Major Success for Jessenius Medical Students at Rallye Rejvíz 2024
Students from the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University in Martin achieved an outstanding third place in the prestigious international Rallye Rejvíz 2024 competition in the medical student category.
Rallye Rejvíz is a renowned international methodological competition for emergency medical service crews, attracting teams from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, Austria, Slovenia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. This year's event took place in Kouty nad Desnou, Czech Republic, with challenges staged in realistic settings such as houses, farms, fire stations, and schools.
"I must highlight the strong tradition of this competition. The organizing team of around 300 people prepared tasks that were sometimes frighteningly realistic," said Martin Nedelka, a member of the bronze-winning team. The team from Jessenius Faculty comprised fifth-year students Tereza Ščurová, Martin Nedelka, and Matej Lepey. Competing in the MUC RR category, they faced eight teams from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, including those from Brno, Hradec Králové, Ostrava, and Bratislava.
The competition consisted of ten tasks divided into day and night stages over two days. "The tasks were designed as emergency medical service responses and were spread throughout the village and its surroundings. We drove to each location in our own car. Realism was added by a phone app through which we received alerts from the control center (e.g., 'Young man, unconscious, not breathing...'), along with the address, response time, and task completion time. We had to accept the alert in the app, record our departure, arrival, and task completion," explained Nedelka.
On-site, judges assessed the students' responses to the latest medical standards, including ALS procedures, PHTLS, and the use of POCUS ultrasound. They also had to communicate with other emergency response teams (police, firefighters), witnesses, the control center, toxicology centers, and social workers. "The tasks dynamically changed based on our actions. Every step we took influenced the next and the final outcome. We had to correctly diagnose life-threatening conditions, treat them appropriately, monitor the patients, and choose the right transport method to the appropriate facility," Nedelka added.
Before the competition, students attended workshops focused on basic emergency medicine procedures (UHPO, ABCDE) and familiarized themselves with the tools used during the tasks (monitors, splints, collars, IV and IO access, airway management). "After the competition, we reviewed the tasks with the judges to clarify the correct procedures and discuss any uncertainties. In the latter part of the event, we participated as judges, role-players, and part of the organizational team for the professional crews," added Nedelka.
The students prepared for about a month and a half, completing six training sessions and over 24 hours of simulations under the guidance of Dr. Tomáš Fecko. They described the competition as a unique opportunity to practice comprehensive pre-hospital patient management and meet many interesting people. "This competition gave us confidence in our clinical knowledge and skills, as well as in our teamwork. The confidence comes from being able to practice the full range of procedures we learned during our intense preparation. We met great people from other faculties with whom we will stay in contact," concluded Martin Nedelka.
Finally, the students expressed gratitude to the faculty for the opportunity to participate and represent them at this prestigious competition. "We believe we have enhanced the faculty's reputation in emergency medicine on an international level. Special thanks to Dr. Tomáš Fecko, who led our simulations in his free time, provided us with essential literature, and never said no. Thanks also to Dr. Denisa Osinová, who shared her know-how on principles that helped us navigate challenging situations, and to Dr. Jakub Hamšík for supplying our equipment and offering invaluable mentorship. Thanks as well to Dr. Slavomír Nosáľ and the team at the Pediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Clinic for introducing us to PALS protocols," added Nedelka.