Establishing a curriculum on rare diseases for medical students

Healthcare workers often have insufficient knowledge on rare diseases that may lead to delay in making a  diagnosis and providing appropriate care. The fifth area of the Europlan entitled: “Gathering The Expertise On Rare Diseases At European Level” includes education and development and exchange of knowledge and experience in the field of rare diseases. This area was ranked high priority in rare diseases, because it determines appropriate and fast diagnosis and high level of healthcare. In the present review we summarize European Union recommendations on the implementation of education systems in member states and a suggested educational plan for the course on rare diseases for medical students. We also show the implementation of the programme in the Jagiellonian University Medical College. JRCD 2015; 2 (3): 74–76