Dr. Shogher Grigoryan, a pediatric endocrinologist from Artsakh, recently completed her second experience with FAR’s Continuing Medical Education Program (CME) when she spent a month working with doctors at Muratsan Medical Center in Yerevan.
Dr. Grigoryan has worked in Stepanakert’s Arevik Medical Center for the past 10 years.
“It’s hard to work with children with diabetes because you don’t just work with the patient but also their family. Therefore, building and maintaining trust and honesty with patients is essential. You see hard cases and emotional and psychological distress all the time, but when you cure the child and see their gratitude, it motivates you,” she said. “My first CME training back in 2014 helped me gain a lot of knowledge and improve upon my skills in children’s endocrinology but a lot of things have changed in medicine since then.”
This time, Dr. Grigoryan wanted to learn more about insulin pump therapy. This type of therapy is rare in Artsakh, she said, which is why she wanted to come and observe its use in Yerevan clinics. The pump is attached to the patient’s body and provides them with a steady stream of insulin, which diminishes the need for them to have frequent injections. Dr. Grigoryan has some patients in Artsakh who want to get the pump. This training will help her to precisely diagnose which patients really need the pump and then direct them to Yerevan for surgery. In a couple of years, she expects her own medical center to be able to provide this treatment directly.
Since the beginning of 2019, 28 doctors from Artsakh have been able to advance their skills in medical education through CME thanks to support from the Armenian American Health Professionals Organization (AAHPO). CME focuses on maintaining and developing knowledge, skills and relationships through month-long trainings for regional doctors to ensure competent practice in the future.