Practice in Pediatrics for Foreign Students in a Safe Environment

Third-year international students from India and Morocco, studying at the Berehove campus of Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Zakarpattia region, participated in hands-on pediatric training at the Children’s Department of the Bertalon Linner Berehove Hospital. This training was conducted under the supervision of the department head, pediatrician Agiy Mariya Vasylivna, and pediatrician Lytvynets Antonina Yaroslavivna. Students gained practical experience in Pediatrics Propedeutics, Childcare, and Nursing Practice in Pediatrics.

During their practice in the hospital, students worked with kids of all ages. They conducted physical examinations, including palpation and auscultation, and reviewed patient data. Examined patient case histories, students assessed the effectiveness of suggested treatments, monitored the course of the condition, and recorded any changes in the patient's health. To properly evaluate the severity of illnesses, the students also learned how to fill up temperature charts, suggest diagnostic procedures, and evaluate vital signs to better understand the severity of illnesses.

Their training extended to the manipulation room, where they assisted in blood collection, performed intramuscular injections and washed the nasal cavity. Students also looked at children's chest X-rays under the guidance of a radiologist to identify congenital heart defects and pneumonia.

Mannequins representing different pediatric age groups were used for simulation training before the practical component. Students used the Body Interact virtual patient simulator to perfect their skills in physical examination procedures and treatment methods. This simulator helped students acquire critical skills in patient management, laboratory, instrumental data interpretation, and clinical examination by presenting scenarios related to infectious diseases, cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, and emergency care.

The combination of real-world clinical experience and modern simulation devices made the learning process more effective.

By the end of the training, students were able to independently do such tasks as giving children with bronchitis inhalation therapy, evaluating respiratory symptoms, and taking vital signs like blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rate. They learned from these activities how important it is to monitor critical processes to properly manage pediatric illnesses.