry of Health denying them the only quotas for medicine.
"We already know that the Polish Accreditation Committee (PKA) has reiterated its negative opinion," Dr. Tomasz Zacłona, lecturer and spokesperson for the ANS in Nowy Sącz, admitted in an interview with Rynek Zdrowia. "We have the PKA's justification. Despite everything, we're not giving up. We've submitted a request to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for a reassessment of our medical program," he says.
Some of the students who had been studying so far, without waiting for decisions regarding the future of medicine in Nowy Sącz, transferred to other universities.
"We supported students who expressed this intention. Eleven of them managed to change universities, but not everyone has this opportunity. Some students, for various personal reasons, still want to study in Nowy Sącz," says the university spokesperson.
For students entering their third year at the ANS, the university has established two clinical departments in the Nowy Sącz hospital. Clinical classes will be held there. Of the 50 who began their medical studies in Nowy Sącz, only 14 are currently studying. In Nowy Targ, on the other hand, 29 students remained out of 48 at the end of August, some of whom were still completing transfer formalities (the university did not provide more recent data).
Dr. Zacłona also emphasizes that the Nowy Sącz academy is constantly investing in its program. A year ago, it opened, among other things, a modern mortuary, which was previously quite small, forcing students to travel to Radom for anatomy classes (a criticism the Polish Accreditation Committee (PKA) has also previously criticized the university for).
Among current and former students of universities in Nowy Targ and Nowy Sącz, the granting of quotas for medicine to the Tarnów Academy last year caused considerable controversy, as the Academy received accreditation for the course only in the second half of September.
It was one of only two universities to recruit students for the medical program for the past two years, despite the lack of a positive opinion from the Polish Accreditation Committee (PKA). It also still doesn't have its own mortuary. Although it is building the Department of Anatomy at Tarnów University, which will include a mortuary, according to the contract, it will not be operational until the end of 2025.
There are two possible scenarios regarding medicine at the ANS in Nowy Sącz and Nowy Targ - the Ministry of Science and Higher Education may withdraw the universities' permission to establish studies in the field of medicine (this is permitted by Article 56 of the Law on Higher Education and Science) or commission another assessment by the accreditation committee.
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