The dissertation summarizes the results of the historical-pedagogical research of theoretical and organizational principles of professional training of doctors at the universities of the USA. The influence of the main historical events that contributed to the reform of medical education in the United States has been analyzed. Important legislative acts, the adoption of which influenced the formation of higher education in the United States, describe the features of medical education at the present stage have been studied. The periodization of formation of American medical education has been theoretically grounded and implemented. The criteria of historical-pedagogical periodization of the development of higher medical education in the United States have been selected, namely: the dominant scientific-pedagogical paradigm, within which the medical education developed; the nature of political, social and economic events in the country and the adoption at the legislative level of timely management decisions aimed at modernizing the system of medical education, improving the quality of provision of medical services.
The analysis of the basic concepts in the context of research of the system of doctors’ professional training in the USA has been carried out. The essence of concepts such as «education», «higher education», «professional education», «medical education», «higher education quality», «monitoring», «management» have been substantiated. It has been established that the peculiarity of American pedagogical science in determining the basic concepts is patient-centeredness.
The patterns and ways of optimizing the management of medical education in the United States, which include the gradual transition to decentralization, the formation of systemic and integrative levels of higher education, is manifested in the interaction and coordination of the various levels of higher education, the pragmatism of the educational system, which has helped to realize that management in the system of higher professional education must meet the needs of society and ensure its accessibility, in particular financial accessibility, the emergence of many powerful medical schools with a large number of organizations, which led to stimulation of healthy competition between universities of different legal status and simultaneous cooperation between them and others.
The peculiarities and the didactic bases of medical educators training for professional activity in medical universities of the USA have been analyzed. It has been established that the programs of pedagogical training have the following general features: development of leadership qualities of medical teachers; emphasis on communicative skills of teachers and effective interpersonal interaction; introduction of the latest methods of assessment and feedback; development of team skills, in particular in conducting research; the flexibility of the programs themselves in order to maintain the constant employment; focusing on the latest technical means of teaching, distance learning, relative uniformity of requirements for enrolment in such programs (master’s degree, a high average mark on the main subject); the emphasis on continuous improvement of curricula and programs in order to detect inaccuracies and respond quickly to the challenges of time.
On the basis of the conducted research, the main trends in the development of the system of training a teacher of medical school have been distinguished: training and retraining of a medical educators in the USA is considered within the system of continuous education; updating the contents of training of the future teachers: introduction of integrated courses, pedagogical practice and scientific projects, expansion of pedagogical cycle in the curricula of doctor philosophy degree in the field of pedagogy; development of high standards for those who want to work at the university as a teacher; stimulating the interest of teachers in the continuous improvement of professional qualifications, which is expressed in differentiated payment, the contract for permanent employment and promotion, etc.; designing special programs for improving the professional socialization of teachers-beginners: organization of individual counselling, their involvement in professional committees and associations, etc.; pedagogical training of university lecturers, reforms in the field of higher education are an integral part of the socio-economic policy of the USA government, for which significant financial resources are allocated.
Positive experience of professional training of the future doctors at the universities of the USA has been generalized; possibilities of using productive ideas in the conditions of reforming higher medical education in Ukraine have been considered.
