In June, young Ukrainian surgeons completed the year-long GMKA online course ‘Principles of Surgery.’ The course, based on the surgical residency training program at Harvard Medical School, covered essential aspects of surgery tailored to the needs of Ukrainian doctors and interns. A unique feature of this course was the opportunity for participants to engage with world-class experts, ask questions, discuss topics, and present their clinical cases.

From September 2023 to June 2024, the course featured 38 online lectures on various surgical topics. Participants delved into the pre- and postoperative management of surgical patients within the ERAS protocol, modern aspects of surgical infections, and basic techniques and algorithms in emergency, general, and oncological abdominal surgery. The course also explored specialized areas such as plastic surgery, surgical treatment of thyroid diseases, and proctological pathologies.

One of the main principles of the course is openness and accessibility. All online lectures, including recordings of discussions, are available on the GMKA YouTube channel. This ensures that knowledge is accessible to anyone interested in learning something new.

“Quality education is the best investment for a surgeon. At the same time, obtaining a medical degree should be only the beginning of a doctor’s professional growth. Continuous professional development at every stage of a career is the key to success. The GMKA’s Principles of Surgery online course is exactly the place where doctors acquire the most up-to-date knowledge, which I am convinced will help them save more patients. Therefore, I am sincerely pleased that more than 40 Ukrainian surgeons have successfully completed the year-long course program.”

— Solomiya Semeniv, Course Director, Clinical Department of General, Oncological, Metabolic, and Emergency Surgery, University Hospital in Krakow, Jagiellonian University.

The course was attended by 42 surgeons from 16 cities across Ukraine. These participants, at various stages of their careers — from first-year interns to experienced doctors — work in private, city, and regional hospitals, as well as scientific and medical institutes. Notably, the course included surgeons from military medical institutions and doctors from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Participants were selected from 204 applicants based on their English language skills, personal motivation, CV, and letters of recommendation. They shared a common goal: to become better doctors for their patients.

The course was divided into two semesters, featuring 15 and 23 lectures, respectively. Before each meeting, participants received recommended self-study materials, and their engagement was evaluated during the lectures. A test survey followed each meeting to assess their grasp of the material.

Participants who attended more than 75% of the lectures and passed over 80% of the tests received an electronic certificate of completion and +40 points of continuing professional development (CPD). The most active leader was invited to a three-month surgical internship in a US clinic.

The course lecturers were experts from international clinics and medical institutions in the United States, Italy, Poland, and Ukraine, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital (USA) and Massachusetts General Hospital (USA).

Ukrainian doctors and interns who completed the course highly praised the program. One alumna shared that she now feels more confident in managing patients and is more motivated to improve her knowledge and skills.

“Since the beginning of the course, I have actively tried to apply ERAS protocols in patient management, collecting information on their application and adaptation for wounded patients evacuated with laparostomies. I see good results from initiating feeding earlier and activating patients sooner. Instead of narcotic analgesics, I started using ultrasound-guided TAP blocks, often avoiding other analgesics altogether,” she said.

More information about the organizing committee and the detailed lecture plan is available on our website. By continuing their training and improving their practices based on evidence-based medicine, surgeons of various specialties are making an invaluable contribution to Ukraine’s progress and victory.