Faculty of Medicine

Hello, my name is Mustafa Inan. I am the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Trakya. I am also a professor in the Department of Pediatric Surgery. The aim of our university is to train successful physicians that can effectively accommodate the modern medical requirements on a global scale and in line with the realities of the country. Our faculty has 1700 students. We provide education with approximately 220 faculty members. With our 42 departments and 33 fields, we are effectively delivering education in all fields of medicine without any shortcomings. There are 3 basic departments in our faculty which can be grouped as basic sciences, internal sciences and surgical sciences. Basic sciences include the basic fields of medicine such as anatomy, histology, physiology, and biochemistry. These fields constitute the primary focus during the first three years of education. Beginning with the third year and extending to the fourth and fifth years of education, branches that deal with imaging and examination methods are studied together with the main branches such as internal medicine, pediatrics, surgical science, surgical diseases, and obstetrics. In the fifth year includes education on the so-called minor branch subjects such as otorhinolaryngology, eye diseases and dermatology. The sixth year, or the last year, is the internship period. During this period, our students get an even closer acquaintance with the medical occupation by working alongside the professionals, that is, their instructors and teaching assistants. This facilitates a more effective learning process. There are three basic laboratories in our faculty, and in fact in this very building. A wet laboratory, a dry laboratory and an anatomy laboratory. Apart from this, the Department of Biostatistics has a computer laboratory and a model laboratory in which humanistic education is delivered. In the model laboratory, our first-year students work with models, or, rather, learn how to medically intervene on models rather than on people. Our faculty also has a simulation laboratory where students are faced with a robot patient and predetermined scenarios. Here, students receive humanistic education that adequately equips them for future physical interaction with patients. Our students carry on with their education in private clinics under the supervision of our faculty members and teaching staff. Considering that our specialized departments also have small-scale laboratories, education in our faculty is delivered in nearly 20 laboratories and 42 departmental clinics. After having completed the first three years of basic education, our students, especially those in their fourth and fifth years of education, continue their intensive training in clinics where they directly interact with the patients. We can view the fourth and fifth years of education as an early internship period. During this period the students acquire hands-on experience in physical examination, observation and treatment methods. In their sixth year of education, students, just like practicing physicians, assume accountability towards their patients and take responsibility for the prescribed treatments and the required follow-up, thereby reaching the completion of their education.
As Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine, we do our best to support our students in benefiting from educational opportunities abroad. Especially in the context of Erasmus+ student mobility, our students can go to contracted universities and faculties outside of Turkey. I should emphasize that we prioritize success here. We actively implement this activity in particular with the Balkan countries and others that support the Mevlana program. Apart from this, our students can travel abroad during the holidays, especially during the summer period. It is possible for students to do voluntary summer internship programs in place of enrolling certain elective courses of our faculty’s curriculum, provided that the internships are appropriately documented. With the Farabi student exchange program, students can participate in the mobility processes in different universities and medical faculties in the country. Since Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine is an established institution, many of our departments and branches of science are also involved with certain active organizations throughout the country. We organize many meetings, especially in national and international contexts. To give an example, we held the National Pediatric Surgery Congress in our faculty in 2018, and as a pediatric surgeon, I would like to put a special emphasises on this. Other departments of our faculty also organise international programs and meetings. The most important point that I should emphasize on behalf of the Dean's Office is that we are a pioneer in medical education in the Balkans. We directed the International Medical Education Program in the Balkans. We plan to lead this program further into the future. With the strength of education provided to them, graduates of Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine are generally able to work effectively at the Ministry of Health’s various levels. I stated that we train physicians who provide health services as primary care. I have previously expressed that our faculty trains future physicians that provide primary care services. In this context, our graduates work in primary care institutions. But of course, students receive specialty training if they succeed in the specialty examination. Some of our students also go abroad to benefit from educational opportunities outside of Turkey. Our graduates can also find employment in private health institutions. We have observed that they can also work in the different management layers of the Ministry of Health. Edirne is a student-friendly city with a student population of fifty thousand. I therefore think that it is a comfortable city. Our university is one that demands its students to be systematic and disciplined in their studies. It is a university that requires following up with the courses. In this respect, prospective students think in advance and be prepared to lead an orderly education life. They should always remember that acting within the framework of rules of the faculty members will enable them to graduate from an accredited institution and become successful with the future ahead of them. Our faculty offers many opportunities for students and young people to express themselves. Trakya University is primarily a campus university. Edirne is a campus city. Therefore, the students lead a life of education together with fellow students from the university’s other faculties. Here, at Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine, we await the arrival of new students. We have all the facilities required by modern education. We provide accredited education. We describe ourselves as a student-friendly school. If you want to be a competent physician on national and international levels and if you want to take part in a disciplined, successful, and competitive environment you are most welcome in our faculty. I wish all our students success in their exams.