Didactic Regulations for the Pediatrics Course conducted by the Department of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases for medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok (MUB)

1. These regulations result from the First Cycle and Second Cycle Studies Regulations and the Uniform Master Studies Regulations of the MUB.
2. Classes are held in accordance with the study program approved by the Senate of the MUB and the schedule of classes in the Faculty of Medicine – English Division.
3. The curriculum includes both theoretical instruction and practical training.
4. Personal belongings must be left in the student locker room of the University Children's Clinical Hospital (UDSK) before classes begin.
5. Students are responsible for their personal belongings. Academic staff is not liable for theft or damage.
6. Students are required to maintain a professional appearance and conduct that ensures patient safety, supports infection prevention, and upholds public trust in the healthcare profession during all clinical training.
7. Students participating in pediatric clinical classes are required to comply with all personal hygiene principles and infection prevention and control standards applicable in the healthcare institution.
8. Attendance in clinical classes is permitted only when students wear a student identification badge and clean, professional medical attire designated exclusively for use in UDSK.
9. Medical attire must be clean, neat, and suitable for clinical activities. Students must adhere to the “bare below the elbows” principle, which includes:
   1. Wearing short sleeves or sleeves securely rolled above the elbows,
   2. Not wearing watches, bracelets, or other wrist jewelry,
   3. Not wearing rings or hand jewelry, except where specifically permitted by institutional policy.
10. Fingernails must be short, clean, and natural to support infection control and make students feel responsible for maintaining hygiene standards.
11. Hair must be clean and well-groomed. Long hair must be securely tied back to prevent contact with patients, medical equipment, or biological materials.
12. Students are required to wear clean indoor clinical footwear or other footwear that meets occupational health and safety standards and is intended exclusively for use within the healthcare facility.
13. Given the heightened susceptibility of pediatric patients to infectious diseases, students displaying symptoms of infection, such as fever, cough, rhinorrhea, diarrhea, vomiting, or potentially infectious skin lesions, are prohibited from participating in clinical activities involving patient contact until medically cleared to return. Such medical issues must be reported before the commencement of clinical classes.
14. Students participating in classes are obliged to comply with the sanitary requirements set out in the general provisions and regulations issued by the Chief Sanitary Inspector and other authorized entities, as well as the Rector's Orders of the MUB.
15. Hand hygiene (disinfection) must be performed in accordance with institutional policies and recognized infection control standards immediately before and after each patient contact and whenever otherwise indicated. Clinical supervisors present these standards during the first clinical class.
16. Students are required to use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, gloves, gowns, and other protective items (provided by the department), in accordance with hospital procedures and the instructions of clinical supervisors and healthcare personnel.
17. During didactic classes, each student carries their own stethoscope. The stethoscope must be disinfected before and after each patient contact.
18. Failure to comply with these hygiene and dress code requirements may result in exclusion from clinical classes or restriction from direct patient contact at the discretion of the clinical instructor or healthcare institution.
19. The use of electronic devices (such as smartphones, notebooks, or audio equipment) is prohibited in patient rooms during classes. Mobile phones must remain muted throughout all classes.
20. Taking photographs, recording audio, or filming during lectures, seminars, and practical classes is strictly prohibited without the instructor's explicit consent. Violations may result in legal consequences. Lecture and seminar outlines are regularly published in the MUB repository for student reference.
21. During exams, colloquia, tests, and other forms of knowledge verification (hereinafter, exams), students are prohibited from using unauthorized forms of assistance. Detailed provisions on prohibited assistance are set out in the Study Regulations and in Order No. 26/2025 of the Rector of the MUB, dated 17 Feb 2025, as amended.
22. If the student's possession or use of a forbidden form of assistance is detected, the exam is discontinued, and the Rector is informed to initiate disciplinary actions and, in justified cases, to notify law-enforcement bodies of the suspected crime.
23. Discontinuation of the exam results in a failed grade, with no possibility of using any later re-taking forms.
24. All simulated patient documents, prepared for didactic purposes, in written or electronic form, must be stripped of any personal data or other information that could enable their identification.
25. At UDSK, there is a complete smoking ban, including so-called e-cigarettes.
26. The consumption of beverages and meals is prohibited during clinical classes.
27. The student is obliged to abide by the Health and Safety (H&S), fire, and sanitary-epidemiological provisions. These provisions are posted on the department’s website. Students are obliged to familiarize themselves with them before commencing classes and to confirm this by their handwritten signature during the first class.
28. Students are obliged to immediately inform the academic teachers conducting classes of any accident or hazard that occurs during the didactic classes.
29. Attendance is compulsory for all classes, including those conducted online.
30. One excused absence from teaching is allowed without having to make it up.
31. More than one justified absence must be made up by joining another student group on the day or days when classes are held, in accordance with the topic of the classes the student was absent from. The absence should be made up and counted in the same form as the classes missed, i.e., practical classes should be made up in the same practical form.
32. Absence from classes is justified upon delivery of a sick note or dean's leave within 7 days of the end of the absence period. Documents delivered later will not be honored, and absence will be deemed unexcused. For lectures or seminars, the documents mentioned above must be delivered in person to the secretary's office or to the course coordinator. For clinical classes, these documents should be delivered to the academic teacher with whom the student is working.
33. Unjustified absences during classes are not permitted. A student with an unjustified absence will not pass the course.
34. The student is obliged to report to classes on time (this also applies to classes conducted remotely). Delays of more than 15 minutes (as well as repeated delays of less than 15 minutes) will be treated as absences from class and must be made up under the rules described above.
35. Students are required to prepare for each class in advance. This also applies to the first day of classes. The range of material and recommended textbooks is available in advance on the department's website.
36. To complete the pediatric course in the 2nd year, the student must attend all lectures and seminars conducted by the Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases, and all absences must be justified and made up in accordance with the principles described above.
37. The pediatric course in the 3rd year is conducted in two parts by two departments: Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases and Department of Neurology and Pediatrics. To complete the entire course, the student must obtain credit for classes in both departments on the terms and in the form determined independently by each unit.
38. Conditions for completing the pediatric course in the 3rd year, carried out by the Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases
    1. Attendance at all forms of teaching activities conducted at the Department and making up any absences in accordance with the principles described above.
    2. Active participation in all forms of teaching activities.
    3. Obtaining credit for clinical classes from the academic teacher conducting the classes, which may include theoretical credit of the knowledge content of the classes carried out, as well as practical credit of the skills (including history taking, physical examination, or basic procedures) taught during the classes.
    4. Obtaining a positive grade on the credit test (60% correct answers), checking knowledge in the field of lectures, seminars, and clinical classes conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Immunology, and Metabolic Bone Diseases in both the 2nd and 3rd years. The student is eligible to take the credit test if points 1–3 are met.

39. Entry into the examination protocol for the 3rd year is made by the Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Immunology and Metabolic Bone Diseases after obtaining the necessary information confirming completion of classes in both departments.
40. The rules for passing the pediatric course in subsequent years of study and for conducting the final examination in pediatrics in the 6th year are specified in the subject syllabus.
41. Didactic regulations may be amended during the academic year only after obtaining the year representative's opinion.
42. In the event that any matters remain unresolved under the Regulations hereby, the provisions of the First Cycle and Second Cycle Studies and Uniform Master Studies Regulations at the MUB shall apply.