For Dr. Gayane Gevorgyan, it is a much greater challenge to teach than to be a student, especially after training 11 of one’s colleagues over an intensive 12-day period.
But it was worth it. Such trainings are much needed for the doctors and nurses who work in border communities, as they don’t always have the time or the money to attend professional development opportunities in places like Yerevan, said Dr. Gevorgyan.
Throughout June, Tavush-based practitioners like Dr. Gevorgyan held training programs for their colleagues, mainly nurses, at Berd Medical Center. The trainings were the result of FAR’s 12-day Training of Trainers program which was held in Yerevan in May. The project is meant to empower nurses working in one of the poorest provinces of Armenia with up-to-date knowledge and practical skills. It is also an affordable way for nurses to earn the professional development credits needed to maintain their licenses.
Being that nurses are often the only healthcare providers in their rural communities, they may bear the burden of providing all primary care.(There are around 500 nurses currently practicing in Tavush while there are nearly half the amount of doctors working in the region.)
Dr. Gevorgyan, who is also a registered nurse and serves patients in three different communities, focused her course on medical emergencies. Sheaimed to give each participant the skills needed to transfer knowledge on the latest methods to their colleagues in their home villages.