The Didactic and Examination Center "ABC of Medicine" and the MUB Nursing Center are being established at Szpitalna Street and Żurawia Street in Bialystok, respectively. Both major investments are funded through the resources granted to the Medical University of Bialystok as part of the National Recovery Plan. The university has selected contractors for both projects and has nearly completed the designs. Construction is in full swing, especially at Szpitalna Street. Today, journalists observed the ongoing work and reviewed the plans for the Didactic and Examination Center.
"ABC of Medicine"
It may be difficult to imagine now, but in the large excavation between the Faculty of Health Sciences and both clinical hospitals, the largest educational center in this part of Poland will be built. The Didactic and Examination Center "ABC of Medicine" will feature a complex of 20 lecture and seminar rooms, 12 OSCE-standard examination rooms (used for standardized skill assessment in simulated conditions), eight debriefing rooms, as well as offices for the MUB Center for Teaching Excellence and an underground parking lot for over 200 cars—there is no other facility of this scale in Bialystok. The building's usable area exceeds 10,000 square meters (two above-ground floors and an underground garage). The investment cost is approximately PLN 143 million (about PLN 117 million from the National Recovery Plan).
"This is something we really need because the number of students at our university has tripled in the past 20 years, from two thousand to six thousand," explains Prof. Adam Krętowski, Vice-Rector for Digital Medicine and Clinical Research, who initiated the center's development when he was still the Rector of MUB.
Regarding the practical examination rooms, we aimed for them to be multifunctional, allowing regular practical training throughout the academic year, such as urology and bladder catheterization training. The facility will also feature gastrointestinal and respiratory endoscopes, bleeding control trainers, childbirth simulation trainers, KTG, and neonatal ECG equipment. "The equipment will be of the highest global standard," adds Prof. Adrian Chabowski, Vice-Rector for Education.
The entire building will have a modular design. Lecture halls can be combined into larger ones (accommodating nearly a thousand people) or divided into smaller rooms. The building will also include much-needed recreational and dining spaces for students.
Large halls are necessary not only for lectures (over 300 students are enrolled in the first year of the medical program) but also for university ceremonies. For several years, the university has held academic year inaugurations and medical diploma ceremonies outside MUB (mainly at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic). Additionally, Białystok lacks venues for hosting large scientific and medical conferences for several hundred participants.
The building's name, "ABC," comes from the ABCDE approach used in first aid assessment: A – Airways (assessment of airway patency), B – Breathing (assessment of breathing), C – Circulation (assessment of circulation and thermal comfort), D – Disability (assessment of consciousness and awareness), E – Exposure (examination of other body areas). The name was suggested by students.
Nursing Center with a Simulation Center
The new Nursing Center, including a teaching section and a simulation center, will be built on the hospital premises at Żurawia Street, with an investment value of PLN 52 million. The usable area will be approximately 3,300 square meters.
The building will house all departments training future nurses at MUB (currently scattered across different campus locations). A key feature of this facility will be a dedicated nursing simulation center.
"It will include trainers and mannequins for intramuscular, subcutaneous, and intravenous injections, as well as biological sample collection. There will also be low-fidelity simulators to help master practical skills. Additionally, a maternity simulation area is planned, featuring a childbirth simulator. We have also designed an excellent recreational and relaxation space for our students," describes Prof. Chabowski.
Both investments aim to allow MUB to increase its student capacity by an additional 30 percent.
