You should pursue a medical degree in Poland — here’s why

Studying abroad and becoming a doctor were two of the many dreams that Gwendolyn Amanda Johnson had in life (among other dreams, of course).

“I always wanted to study abroad just like a cousin of mine who used to study in Russia,” Johnson recalls. “We used to send him off and pick him up from the airport; basically, just watching him live his life abroad. And becoming a doctor? I always wanted to become an anesthesiologist.”

So, she made it her life mission. In 2016, Johnson found herself pursuing a degree in medicine in Poland. 

Johnson, who comes from Ipoh, Perak, is the eldest child of a former army personnel and an accountant. Source: Gwendolyn Johnson

The journey to studying medicine in Poland

Poland wasn’t exactly the first country in mind when Johnson had. In fact, she had no country in mind, but it had to be a country that had winter. 

“Coming from Malaysia, a tropical country, I always wanted to experience winter,” she shares.

After high school, Johnson pursued an Australian matriculation programme at Taylor’s University, a local Malaysian university. Then, it was the best option available as she did not want to pursue a foundation in science for her medical degree.

However, she had limited options for pursuing her studies abroad. 

Johnson and her father. Source: Gwendolyn Johnson

“I had a few choices, such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Poland,” Johnson explains. 

She was offered a place at a university in New Zealand, but she decided to forgo it as it did not guarantee my path to becoming a doctor. 

Another thing that stopped her was that her father only agreed to Johnson studying medicine in Poland. So, she applied to two universities in Poland — and it was the Medical University of Lodz that accepted her into a Doctor of Medicine degree.

The amusing thing was that she did not conduct extensive research about studying in Poland. It was her seniors who inspired her to pursue her study abroad dreams there, in addition to the affordable tuition.

Johnson is now a medical doctor in Malta. Source: Gwendolyn Johnson

What it’s like studying abroad in Poland

If you’re pursuing a degree in medicine in Poland, it’s essential to note that you’ll be part of a highly respected industry and environment.

Johnson has never once felt like she was judged or “felt stupid”. 

“Coming from Malaysia, there’s this fear I had since childhood where I feel judged for anything and everything,” she explains. “People in Poland are so respectful. When I first arrived, I was a little sceptical, but I started to realise that no one there judges you.”

She used to be afraid to do many things, such as stitching a patient up and conducting consultations. However, it was this one consultation that she was paired with that inspired her to push herself, build her confidence, and tackle more complicated cases.

“Watching him and how confident he was in his job made me become the brave doctor I am today,” Johnson admits.

But every rose has a thorn — no matter how positive or open an environment can be, some hardships will be faced. 

“The reason why I decided to look for jobs outside of Poland was that I felt like I did not have a voice,” Johnson explains. “No one would want to listen to a 28-year-old who’s trying to break a cycle. However, I do hope that one day, I can return as a specialist and share what I have learnt with the younger generations working under me.”

 

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Education is affordable in Poland

Despite all this, studying in Poland was one of the best decisions she has made, especially with how cheap it is compared to pursuing a medical degree in Malaysia. 

Johnson’s degree was self-funded, and she gives all the credit to her parents, who have supported her throughout her medical degree.

“I give them all the credit, but to be fair, my sister is also pursuing a medical degree in Malaysia,” she explains. “When you put how much it all costs, my international degree costs less than my sister’s local degree.” 

In Poland, a medical degree would cost approximately 11,000 euros (US$12,663) to 16,000 euros (US$18,419) per year, for English-taught programmes. In Malaysia, the cost can range from RM84,220 (approximately US$20,367) to RM95,200 (approximatelyUS$23,022) per year. 

“I had to manage my finances when I was studying in Poland,” Johnson shares. “I didn’t need to pay for rent as I lived in the student dorms, so that was good.”

To progress as an emergency trainee, Johnson is taking Maltese language classes at the University of Malta. Source: Gwendolyn Johnson

Picking up the Polish language and culture

Another thing that she had to manage was learning Polish. 

While her medical degree was taught in English, Johnson had to learn Polish for the first two years as part of her curriculum. While she does not speak it often nowadays, she’s still able to understand and read it.

When it comes to Polish culture, Johnson experienced little culture shock, but rather a process that helped her become an open-minded person.

“Polish people take Saturdays and Sundays really seriously, so that only on one Sunday a month, shops will be open,” she recalls. “On other weeks, everything will be closed. It’s nice and refreshing as it teaches you to slow down a little and enjoy life.”

Bracing for the extreme winters

As a Malaysian, winter isn’t something Johnson was prepared for. 

“The winters were crazy, especially my first winter there,” she shares. “It was about -20 degrees, but come to think of it, I actually loved it as we don’t have winter in Malaysia. I’ve only seen it in movies. So, it’s a beautiful experience despite how cold it can get.”