THE IMPACT OF CURRENT CHALLENGES (СOVID-19, WAR, HEALTHCARE REFORMS) ON THE PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL STATE OF STUDENTS AND THE QUALITY OF POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine pose new challenges for the state, society, and all areas of operation, including higher education and healthcare systems. Aim. The aim of this research was to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and martial law on the socio-psychological aspects of the activities of physicians(pharmacists)-specialists and the opinion of physicians(pharmacists)-specialists on the quality of postgraduate education, namely, ATC (advanced training courses) at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University. Methods. The study uses the sociological method, methods of the systemic approach, structural-logical and medical-statistical analysis. Results. The study was conducted in 2024. The healthcare reform in Ukraine contributed to the increase in the satisfaction of medical workers with the nature of work, working conditions, workplace, and especially the remuneration system – from 32.20±1.63% to 69.56±2.12%. According to respondents, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a deterioration in the nature of work, the remuneration system, the work regime and its conditions, and at the same time, improved information in the industry, the workplace, financing and increased levels of provision of medical institutions. According to the study results, the war’s impact caused a deterioration in the nature of work, conditions, regime, labor organization and remuneration system. The improvement in the quality of postgraduate education is evidenced by the increase in the level of student satisfaction with the level of theoretical knowledge obtained and practical skills acquired. Conclusions. Difficult working conditions caused by emergencies are not obstacles but new challenges in improving the quality of higher medical education in general and postgraduate education in particular.