As Ukraine’s medical colleges start online classes, students worried about missing practical experience

While a few medical universities in Ukraine started online classes this week students are worried about missing out on clinical practice and clueless about when they will receive graduate degrees from their respective universitiesSimilar to the Indian medical students who were studying in China had to continue online learning after returning due to the pandemic the Ukraine students too are continuing their education virtuallyWhile few Ukrainian universities have started online lectures from March 14 for local as well as international students there has been no clarification from the universities on how the degrees will be awarded without any practical experienceAccording to the medical students even if degrees are awarded on basis of online classes getting a medical licence will depend on the one year of internship in India after clearing National Exit Test NExT exam to practice medicineSuratbased Vishad Patel 22 a fifthyear medical student who studies at Sumy University and returned on March 12 after he was evacuated from Ukrainian city says ldquoOnly the fifth and sixthyear students are allowed clinical learning in Ukraine In the first three years most of the practical learning happens in labs While the university has assured to provide degree to all graduating students the students who are in their final year are worried about how they are going to use this degree which is only based on nonclinical learningrdquoHe adds ldquoA few students are thinking of transferring their admission to other European medical collegesuniversities If the virtual learning system continues we will only be able to learn during our one year of medical internshiprdquoThe Sumy state medical university has officially declared to not take lectures before March 31ldquoIn the middle of the war the Sumy University is thinking of reopening the university after March 31 We have been informed through a formal letter and message that there is a lsquovacationrsquo till March 31 Further details about the online classes will be conveyed laterrdquo says PatelMumbaibased Suraj Pal 22 a firstyear student shifted to Ternoplis city in Ukraine in January this year to complete his graduation but he had to return to India on March 2 after Russiarsquos invasionldquoEvery day after lectures we had practical sessions depending upon the subjects of the day In the field of medicine learning from clinical practice is most important but due to the UkraineRussia war we are missing out on an integral part of our education Unlike India in Ukraine there are no separate marks for the practical test and they are combined with theory marks so we are not concerned about losing marks from practical exams but inperson learning is being affected The university is yet to clarify how the degrees will be awarded after completing the final yearrdquo says Pal who had to travel for around 8 hours by road to reach the Romanian borderSpeaking about the lectures conducted he adds ldquoThe university is open only for the lecturers who stay nearby and do not have the facility to conduct classes from home While most of the teachers are taking classes from their residences some are taking online lectures from the university classroomsrdquoA thirdyear medical student from Ternopil National Medical University Dhurvi Ghori 23 a resident of Surat says ldquoThe university started online classes from Monday March 14 While there have been no changes in the schedule of lectures we will miss out on practical learning Due to the war currently we are only dependent on theoretical knowledgerdquo She returned to India on March 2 after crossing the Poland border from TernopilRecently a petition was filed before the Delhi High Court seeking direction from the Central government for admission and continuation of studies within India by Indian medical students who were evacuated from Ukraine