The department of Organization and Tactics of Medical Service

The prehistory of the department of Organization and Tactics of Medical Service goes back to 1930 when the general military training elements began to be taught in Yerevan State Medical Institute. In 1940 the department of Military affairs was founded, then it was renamed Military Medicine in 1954. During the last years of the existence of the Soviet Union the department was given a new name «Organization and Tactics of Medical Service». In 1991 the department was renamed «Military and Extreme Medicine» (M and EM). In May 19 1994 by the Resolution 232 of the government of the RA, the Military Medical Faculty was formed on the basis of the department of «Military and Extreme Medicine».

The duties of the head of the M and EM department and the head of the Faculty were combined and Colonel of Medical Service S.S. Yeghikyan (1994-1997) became the first head of Military Medical Faculty.

In 1997 the department was renamed «Tactics of Medical Service and Extreme Medicine» (TMS and EM).

Later this position was occupied by Major of M/S M.A. Tumanyan (1997-1998) and Colonel of PhD. A.V. Kazaryan (1998-2000). In 2000, the positions of the Head of the Faculty of Military Medicine and the Head of the Department were separated and Doctor of Medical Sciences Colonel V.H. Kirakosyan was appointed Head of the Department (2000-2002).

In 2002, the Department received its current name – the Department of “Organization and Tactics of the Medical Service”. From 2002 to 2006, the Department was headed by PhD, Major of m/s A.R. Grigoryan.

Currently, the Department is headed by PhD, Lieutenant Colonel of m/s G.R. Vardanyan.

The department is staffed with teaching staff who have undergone training abroad and have organizational, military-medical, and pedagogical experience in military service.

The following disciplines are taught at the Department of OTMS of the Military Medical Faculty of YSMU;

• Organization and tactics of the medical service (OTMS),
• Organization of medical support for personnel (OMSP),
• Organization of providing medical supplies and equipment (OPMS).

The disciplines taught are based on the academic plans and programs of YSMU, the relevant educational and methodological documents of St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy, Saratov Military Medical Faculty, adapted to solve the problems of medical support of the Armed Forces of the RA. In the process of developing thematic programs, the department relies on the orders of the Ministry of Defense of the RA, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia and other guiding documents related to the military medical service and combat training of the Armed Forcespersonnel.

The academic programs include graduate and postgraduate (professional and continuous) teaching.

In graduate programs, the OTMS discipline is taught to the 2nd year students of the Faculty of General Medicine (program “I have the Honor”), cadets of the 2nd and 6th years of the Military Medical Faculty, the 2nd year students of the Pharmacy Faculty and students of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of the YSMU college on the specialty “Paramedic”.

Within the framework of postgraduate (professional and continuous) education, the discipline OMSP is taught to interns studying in the YSMU internship by order of the RA Ministry of Defense,as well as the basis for conducting classes during military training.

OTMS and OMSP are the main disciplines for teaching to the interns studying in the YSMU internship by order of the Ministry of Defense during the “Camp Gathering” held in the military unit to develop and improve practical skills in medical support for daily activities and combat training of personnel.

Teaching of all the disciplines at the Department of OTMS is carried out according to the programs and plans specially developed for each faculty in three languages ​​(Armenian, Russian and English).

The Department of OTMS is is extensively involved in the priority scientific research topics of the Military Medical Faculty, the selection of which is conditioned by the modern geopolitical situation, tactical methods, the problems of medical support of the RA Armed Forces, and the need to provide methodological and practical assistance to the medical service.

Within the framework of educational and training functions, the department closely cooperates with the National Defense Research University of the MOD RA, the Military Academy after Vazgen Sargsyan of the MOD RA, the School for the Training of Junior Military Medical Specialist of the MOD RA, as well as within the framework of international cooperation of the RA Armed Forces, the department is involved in international educational and training processes implemented by NATO DEEP and NATO MilMed Coe, within the framework of which trainings of the department’s lecturers are carried out abroad.