Azov camp for family medicine interns

In the last days of June, the Azov Camp for Family Medicine Interns was held for the first time. 

We share with you the feedback and our reflections, as well as incredible photos of the participants. 

“This event has won our hearts!” sums up Olena Ihnashchuk, Medical Education Coordinator of the Ukrainian-Swiss Medical Education Development Project.

According to Olena, we have never gathered so many motivated, active, thirsty for knowledge and skills in one place before!

These were hectic days for the interns: theory, practice, clinical skills, active recreation, soft skills, etc. However, the camp participants always did even more than the program prescribed.

For example, speakers were kept from leaving immediately after the lecture. And not just for the sake of a photo. It was all about learning more, asking questions, sharing their cases, and getting feedback. Every day after the official program, the participants gathered in the conference room and continued their training: otoscopy, ophthalmoscopy, and neurological examination.

Intellectual games, book discussions, and more are all pieces of the puzzle that create a complete picture of a doctor with developed soft and clinical skills, thirsty for knowledge and intellectual development.

We hope this event will become an essential step in the professional development and career of interns in family medicine.

“During the final circle of reflections at the end of the camp, one participant said that he had come to the camp completely demotivated about family medicine. But it was here that he found support and like-minded people who helped him look at the profession differently,” shares her thoughts Anastasia Gibeskul, family doctor and facilitator of the peer group, who was with the participants throughout the days and helped organize the event. 

“Another participant was so moved that she could not contain her emotions. They talked about how they wanted to continue to meet in Zoom to organize discussions of clinical cases and books. 

During these eight days, they became friends so much that they didn’t want to lose touch. The camp participants even started to call themselves #Azovchata.”

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“We were impressed by the presentations of the participants. We asked them to talk not only about medicine. They had much to share: their experience working in an insurance company, yoga practice, grounding techniques, volunteering, running a telegram channel on medical law, books, etc. There were two representatives of UMSA (Ukrainian Medical Students Association), a first aid trainer, a specialist in eating disorders in children, a supporter of art therapy, and metaphorical cards as psychological support tools.

It’s hard to list everything because the participants are incredible! I was surprised by a question from one participant: “Do I just have to talk about myself, or do I have to teach others something?” Imagine how interesting and unique they are in their healthcare facility environment.”

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“Two nights in a row, until 23:00, our interns practiced oto-/ophthalmoscopy and ultrasound. The latter was not on the program at all! And this is considering that we had to be at the morning exercise at 07:30! 

It was an incredible time of gaining new knowledge, skills, communication, and boundless trust in each other! A community of young, talented doctors! It was nice to be with them!”

We thank our fantastic moderators, Ilga Remizova, Anastasiia Gibeskul, Kateryna Pochtar, and Maryna Opalenko, for all the drive and for creating an unforgettable atmosphere and uniting the community of doctors.

Thanks to Iryna Voloshyna and Fedir Lapiy for instilling the importance of immunization in the interns. We thank Ivan Chernenko for showing us the light at the end of the tunnel and all the trainers: Serhii Horishchak, Kateryna Guriienko, Oksana Petrynych, Olena Korotun, Khrystyna Stroich, and Oksana Musiienko.

Also, the inspirations of our project, Tetiana Chernysh and Olha Korolenko. 

We hug our partners: Dobrobut Academy, Your Family Doctor, and the Academy of Family Medicine of Ukraine. 

If someone is not mentioned, it is only due to technical difficulties. Our hearts go out to everyone who helped us to organize this year’s Azov Camp for Family Medicine Interns.