Odesa National Medical University, Odesa, Ukraine
DOI 10.32782/2226-2008-2023-1-7
The introduction of martial law in Ukraine, caused by unprovoked Russian aggression, significantly affected all spheres of life. Medical education, which requires as much direct contact work as possible in the classrooms, has become a field that has faced serious challenges. The analysis of the challenges of the quality and efficiency of higher medical education in the conditions of martial law will allow to form a clear picture of the existing shortcomings and problems in the modern higher medical school, as well as outline possible ways to improve these problems.
The purpose of this article is to define the challenges facing medical education in the conditions of martial law, as well as the need to characterize their impact on the further development of higher medical education.
During the last three years, a new educational environment was formed, which consists of those applicants who have a sufficient level of relevant knowledge and skills necessary for admission. The abolition of the additional threshold creates a threat of returning to the problems of the past, which cannot be noted as a positive factor.
A series of unforeseen negative events (the COVID-19 virus pandemic, direct military actions on the territory of Ukraine) forced higher education institutions to experiment with forms of education, in particular in the form of distance learning. This form of education has its advantages and disadvantages. Unfortunately, the disadvantages of long-term of distance learning are significant: insufficient practice of practical skills, reduction of social contacts during the mastering of disciplines, reduction of students’ focus on studying specific disciplines.
The individual creative approach to learning and the mixed format, which combines the advantages of distance and face-to-face learning, by optimizing the educational process and improving the opportunities for studying the material, deserve attention. Thanks to this, students can learn theoretical concepts through a laptop or smartphone, and gain practical skills in classrooms and laboratories, during face-to-face communication with teachers and colleagues.
Conclusions. Despite any challenges, the goal of medical education is to create educated and qualified specialists in various fields of medicine. Although this requires extraordinary efforts from all sides of the educational process, in the synergy of actions and coordination of efforts, it is possible to overcome the negative consequences of military actions and to form a new system of higher medical education.
Key words: higher medical education, martial law, challenges of the quality of education, remote form, optimization of the educational process.
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