Curricular and extracurricular activities of medical students during war, Zagreb University School of Medicine, 1991-1995

War, as a major human disaster, affects many aspects of life, including med ical education. This report describes curricular and extracurricular activi ties of the students at the Zagreb University School of Medicine during the wars in Croatia and neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although condensed versions of the curricula were prepared in case of a major breakdown in ci vilian life, the school maintained the continuity and quality of its curric ulum throughout the war. Students engaged in extracurricular activities rel ated to medical aspects of war, including organization of resuscitation and first aid courses, collecting medical documentation on war victims, humani tarian help to refugees, and peace-promoting activities. Some students join ed mobile surgical teams on the battlefronts. After army service, most of t hem returned to the school and successfully continued with their studies. T he school also accepted guest-students from other new states emerged from f ormer Yugoslavia. The authors found that the students' engagement in extrac urricular activities related to medicine was enormously beneficial both to the psychological well-being of the students and to the region's peace-buil ding efforts.