Brief history

Since 2001, the Faculty together with ”Nicolae Testemitanu” University departments made multilateral methodical recommendations in all specialties with residency and clinical fellowship training. Residency postgraduate programs have been developed gradually. During this period, the syllabuses and the professional training standards with the Scale of Practical Skills for about 45 specialties through residency and 37 superspecialties through clinical fellowships have been approved.

At the beginning the duration of residency studies was 2-3 years, depending on the specialty, while since 2001 it has been extended to 4 years for surgical specialties and to 5 years - for neurosurgery. At the same time, performance of 6 month-internship in districts became an integral part of the residency program.

Another area of activity of the Dean's Office resides in the organization and improvement of the methodology for admission to residency as well as in the evaluation of skills obtained during the study process and at the end of program. Information technologies have been widely applied for this purpose, which enabled us to organize the admission to residency in a transparent way, by using computer programs to process data from the competition files. Since 2002, the License Exam has been held with the issuance of a License Diploma.

Regulations on residency admission and studies have been constantly revised. Based on the gained experience, in accordance with international requirements, in 2003 standard Regulations on Residency Training have been developed, to be evaluated every 3-5 years or in connection with legislative and training changes. At the same time, special attention was paid to determining the duration of residency studies in accordance with the requirements of Directive 2005/36 / EC of the European Parliament. Since 2005, the first proposals had been launched as regards the substantial modernization of the postgraduate training process through residency according to the European curriculum, a period that lasted approximately 10 years.

With the increase in the number of specialties and residents, for the management of residency training it became necessary to set up the Faculty of Residency and Clinical Fellowships, which was founded by Order of ”Nicolae Testemitanu” University Rector of 01.11.2000. The faculty was led by Dean Valeriu Revenco, University Professor, Doctor Habilitated in medical sciences, and vice-deans: Liviu Grib, Associate Professor, Ph.D in medical sciences, Nicolae Bacinschi, Associate Professor, Ph.D in medical sciences, and Nicolae Proca, Associate Professor, Ph.D in medical sciences. Thus, the Republic of Moldova became the first country in the post-Soviet space, which implemented this advanced form of postgraduate training pursuant to international requirements for medical professional training.

Since 1999, the Computerized Program for coordinating the teaching activity, drawing up schedules and calculating the teaching workload has been implemented, which has allowed, since 2000, a more efficient management of the residency training process. In 1996, for the first time, the first international residents from Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Sudan and other countries registered at the University.

Starting from 1996, for the first time, medical centers of Bălti municipality and later those of Cahul, Orhei and Hincesti have also engaged in the residency training of doctors. Subsequently, internships in municipal and district medical institutions became part of the Postgraduate Residency Program. In the years 1996-1997, the number of registered residents constituted about 350 people per year, at the following specialties: Otorhinolaryngology, Psychiatry, Dermatovenerology, Pediatrics, Traditional Medicine, Pediatric Surgery, General Surgery, Oncology, Internal Diseases, Traumatology Orthopaedics, Pediatric Traumatology Orthopaedics, General Dentistry, Orthodontics, Neonatology, Ophthalmology, Neurology, Anesthesiology and Resuscitation, Environmental Hygiene, Child Hygiene, General Pharmacy, Drug Analysis and Microbiology.

In 1996, for the first time, the first international residents from Yemen, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Sudan and other countries registered at the University.

In October 1995, the Education Law is promulgated, stipulating in art. 28, para. 2, that postgraduate training through residency is mandatory. These three legislative acts constituted the basis for the implementation of postgraduate studies through residency and the training of medical specialists in accordance with international requirements. During that period, the number of residents practically tripled, from 61 (in 1992) to 178 (in 1995).

Inspired by the reforms of international curricula in postgraduate medical education, in 1991 some heads of departments and the administration of ”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, led by Rector Ion Ababii, university professor, Doctor Habilitated in medical sciences, academician of the ASM, put forward numerous requests and arguments. With the support of the Ministry of Health, it has been decided to begin residency training and enrol the first 30 residents, best university graduates, in 3 specialties: general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, traumatology and orthopedics (2 groups for each specialty). University Professor Valeriu Revenco and Associate Professors Liviu Grib, E. Chiriac, B. Golia, Nicolae Bacinschi, and Nicolae Proca were appointed responsible for initiating the residency training process.

Residency, as a form of postgraduate training, was legislated in 1992, by the Resolution of the Board of the Ministry of Health, while the decision on its financing from the state budget was reached in 1994, according to the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova No. 502 of 15.07.1994.