THE PROFESSION "MEDICAL ASSISTANT" - REALIZATION AND PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Healthcare professionals play an important role in the success of any healthcare system. In the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as in various other countries, there is a shortage of human resources in health care. This necessitates the introduction of a new health specialty "Medical Assistant", which is the successor of the "Medical Paramedic" specialty, the training of which was discontinued in 1999. The profession "Medical assistant" is in the field of "Health care", a full-time form of education lasting four years. The purpose of the training is: acquiring knowledge in various fields of medicine, building analytical thinking and professional skills. In the seventh and eighth semesters of the studies, a pre-graduate internship is held in various accredited medical institutions. Graduated students in this specialty receive the educational and qualification degree "Bachelor". The relevance and importance of the topic is determined by the fact that the provision of quality education for medical assistants is important for their professional realization, for the effective functioning of the health system in our country and the achievement of a high level of quality health services for the population offered by graduates in this professional field. The aim of the present study is to study and analyze the professional training of future medical assistants for their realization, their satisfaction with the practical skills and knowledge they have achieved, the prospects before them, and the opportunities for independent work. Materials and methods: The research includes conducting a survey among 30 students from the "Medical Assistant" specialty - first and second year in the "Health Care" department, "Medical and Clinical Diagnostic Activities" department at the University of Ruse "A. Kanchev". The proposed survey was developed specifically for the study. Almost all questions are closed-ended. Most of them require only one answer. There are a few exceptions allowing for two or more answers. Part of the scales includes an "other" option, which is open and implies a free answer other than the given ones. Conclusions: The results of the surveyed students give an accurate idea about their expectations, perspectives and opportunities for realization after completing their studies. University of Ruse "A. Kanchev" is a higher education institution with traditions and high quality of the educational process, and this is very important for the training of students and the professional growth of future specialists. A high percentage of respondents positively evaluate the application of modern methods and technical means in the learning process, and share that training in small groups enables better control by teachers and the formation of specific skills. A large part of the respondents expect to be able to realize themselves in the field of health care, to be satisfied with the medical services they provide, and to be able to make independent, effective, and accurate decisions regarding the health of patients.