In “House in the Lecture Hall,” entertainment meets interactive learning: On October 16, 2024, medical students from the Ruhr University Bochum were able to diagnose real cases from everyday clinical life and develop treatment options together with the TV doctor in the lecture hall. The ensemble introduced the students to the fields of rheumatology and immunology.
Rheumatism – a disease that only affects older people? Medical students found out in the “House in the Lecture Hall” event that this is not true and that the field of rheumatology and immunology can inspire people. The title, as well as the concept of the event, is based on the well-known TV series with the doctor: The focus is on patients with various illnesses who need a diagnosis and appropriate forms of therapy and are portrayed by professional actors. The drama surrounding the team of the grumpy doctor who was in Prof. Dr.’s lecture hall. Markus Gaubitz from Münster was embodied, was interrupted at appropriate points by a theoretical case discussion. This was led by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Manger from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, who specifically involved the students: together they discussed symptoms, findings and laboratory values and ultimately made the diagnosis.
Get to know the specialist areas of rheumatology and immunology interactively
The interactive format “House in the Lecture Hall” has been around for several years and takes place in cooperation with the Rheumatism Center Rhine-Ruhr eV of the German Society for Rheumatology and other partners. “As part of the interactive lecture, we bring real cases from everyday hospital life onto the stage,” explains private lecturer Dr. Dr. Philipp Sewerin, senior physician at the Ruhr Area Rheumatism Center, who helped develop the format and was responsible for organizing the content. “Our goal is to show students that the fields of rheumatology and immunology are extremely diverse,” adds Prof. Dr. Xenofon Baraliakos, Medical Director of the Ruhr Area Rheumatism Center. With the event, students can get a taste of the subject areas during their studies. The Medical Faculty of the Ruhr University Bochum provided organizational support.
Practical knowledge transfer in an entertaining setting
“With ‘House in the Lecture Hall’ we would like to promote new ways to train medical students,” says Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schäfer, Dean of Studies at the Medical Faculty of the Ruhr University Bochum, highlighted the importance of the course. “This concept imparts practical knowledge interactively in an entertaining setting.” Students get to know the clinics and their cases during their studies and can get an impression of their range of treatments.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Schäfer (left), Dean of Studies at the Medical Faculty of the Ruhr University Bochum, Prof. Dr. Xenofon Baraliakos (second from left), medical director of the Ruhr Area Rheumatism Center, and private lecturer Dr. Dr. Philipp Sewerin (second from right), senior physician at the Ruhr Area Rheumatism Center and organizer of the course, was pleased that the ensemble around Prof. Dr. Bernhard Manger of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (right) and Prof. Dr. Markus Gaubitz from Münster (third from right) was a guest at the Ruhr University for the interactive event “House in the Lecture Hall”.
© Frank Elschner