MEDICAL EDUCATION IN WAR CONDITIONS: THE EXPERIENCE OF POLTAVA STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY

Abstract

To analyze the features of education in war conditions, 142 students of 4-6 courses were surveyed, who were trained at the Poltava State Medical University from March to May 2022. It was found that the majority of students are aware of the need to continue the educational process in such difficult conditions, although 57.7% noted that it is difficult for them to focus on learning. A third of the respondents regard training as a way to escape from military events, and 42.3% (60 respondents) note that the grades received during training are important. Such data allowed teachers to work more flexibly with students, to choose resources and learning mechanisms that would allow them to adapt to different student conditions, including their safety and accessibility to communication.Since 42.3% of respondents think that distance learning during the war is identical to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be concluded that students have adapted to the changed learning conditions. In such conditions, the teacher becomes a mentor, and the lesson ceases to be only a platform for gaining knowledge, but becomes a place to search for like-minded people and answers to their internal questions. In addition, students became more responsible for self-education, so 53.5% of students additionally received training on how to act as a medical officer in a war. Therefore, the continuation of training in the conditions of both a pandemic and in wartime requires continuation. This is how the future generation is formed not only of professionals, but also of individuals hardened by difficult conditions.