Abstract
The important role in the formation of future doctor plays different types of independent work – both in the form of compulsory training program, which is a part of ECTS credits of each discipline and in the form of practical oriented student circles. According to the basic principles of independent work of students: systematic, sequence and combination of theory and practice, the aim of the Department of topographic anatomy and surgical operative surgery of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University became the organization of surgical group student in order to improve practical skills of 2-6 year medical students. Practice-oriented student’s circles give an opportunity to gain, work and improve their practical skills in off-hour time for successful application on the departments of surgical and subsequent practice. Student surgical group of the Department organized and conducted the fi rst common university tournament of operative surgery and topographic anatomy for the 2nd year students. In the tournament framework were held: practical contests for the best knowledge of surgical instruments and surgical knot tying, imposing of cosmetic seam on the skin defect, forming vascular and intestinal anastomosis end by end. The level of theoretical training of the contestants was determined by the test results – test tasks in form of situational sums based on the material of training program of curriculum vascular, abdominal and plastic surgery. The results showed that due to the today’s conditions, the expediency of combining independent work of a student with profound mastery of practical surgical skills to expand the list of practical skills, including techniques for the fi rst aid for different types of injuries, the use of emergency aid improvised as practical aspects of training students is one the mechanisms that forms their clinical thinking.