The “Leadership for Rehabilitation Education and Workforce Development in Ukraine” meeting, organised by Physiopedia in October 2024, provided a unique opportunity for Ukrainian ministries, professional associations and educational institutions to come together. Held in Krakow, Poland, this event facilitated knowledge sharing, collaboration and inspired strategies to align rehabilitation professions in Ukraine with international standards.
The two-day meeting attracted a wide range of participants, including representatives from Ukrainian universities, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, professional associations and USAID delegate Kirsten Lentz. Also in attendance were Samantha Shann, President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, members of Momentum Wheels for Humanity and the Physiopedia team.
This distinctive meeting served as a collaborative and inter-professional platform, contributing to broader efforts aimed at strengthening rehabilitation services within Ukraine’s healthcare systems. One of the key points of the discussions focused on improving educational programmes to meet global standards through the Academic Program Reflection Tool (APRT), which is part of the International Rehabilitation Education and Training Toolkit (IRETT). In addition, the professionalisation and regulation of rehabilitation professions were addressed through the Professionalization and Regulation Reflection Tool (PRRT). Samantha Shann enriched the event with a presentation emphasising the critical need to foster inter-professional collaboration between Ukrainian associations and societies, a timely and relevant insight.
Further discussions included exploring innovative teaching strategies to better engage students in the classroom, supported by the introduction of the Clinical Skills Training Tool (CSTT), another component of the IRETT, which provides practical methods for enhancing educational approaches.
This initiative was organised by Physiopedia under the Strengthening Rehabilitation Services in the Health Systems (SRSHS) project, implemented by Momentum Wheels for Humanity with funding from the American people via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
