Body Interact Use and Capabilities in Education

Today, a five-day simulation training for scientific and pedagogical staff of clinical departments on "Usage and Opportunities of Body Interact in Educational Process" began.

Initiated by the Administration of ZSMU, the project will serve to improve the pedagogical qualifications of ZSMU scientific and pedagogical staff, as provided by the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education". The training will help lecturers to better master modern European clinical protocols and the latest methods of obtaining professional competences. Training participants will be able to improve and consolidate skills and abilities when working with the Body Interact virtual patient.

Before the start of the first class, Professor Yuriy Kolesnyk, Doctor of Medical Sciences, the Rector of ZSMU, addressed the training participants. Professor Kolesnyk congratulated the participants on the next stage of mastering the latest educational technologies. "Our university, despite the situation in the country, works at a high level," the Rector noted. "Currently, we are discussing the transition to a blended form of student education, and in case of some courses — completely offline. We are always among the leaders in implementing the latest educational systems, particularly in the medicine. We have a unique experience of using the Body Interact in the educational process. It is designed specifically so that students can study medicine online and take the OSCE, this is the European method of using this technology. In Ukraine, unfortunately, it is not widely used, only our university has gained such experience. In this regard, the Minister of Health of Ukraine asks that graduates of medical higher education institutions take exams exclusively according to the OSCE methodology, using a virtual patient. Therefore, we decided that all our lecturers of clinical departments should undergo special training, which will increase their pedagogical and clinical skills, because all clinical scenarios used in the industry today are based exclusively on European protocols. And after listening to the lectures and practical classes, they will take the live test, within the walls of the university."

Professor Kolesnyk noted that the current training is meant for ZSMU employees, then it will be held for lecturers of ZMAPE, which merges with ZSMU, and other institutions. "The developers of the system, the European Consortium, in view of our experience, want to know our opinion regarding the provision of assistance in the development of additional scenarios. This is the opening of new perspectives, so we will learn and move on."

Associate Professor Svitlana Morhuntsova, the Pro-rector for Scientific, Pedagogical, and Educational Work, and Education Quality, also spoke with colleagues. It was emphasized that the conclusion of a new course on the use and possibilities of the Body Interact in the educational process is a logical necessity, because the lecturers of clinical departments working with students according to modern protocols have been actively using this technology for a long time. Now, a new opportunity opens up for them to improve this knowledge. Svitlana Morhuntsova noted that the new training attracted the interest of lecturers and theoretical departments — Pharmacology with a course of Normal Physiology; Pathophysiology with a course of Normal Physiology — which, in combination with clinical departments, present a unique vision of this technology and its application in the educational process. The university's several years of work with the Body Interact provides a wide scope for creating new educational forms.

Professor Yurii Riabokon, the Dean of the Faculty of Postgraduate Education, and Kateryna Romanova, the Head of the Interdepartmental Training Center, are responsible for the organization of training. Professor Riabokon familiarized the training participants with the practice of mastering new professional competencies by interns, trainees and cadets. The material base of the Interdepartmental Training Center allows for this at a high level. Only during the past year, trainees increasingly used this technology: 104 cycles of thematic improvement were held at the FPE, where 900 trainees studied, 98 advanced trainings were held, and 1,748 trainees received certificates. All categories of students work with the virtual patient.

Kateryna Romanova conducted the first class, according to the schedule, with training participants (about 270 lecturers). The topics of her speeches were: "Virtual Technologies — Integration of Theory and Practice" and "Methodology of Work, Features and Possibilities of Virtual Program".

For the following classes, there are planned: independent work with the virtual patient program at a department or online; watching videos on working with a virtual patient; learning and improving skills in the Body Interact virtual environment; mastering the algorithm for providing assistance to a virtual patient depending on the teaching discipline and the level of complexity of providing assistance at each stage.

As a result, next Friday, all training participants will take tests in seven groups, in the computer classrooms of the university.

23 January 2023