Faculty of Vocational Training and Professional Retraining of Specialists

Faculty of Vocational Training and Professional Retraining of Specialists

Established in 1960, the Faculty of Vocational Training and Professional Retraining of Specialists (Continuing Medical Education) is one of the oldest medical faculties in Russia. The Faculty offers internship, residency, advanced training, and in-service programs for graduates and healthcare professionals.

The Faculty’s programs are set in Saratov State Medical University, as well as in different healthcare organizations of Saratov Oblast and other regions. The Faculty provides training to physicians and other healthcare professionals from all over Russia: the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Mordovia, Penza, Tambov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Ulyanovsk, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Lipetsk, and Orenburg oblasts. Every year, about 4 500 physicians, interns, and resident medical officers undergo medical training at the Faculty.

The Faculty offers 68 programs taught across 58 departments with experienced and highly qualified faculty and staff.

The Faculty’s activities are offered in a number of teaching modalities: traditional (lectures, seminars) and modern teaching methods (role-plays, troubleshooting seminars, workshops, and conferences). Physicians undergoing training in clinical programs at the Faculty engage in case study sessions, watch educational videos, and use educational computer programs. Many departments deliver distance-learning programs using a variety of techniques and technologies.

Upon completion of a continuing medical education program, healthcare professionals are assessed using a three-part exam that tests how they can apply their knowledge with written tests, examines their practical and clinical skills in dealing with real clinical situations, and concludes with an interview.

The Faculty regularly conducts satisfaction surveys and collects feedback from enrolled physicians, interns, and resident medical officers. It also conducts polls among healthcare employers to assess their expectations and how healthcare professionals meet them. Based on the results of these surveys and polls, the Faculty constantly updates and improves its programs.

Dean of the faculty: G.Y. Sazanova, PhD (Medicine), Associate Professor.