LSMU Residency Day: Training in General Competences for Residents and Networking with Potential Employers

On Friday, the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) hosted a Residency Day to provide students with an opportunity to get acquainted with the rules of admission to the residency studies, to learn how to prepare for a motivational interview, and to meet potential employers. The LSMU Residency Day also featured the first-ever training in general competences for resident doctors. This event was organised by the LSMU Postgraduate Studies Centre (PSC).

Beneficial for both residents and employers

The event brought together several hundred current and future residents. To help them choose the best workplace for their future careers, more than 40 healthcare institutions in the country presented their employment conditions and made proposals for the payment of non-state-funded residency study places.

“There is a shortage of healthcare professionals everywhere in Lithuania, both in smaller towns and in big cities. Thus, this event is a unique opportunity for students to talk to the representatives of the residency bases and negotiate future contracts. We live in times when hospitals are ready to do everything to attract young healthcare professionals, so they have the opportunity to win the best conditions for their future”, said Prof. Dr. Juozas Kupčinskas, the originator of the LSMU Residency Day and Dean of the LSMU Postgraduate Study Centre. “I would like to thank the E. Pajėdienė, Vice-Dean of Postgraduate Study Centre, and E. Čiupkevičienė, one of the Centre’s team member, as well as the entire staff of the Postgraduate Study Centre for the amazing organisation of this event.” said Prof. J. Kupčinskas.

According to Diana Smaliukaitė, Head of the Human Resources Policy Division of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania (SAM), the event is beneficial for both prospective residents and employers.

“There is a real need for such events. It is very important to help students and resident doctors to choose their career path and to provide as much information as possible about the opportunities to work in Lithuanian medical institutions. It is equally important to inform them about the most important nuances of the admission and study process. We welcome, support and participate in such initiatives, because here we can discuss the concerns of residents with them directly,” said the SAM representative.

Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Diana Žaliaduonytė, Medical Director of LSMU Kaunas Hospital, saw a side benefit of participating in the event.

“This is the platform for networking among medical institutions. Here we can meet colleagues we haven’t seen for a long time and share what other hospitals are doing. This encourages us to grow and compete, and it is through this competition that positive things emerge,” she said.

Learning general competences

In addition to the employers’ fair and the presentation of the admission rules, the LSMU Residency Day also included a Training in General Competences for first-year medical residents.

“When you study medicine at university, you learn a lot, but not everything. In the work of a doctor, we learn new specialities and non-specialities every day. We have the understanding that a good doctor is the one who finds the best way to diagnose diseases and cure patients. But this is not the only definition of a good doctor. You are the first batch to start studying in the model of tiered competences. We are pleased to see these changes taking place and know that there is a long way to go before the quality of residency training becomes even better. The expectations of our patients are growing, so we have to do our best to meet them,” said Prof. Renaldas Jurkevičius, Vice-Rector for Clinical Medicine at LSMU, while congratulating the residents, adding that the first-year residents are already mature enough to understand the benefits of general competences.

“We understand that the profile clinics you represent do not always have the capacity to introduce you to general competences. We see how important this is and we know that this modern format of workshops and live interaction works really well. This is mature, adult learning, which is different in a fundamental way.”

E. Pajėdienė, the Vice-Dean of the Postgraduate Studies Centre, who organised the Residency Day, hopes that this event will become a traditional LSMU event: “After the event, we received a lot of positive feedback from students, medical residents, and healthcare institutions, and we definitely intend to organise it again next year. I would like to say that I am particularly pleased with the general competences training, which was attended by more than 200 young doctors.” During the training, the residents learnt how healthcare services are financed in Lithuania, got acquainted with the integrated healthcare system and its legal regulation, learned how to recognise mobbing and avoid burnout, and how to deal with conflicts and take care of their mental health.