OSCE – Final Certification of Final-Year Students

Today, at Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University (ZSMPhU), the final certification of final-year students began for the students completing their studies in the specialties of Medicine and Pediatrics. The second stage of the Unified State Qualification Exam (USQE) in the OSCE format is scheduled to be taken by Ukrainian students and international students studying in Ukraine, as well as English-speaking final-year students. The exam is held at the University's OSCE Center in the presence of the Certification Commission, chaired by Professor Serhii Dotsenko, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine No. 3, with technical support provided by the specialists of the Center for Distance Education, Telemedicine, and Quality of Education.

The head of the Certification Commission addressed the students, urging them to approach the examination with attention and responsibility. This year, special emphasis is placed on assessing the students' professional competencies. The exam evaluates their readiness to apply acquired knowledge, and the exam maximally demonstrates their practical readiness for independent medical practice. Prior to the exam, consultations were held with the students, so they are well aware of the tasks ahead — to successfully pass 10 stations and confirm their knowledge in four core disciplines: internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics.

The conduct of the final certification is under the supervision of the university's rectorate, faculty deans, and relevant departments. In a comment regarding the start of the certification, which is a significant event for the university, Pro-Rector Svitlana Morhuntsova stated that this year it is being conducted in accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 900 dated May 24, 2024, “On the Approval of Amendments to the Procedure, Conditions, and Terms of Development and Administration of the Unified State Qualification Exam and the Criteria for Assessing Results.”

“This document is a logical continuation of over five years of the Ministry’s work on the regulatory framework and the improvement of the final certification process,” noted Svitlana Andriivna. “This is evidenced by the relevant normative documents dating back to 2018. The Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine fully standardizes the certification process for final-year students across all medical universities. When we established our own structure and received the order, we were confident that our system was effective, relevant, and of high quality. In fact, we have already been working according to this algorithm. Therefore, we did not encounter any major surprises, and it was not difficult for us to prepare our final-year students for the certification — the design of stations, as well as the documentation and methodological support for teaching and knowledge assessment, have been in place for many years. Strictly adhering to all normative documents of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine while maintaining our internal structure, we have also introduced additional stations that allow for a more in-depth evaluation of our final-year students’ practical skills. This includes the Body Interact station — a technology not yet available in other universities, which we utilize at a highly advanced technological level.”