They examine stuffed animals in the Teddy Bear Hospital, helping to take away children’s fear of the doctor. Now the student bear doctors have been honored with the Alumni Association’s Volunteer Award from the Faculty of Medicine.
They do X-rays and vaccinations, perform ultrasounds, apply bandages, and put on splints. If necessary, they also perform surgery and prescribe medication. Around 30 students from FAU in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and medical engineering make up a “bear-strong” team that comes together once a year to run an extraordinary clinic in the Schlossgarten grounds. “We also fix toothache,” says Alexandra Bittner, a medial student in her tenth semester. “There’s a pharmacy and a lab, and you can check out a real ambulance.” The clinic is visited by children aged three to eight – along with their stuffed toy patients.
40 locations in Germany
The co-organizer of the Teddy Bear Hospital has been one of the bear doctors since 2021, and she loves this role very much: “In medical school, there’s no time to learn how to explain things to young patients or how to deal with the anxious ones later on in your career,” says the future doctor, who is considering specializing in pediatrics. “As bear doctors, we practice these interactions, and the children get used to visits to the doctor’s office or clinic, white coats, and the medical equipment.” There are Teddy Bear Hospitals at 40 locations in Germany. Alexandra Bittner became aware of the project, which was initiated by the German Medical Students’ Association, through a friend who was already part of the organizing team in Erlangen: “I thought the idea was great, and it’s a lot of fun working with the little children,” says Bittner. And this enthusiasm is contagious: The Teddy Bear Hospital has no shortage of new recruits.
An important social purpose
For the alumni association, the team’s ongoing volunteer commitment was the deciding factor for the award. The award praises the teddy bear doctors’ dedication to such an important and social cause alongside their studies.
Susanne Stemmler
This article is part of the FAU Magazine
The third issue of the FAU Magazine #People is once again all about the people who make our FAU one of the best universities in the world. The examples in this issue show how lively and diverse our research is, the commitment of our students, and the work in the scientific support areas.
Highlight is certainly the new research cluster “Transforming Human Rights.” Or you can follow our scientists into laboratories and workshops, where they make potatoes climate-resistant, teach robots social behavior, or reconstruct ancient ships and cannons. At FAU, students are developing vertical take-off aircraft or impressing with outstanding performances at the Paralympics. And let’s not forget the people who work at our university or remain closely connected as FAU alumni. Visit the Children’s University with them or watch a TV series with an FAU alumna and Grimme Award winner.
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