FOSTERING THE CULTURE OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH OF FUTURE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Reforms in the higher medical education and its integration into the European educational context set high demands to healthcare professionals who will be able to develop their potential productively and counteract the negative impacts of occupational factors with the least damage to the health. Therefore, a special attention in the system of medical students’ training should be paid to the strengthening of their health, creating conditions for a healthy lifestyle. The article analyzes the main problems of student youth in the field of health at the stage of professional development in the institution of higher medical education (IHME), identifies obstacles to the implementation of a healthy lifestyle and the possibility of overcoming them. The analysis of the scientific literature devoted to fostering the culture of occupational health suggests that in recent decades scientists have significantly increased the attention to youth health. In the psychological and pedagogical literature there are many works devoted to the problems of human health, propagation of a healthy lifestyle. Nowadays, studying at a higher medical education institution often has impact on the health of young people. This can be due to the workload, moreover, not yet done enough by the institutions to motivate, promote and to form a right attitude to a healthy lifestyle. In the large list of risk factors for diseases in adolescents, scientists have identified the most common: bad habits (smoking and alcohol consumption) and lack of awareness about a healthy lifestyle. This can negatively affect the health and physical condition of students. There is also a decrease in the adaptive body capacity that often leads to the development of chronic diseases. Researchers note that a large number of young people are "exploiting" the most valuable resource, health. Incentives to get a good education, profession, rewarding financial status are much higher than maintaining and strengthening one's health, which is mainly seen as an instrumental value that contributes to the achievement of life goals. At the same time, the value that will contribute to a long and successful life is not sufficiently realized. Thus, the attitude of medical students towards the development of a culture of occupational health involves not only the creation of appropriate conditions for effective learning at higher medical education, but also the motivation to keep a healthy lifestyle. This issue should be included into the programs of the higher medical educational institutions as an integral part of the professional training of future doctors.