What do you need to know about peer groups in Ukraine?

If you’ve seen or heard about peer groups but have yet to learn more, this post is for you. We will also traditionally be nostalgic and remember how much we have done!

Peer groups are regular meetings of professionals with the same level of position for critical discussion of their activities and exchange of exciting thoughts, ideas, important discoveries, and innovations for continuous improvement of the quality of medical care. 

They operate in many European countries, in the USA and Australia. Only recently, this format has not been developed in Ukraine and was unavailable in the list of opportunities for training medical professionals.

Our project started implementing peer groups in Ukraine in the spring of 2020 as a format of continuous professional development for healthcare professionals. Now, almost every region has its peer groups.

To launch this process, we have started training peer group facilitators: we organize training and invite the best experts. The trained facilitators create peer groups and organize peer group meetings in their institutions and regions. In 2020-2023, more than 1,000 professionals joined peer group meetings.

How do peer group meetings work?

You can discuss exciting articles, practical cases, speeches, conferences, etc., in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at the meetings.

You can discuss anything necessary for your professional and personal development. In addition, peer groups are a safe place to express opinions, concerns, and ideas.

“This is almost the first time we learn something significant for our practice. I like that we can decide for ourselves what topics to discuss during our peer group meetings,” shares his impressions Leonid Melnyk, family doctor, Ladyzhynka village, Cherkasy Oblast.

Among the most important advantages of peer groups as a learning format, participants identify:

• The opportunity to obtain necessary knowledge and improve skills on time that meet the needs of practice;
• Learning together with colleagues helps to build trust in the team and gradually develop a standard level of competence among the institution’s specialists;
• An open and informal learning environment. The use of interactive methods of acquiring knowledge and skills contributes to a positive attitude towards CPD;
• Convenient times and places of meetings, facilitate access to training, and regularity meets the needs of healthcare professionals to develop and learn throughout their lives;
• During peer group meetings, participants support each other, which helps reduce stress and professional burnout.

Read more about peer groups on our project website: https://mededu.org.ua/groups/

We are already preparing new opportunities for training and development of the community of peer group facilitators, so stay tuned for our announcements.