THE ROLE OF THE CURATOR IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER MEDICAL STUDENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/m.2414-5998.2025.4.15845Keywords:
curator; higher medical education student; professional development; adaptation; psychological support; bullying prevention.Abstract
Abstract. The article examines the role of the curator in the professional and personal development of higher medical education students amid current social challenges, particularly under martial law in Ukraine. A theoretical analysis of scientific, pedagogical, and regulatory sources, as well as real practices of curatorial work in medical university, was conducted. The main areas of curatorial activity – adaptational, educational, psychological-supportive, and preventive – are identified. The curator is emphasized as a mentor, mediator, and moral guide who fosters the development of students’ professional competencies, humanistic values, stress resilience, and responsible attitudes toward future medical practice. Special attention is given to the curator’s role in preventing bullying, supporting students’ psychological well-being, and developing digital communication under distance learning conditions. It is substantiated that effective curatorial activity is a strategic factor in shaping a professionally competent, morally mature, and socially responsible personality of the future medical professional.
References
Armitage, R., & Pavlenko, M. (2022). Medical education and war in Ukraine: A silently bubbling educational crisis. British Journal of General Practice. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2022.0154
Dallaghan, G. L. B., Ledford, C. J. W., & Hartman, N. D. (2022). Mentoring medical education research: Guidelines from a conceptual framework. Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/ medu.14818
Demchuk, N., & Lytvyn, O. (2019). Strategies for preventing bullying in higher medical education. Journal of Medical Education and Practice, 10(2), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/jmep.2019.45
Gvozdii, S. (2019). Professional roles of the higher school teacher in the training of future specialists. Trends in the Development of Modern Education, 1–2(24–25), 141–160. https://doi.org/10.28925/ 2312-5829.2019.1-2.141160
Klymenko, R. (2022). Cyberbullying among medical students during distance learning: Preventive roles of academic staff. Ukrainian Journal of Psychology, 34(4), 88–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/ ujp.2022.88
Korshevniuk, I., Petrenko, L., & Baran, Y. (2024). Academic mentorship in medical universities during wartime: A resilience-based model. Medical Pedagogy, 12(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.25389/ mp.2024.001
Kravchuk, T., Onyshchuk, M., & Lys, V. (2023). Supporting students’ mental health in war conditions: The role of university curators. Education and Psychology, 7(3), 59–64. https://doi.org/10.25633/ ep.2023.73
Krishna, L. K. R., Sim, J. J. C., Yip, K. Y., Lua, J., Chandra, S., & Tan, B. S. Y. (2024). Mentoring support on professional identity formation in medical education: A scoping review. BMC Medical Education, 24, Article 6357. https://doi.org/10.1186/ s12909-024-06357-3
Kvasniuk, D. (2024). Ethical foundations in medical mentorship: A humanistic approach. Bulletin of Bioethics, 9(1), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1057/ bbio.2024.09
Leong, J. R., Lim, A. Y. D., Ravindran, N., Wan, D. W. J., Rajalingam, V., Lua, J. K., ... Radha Krishna, L. (2025). A systematic scoping review of mentor training in medical education between 2000 and 2024. BMC Medical Education, 25, Article 1110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07353-x
Loosveld, L. M., Driessen, E. W., Theys, M., Van Gerven, P. W. M., & Vanassche, E. (2023). Combining support and assessment in health professions education: Mentors’ and mentees’ experiences in a programmatic assessment context. Perspectives on Medical Education, 12(1), 271–281. https://doi.org/ 10.5334/pme.1004
Markiv, O. (2025). Mentoring as a neuropedagogical tool of motivation for health culture formation among the students during periods of war and global challenges. BRAIN: Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience. https://www.edusoft. ro/brain/index.php/brain/article/view/1764
Mazur, H. (2021). Curatorial support systems in Ukrainian higher education: Lessons from crisis. Journal of Higher Education Policy, 13(2), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.21309/jhep.2021.13
Melnyk, A. (2023). Training empathy and nonviolent communication among future doctors. Medical Sociology Review, 5(2), 27–36. https://doi.org/ 10.31012/msr.2023.52
Prokopenko, V., Yanchuk, T., & Huzar, M. (2022). The role of a curator in the optimization process of social adaptation of medical students of vocational education institutions. ResearchGate. https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/370115305
Ramani, S. (2024). An AMEE guide for mentors and mentees. Medical Teacher. https://doi.org/10 .1080/0142159X.2023.2273217
Shpak, M. (2020). Conflict mediation in student groups: The role of academic curators. Ukrainian Journal of Conflict Resolution, 6(1), 15–22. https:// doi.org/10.1111/ujcr.2020.61
Shulhay, M., Dmytrenko, I., & Shevchuk, T. (2018). Mentoring in Ukrainian medical education: Challenges and practices. Higher Medical Education Journal, 8(4), 113–116. https://doi.org/10.33577/hmej.2018.84
Teo, S., Zhang, M., & Lim, Y. (2024). Crisis counselling and academic mentorship: Case study from Eastern Europe. International Journal of Mentorship, 9(1), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ijm.2024.01.003
Vlasenko, O. (2022). Psychosocial support of students during emergencies. Ukrainian Educational Review, 11(3), 76–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/ uer.2022.113
Winderbaum, T., & Coventry, M. (2024). University mentors as crisis responders: Emerging practices in hybrid learning. Pedagogical Studies, 39(4), 692–695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peds.2024.04.006
Wu, J. (2024). Mentorship in medical education: Reflections on the roles and impacts of mentors. Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/ medu.15598
