Welcome to the Second Faculty of Medicine! This guide will help you find the most important information for your first days and weeks at the faculty.

 

Study Department

The Study Department has administrative responsibility for your studies and is the best way for you to communicate with the faculty.

Student Counselor
1st–2nd year

Cares about the smooth progress of your first steps at the faculty in the first two years.
 

Kateřina Flodinová

+420 224 435 868

Guidance Counselor
1st–6th year

Helps you answer questions, listens to your needs, and assists with everyday student life problems.

Anna Pecharová

+420 224 435 824

 

Additional contacts on the Study Department webpage →

 

→ Getting Started

Important Dates and Events

Before the academic year starts

Late September / Early October

October

Timetables and the Student Information System

Use SIS to view timetables, course information and your study records. Teaching schedules are published in SIS as they become available.
Student Information System (SIS)→

Credit System

The organizational rules for studies at the Second Faculty of Medicine are fully compatible with the European Credit Transfer System.

The most important rules of the system are:

  1. Successful completion of each subject gives the student a certain number of credits. To advance to the next stage of studies, a student is supposed to collect 60 credits every academic year. However, he or she could also advance with a lower number of credits where the minimum number of credits stipulated is equal to or higher than
  • 38 credits for progressing to the second year
  • 101 credits for progressing to the third
  • 168 credits for progressing to the fourth
  • 230 credits for progressing to the fifth
  • 290 credits for progressing to the sixth
  • 360 credits for progressing to (each subsequent year)

A complete list of subjects and credits can be found in the study plan.

Those credits missing after such advancement must be gained during a specified stage of the study. Progress into the next stage of study based on the required minimum number of credits is not possible in consecutive years.

  1. In the case of advancement with the minimum number of credits, students can repeat a subject, which will be identified as compulsory in the relevant study plan. This repetition of a subject is possible only once, and only in consecutive stages of study.
  2. Those who fail to obtain the minimum number of credits owing to extreme circumstances (illness etc.) can apply for an individual study plan. However, this can occur only if they did not use all three exam attempts. Requests for an individual study plan in the case of a repeat attempt of a compulsory subject can be allowed twice only during the entire study programme.
  3. Enlisting for a subject is possible only if all its prerequisites are fulfilled. Prerequisites are subjects that have to be successfully completed in previous stages of studies. Information on prerequisites can be found in the details of each subject in SIS.

Details of the rules – Rules of Organisation of Studies →

Example: The failure of a first-year student to pass Anatomy and Histology and Embryology I usually results in the termination of her/his studies. However, she/he is given the chance to continue on an individual study plan. A student who failed at Histology and Embryology I only would advance to the second year with the minimum number of credits. She/he would repeat Histology and Embryology I but would not be allowed to enroll on Histology and Embryology II and Medical Biology II (as Histology and Embryology I is a prerequisite for this subject) and therefore would need an individual study plan to gain all 120 credits by the end of the second year.

Charles University Student Identity Card

​

How the Faculty and University Work
  • As a new student, you will mainly interact with the Study Department, your teachers and student organisations. The faculty is led by the Dean and the Dean's Advisory Board. Members of the Board can be contacted by e-mail or through the relevant division of the Dean’s Office. if you wish to arrange a meeting. The Academic Senate, which includes student representatives, participates in the governance of the faculty. The Scientific Advisory Board is another of the governing bodies.
  • Charles University has 17 faculties and more than 42,000 students. It is led by the Rector, currently Prof. Milena Králíčková. Students are represented at university level through the Charles University Academic Senate.

 

Essential Online Services

IT Services
  • Office 365
    How to Get Office 365 →
  • Cesnet: Internet connection, transmission, processing, storage and data security, services for collaboration between users and teams (ownCloud – secure storage and sharing of up to 100 GB of data; FileSender – sharing and storing large files; Web conferencing – online meetings and seminars in web browser environment; eduroam – WiFi connection free of charge at school; metacentre – computational calculations).
    Details →
  • Student email
    Manual (Charles University website) →
Faculty Website and Social Media

Faculty

Student organisations

 

Campus Locations

Dean's Office (FN Motol)
  • Metro A: Nemocnice Motol
  • Bus: 167, 168, 174, 180, 184
  • Also bus stops Šafránecká (nos. 174, 180, 184) and Na Šafránce (nos. 167, 168)
  • Google Maps →
Plzeňská Campus

(Departments of Anatomy, Languages and other theoretical departments) 

  • Tram: 9, 10, 16 (Motol stop)
  • Bus: 168, 174, 180, 184 (Motol stop)
  • Google Maps →
Sports Centre

(Department of Physical Education)

 

Everyday Student Life

Libraries

Dining and Cafeterias

Charles University Refectory Network
Motol University Hospital Canteen (jídelna FN Motol)
  1. You can pick up your FN Motol meal card against a refundable deposit of CZK 150. Place of issue: Second floor of the headquarters building – the main central corridor to the cinema, here on the left and at the end of the corridor there is the Supplier and Customer Records Department Office.
    Opening hours: Daily 8.00–10.00 and 13.00–14.00.
    For capacity reasons, please use the Motol canteen after 1 p.m. (at that time, you take advantage of a higher student discount).
    Necessary documents: Student ID card of the Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University.
  2. Before you start paying with your card, deposit cash into your account at the FN Motol canteen cash desks, preferably at cash desk number 3. Tell the cashier in advance before you put the card on the reader. Each time you place the card, the display will show your account balance. The recommended minimum deposit is CZK 200.
  3. You can use the card to buy any products in the FN Motol canteen and cafeteria. Price list: The Catering software will provide you with one subsidy from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for the main meal on weekdays in the amount of CZK 17.95. The price of the meal includes tea. Other additional assortment will be charged at the regular price without subsidy.
  4. The FN Motol canteen, including the cafeteria, is open Monday–Friday 11.00–15.00 and 17.00–18.30.
  5. If you lose your card, you can block it either in person at the Card Centre of FNMH, or by calling extension 1895 or +420 224 431 895.
  6. You can return the card at the Card Centre. Provided the card is not damaged, we will refund your deposit of 150 Kč. Please ensure that you have collected your deposit in cash from the cash desk in the canteen before returning the card.
Pelikantýna – Bistro on the Plzeňská Campus
  • It is located on the ground floor of block A of the building of theoretical and preclinical departments.
  • The student subsidy covers one main meal per day.
  • At the checkout, attach your CU student card to the reader, the subsidy will be deducted when paying.
  • In case of problems, contact Mr Daniel Spálenka.

 

Your First-Year Subjects

Anatomy, Histology and Embryology

Due to the load of study, this is the most difficult subject in the first year, in which a thorough continuous preparation from the first day of study really pays off, as it will significantly increase the anticipated chances of success in the final exam. In addition to the considerable amount of morphological knowledge, it is necessary to master the applied Latin nomenclature of individual structures of the human body. Emphasis is placed on systemic, topographical, imaging and clinical anatomy, structure and function of human body tissues, development of the human individual before birth and basic developmental defects. It is essential to understand and be able to clarify what a given structure looks like, how it develops, how it can be visualized, what is its function and clinical significance.

Teaching takes place in the winter and summer semesters (3 lectures and 2 practicals per week) and ends with an exam. The histology and embryology lectures take place in the Great Auditorium of the Faculty in Motol, but the anatomy lectures in the Great Hall of the building of the Department of Anatomy of the First Faculty of Medicine, U nemocnice 3 (metro station Karlovo náměstí – yellow line B / tram station Moráň – tram 10 and 16). Practical trainings take place in “Žížala” building at Plzeňská Street, in the designated classrooms, the dissection hall and the histology slide room. During the winter and summer semesters, a one week dissection course closed with a practical exam is included in the syllabus. During the semester, students are continuously and repeatedly tested in a written or oral form. Senior students take part in the teaching process to a large extent. The websites of the departments contain the syllabus of lectures and practicals, credit and exam conditions, including exam questions, study materials, a list of recommended literature, links to study resources and current information of education and life of the departments. For the practical training, it is necessary to carry the name badge with you (will be provided at the first practical session), a white lab coat and slippers. Additional equipment for the anatomy practical training are forceps and gloves, and a special set of instruments for the dissection course. If problems arise at the beginning or during the semester, it is necessary to immediately consult with the lecturers or teachers or directly with the head of the department. We operate based on the belief that at a university, communication should flow not only from teachers to students, but also in the opposite direction. Further details are found on the websites of the departments and will be presented at the beginning of the course.

 

Biophysics

Biophysics lessons only take place in the winter semester. They consist of a lecture and practical exercises every week, and there is a final exam. The syllabus is available on the departmental web pages. Lectures take place in the main faculty lecture room; seminars and practical exercises mostly take place in the department (C4).

Bioethics and Psychology

Teaching consists of lecturers on various bioethical and psychological topics and takes place in the Pelouch lecture hall (in “Žížala”) in the winter semester. The aim of the course is to get students  acquainted with bioethical and psychological thinking in medicine, especially in medical practice. In the summer semester, education continues as a Bioethics and Psychology II. Students will have presentations on bioethical and psychological topics and their understanding will be verified by an oral exam. Syllabus and more detailed information about the exam is available in the Study Information System (SIS) and Moodle.

Cell

Cell is a subject in the winter semester of the first year. Teaching of the subject is jointly provided by the Department of Histology and Embryology, the Department of Medical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, and the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics. The aim of the subject is to present (in one two-hour lecture per week in the Pelouch Hall) the basics of cell and molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry. The course concludes with a credit and an exam. During the first two years of study, Cell is followed by specialised subjects Anatomy, Histology and Embryology (in the winter and summer semesters of the first year), Biology (in the summer semester of the first year and winter semester of the second year) and Biochemistry (in the winter and summer semesters of the second year), which will return to many of the themes at a higher level and from a different perspective.

Informatics and Biostatistics

Informatics and Biostatistics course takes place in the winter semester in the form of lectures 1× in 14 days and seminars. Lectures take place in the Great Lecture Hall, seminars in the headquarters of the institute. The course is concluded with a credit.

The main objective of the course is to teach students about various information systems and biostatistics. After completing the course, the student will navigate databases, search efficiently in quality sources, apply the rules of publication ethics, correctly quote and use citation managers, think critically in a wider context when evaluating biomedical information and independently work on their medical portfolio. To know basic concepts from medical statistics and to know specific statistical methods including contexts.

Sylabus and more information about successful completion of this course can be found in the Student Information System (SIS) and Moodle.

Latin Terminology

Latin Terminology is a two-semester course in the form of two-hour sessions, with a final exam at the end of the summer semester. Seminars take place at the Department of Languages and in the lecture rooms and halls at Motol University Hospital and Plzeňská Campus. Syllabuses and more detailed information regarding the exam are available on the Study Information System (SIS).

Nursing
  • Year 1, winter semester: Nursing I. | SIS →
  • Year 1, summer semester: Nursing II. | SIS →
  • Year 3, winter semester: Nursing III.
  • Department of Nursing
    Motol University Hospital (V Úvalu 84, Praha 5, 150 06, building U) | map

There are three semesters of nursing classes. The first year concludes with a credit, the winter semester of the second year with a credit and an exam. In the winter semester of the 1st year, teaching takes place in the form of lectures. In the summer semester, lectures are complemented with practical classroom exercises, and with clinical practice. The subject is conceived of as being both theoretical and practical in nature. Nursing is defined as a modern scientific discipline with its own philosophy, value system, research topics and methodology. It enables students to understand the main purpose of professional nursing practice, which is safely and satisfactorily meeting the health requirements of patients, their families and the community. From a practical point of view, emphasis is put on the teaching of nursing principles and interventions in laboratory conditions and in clinical practice. Practical exercises enable students to obtain the basic manual skills and confidence for the safe and high quality implementation of nursing procedures and patient interventions. One key requirement for implementing clinical practice in the first year (April–May) is the physical fitness to carry out practical teaching in health care, including up to date vaccinations against infectious diseases (viral hepatitis B) in accordance with current legal guidelines.

The subject syllabus, an overview of the basic study materials and conditions for successfully completing the subject can be found on the departmental web pages.

First Aid

Teaching takes place in the winter semester in the form of lectures and practical classes, and it concludes with a final exam. Syllabuses and exam questions can be found on the departmental web pages. The basic text for teaching is První pomoc pro posluchače 2. LF [First Aid for Students at the Second Faculty of Medicine], published by Carolinum, 2010.

Czech
  • Year 1, winter semester: Czech I. | SIS →
  • Year 1, summer semester: Czech II. | SIS →
  • Year 2, winter semester: Czech III.
  • Year 2, summer semester: Czech IV.
  • Year 3, winter semester: Czech V. 
  • Year 3, summer semester: Czech VI.
  • Department of Languages
    Plzeňská Campus (Plzeňská 311, Praha 5) | map

The aim of the course Czech I is to lay the foundations for everyday communication in the Czech language, to acquaint students with the grammatical system of the language, and to equip them with the essential vocabulary. After the first semester, students continue practising everyday communication in the Czech language, go deeper into the grammatical system of the language and expand their vocabulary. The course is focused on practising everyday communication and prepares students for the study of Czech medical terminology in higher years. 

We strongly recommend completing the optional course Freshers‘ Week Czech Language Course, since the syllabus of the course Czech I begins with the 3rd lesson of the Czech Step by Step textbook.

 

Code of Conduct for Practical Classes and Lectures

  • Respect patient privacy and confidentiality.
  • Do not photograph or record patients, cadavers, anatomical specimens, or dissection materials.
  • Follow all instructions provided by teaching staff and hospital personnel.
  • Comply with the University's Code of Ethics and applicable legislation.

 

 

A special episode of the faculty podcast featuring medical students sharing their tips and experiences on how to tackle the early years of medical faculty

 

 

 

Student Handbook 2025

 

 

Last update: 28 Jul 2026 / Mgr. Petr Andreas, Ph.D.
Was this page useful?