War Impact on the Final Year Ukrainian Resident's Competence Acquisition

The study was conducted at the postgraduate surgery, anesthesiology and intensive care department of Bogomolets National Medical University (Bogomolets NMU).

It started before the war to assess the education quality and residents-anesthesiologists readiness for independent work after two years of residency. When the war started, the study was continued and then results 2021 compared against 2022.

In Ukraine we have a 2-year residency program in anaesthesiology and intensive care, it includes 12 months of a so-called theoretical part, which is provided by postgraduate faculties with rotation on different clinical departments of the faculty (like obstetric anaesthesiology, cardio anaesthesiology, intensive care, transplantology, thoracic anesthesiology etc.), and 10 months of practical part - in one of the major acute hospitals. When Russia invaded Ukraine, 41 final-year residents were studying at the postgraduate department of surgery, anesthesiology and intensive care at Bogomolets NMU. From the 5th day of the war education program was changed to online-based, including an interactive platform for distance learning, ZOOM-meeting for lectures and seminars, and individual work with teachers through online messengers and video calls. 30 (73%) residents and 3 (20%) teachers left Kyiv for 1,5-2 months due to the direct attack of the artillery, missile and troops, with occupied and destroyed Kyiv suburbs, where part of them was living. Those residents, who have left Kyiv, were distributed to hospitals in the Western part of Ukraine to continue their practice in anesthesiology and intensive care departments. Residents, who stayed in Kyiv, were distributed to trauma and military hospitals, which had a lot of patients due to the ongoing war in the city.

After Ukrainian counter offences and Russian withdrawal from the Kyiv district, most of the residents (39) and all teachers came back in April 2022. As a result, live practical sessions and master classes were restored to overtake the program, although we continued online learning with lectures, seminars and other activities.

On the 22nd of June, all residents had an OSCE exam. After passing the OSCE exam, investigators send questionaries' to all residents to reflect on the education quality, competence acquisition and readiness to work as an independent anesthesiologist.

Other questionaries' were sent to all teachers to assess the educational outcomes and war impact, efficacy of the different types of learning and reflection on what needs to be improved.