Values of future healthcare specialists in wartime in Ukraine.

OBJECTIVE

Aim: The aim of the study is to define the values typical for medical students by analysing the career choice motivations in wartime in Ukraine.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Materials and

Methods

Overview, Data Retrieval and Thematic Analysis (Braun&Clarke) methods were used. The total of 45 students' essays were analysed in the study.

RESULTS

Results

The professional values of future healthcare specialists in Ukraine in wartime have been defined: restoring health, believing in recovery, recovering the joy of life, helping the military (rehabilitation students); alleviating suffering, respecting dignity, giving people hope, helping them overcome illness (medical students); supporting people who have experienced trauma, providing psychological support in life hardships (clinical psychology students); health and beauty care, volunteer dental care for the military (dentist students). It is established that the frequency of mentions in student essays about the war as a factor in the development of medicine in present Ukraine and the military who need assistance in restoring health/rehabilitation is quite the same as the frequency of mentions of the concept of "compassion" as an important professional value of future healthcare specialists.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions

To support and develop professional values of medical students (empathy, compassion), implementing courses that help improve awareness of the role of healthcare specialists in wartime into medical school curricula is recommended; as well as to cooperate with institutions that take care for socially vulnerable groups of the population and persons affected by war; and to expand the system of mental health support for students.