The educational program “MD Physician” of the Faculty of General Medicine of Yerevan State Medical University has been brought into compliance with the requirements enshrined by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).
The international accreditation process of the aforementioned educational program of the Medical University is being carried out by the National Centre for Educational Quality Enhancement (Georgia). The centre is the first quality enhancement agency in Europe, which received the recognition status from World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).
The official delegation comprised of leading European and Georgian experts arrived at the Medical University on a three-day working visit within the framework of the second stage of this continuous process.
Today the members of the delegation met with the management of the university – YSMU Rector Armen Muradyan, Vice-Rectors, Program Director, and the Dean of the Faculty of General Medicine.
In the coming days, the prominent international specialists, chaired by Professor Andy Gibbs, a leading European higher education reform expert from the United Kingdom; co-chaired by Professor Mihaly Boros, well-known expert from Hungary; also Georgian experts in higher medical education, Armenian student and employer experts as well, will hold meetings with the self-evaluation team, program managers, as well as academic staff, students, and graduates.
“It is a great honour to welcome you in the Medical University. First of all, I would like to thank you very much for the great work you have done with us. The Medical University was founded from the very faculty and the program we are meeting about today. For almost a century, this program has been useful to our people, providing invaluable help”, YSMU Rector Armen Muradyan said, briefly presenting the medical university and the educational program which is at the core of today’s discussion.
Referring to the University’s successes over the past century, he informed the audience that around 8,000 graduates were engaged in professional activities in 40 countries of the world.
According to the Rector’s assessment, the Faculty of General Medicine of the University, in the form of the educational program “MD Physician”, is of great importance not only in the health sector, but also in the social sector, considering both the war situation and the coronavirus pandemic.
In particular, during the pandemic, the Medical University became the leader of the public health programs of our country in the vaccination process.
The Medical University is also widely involved in the process of developing the health policy of the Republic. The Heads of almost all Departments of YSMU are also chief specialists and consultants of the RA Ministry of Health.
“I would like to emphasise that along with all this, the Medical University is absolutely not limited by the achieved successes and social initiatives,” Armen Muradyan noted, adding that the university was an open system where future doctors from around 33 countries received medical education.
In recent years, the University has developed its own approaches to clinical activity by acquiring a large hospital. Expanding clinical experiences allows students, especially international students, to develop a clinical mindset and immerse themselves in a hospital environment.
In the century-old University, a special place is also given to the development of science, this is a priority direction. It was presented to the guests that in the last five years, 9 renowned scientists who won the Nobel Prize had joined the ranks of Honorary Doctors of YSMU, which causes excitement among students, while contributing to increasing the influence factor in international journals.
Today’s panel discussion was chaired by Andy Gibbs, who expressed gratitude to the Armenian side for the hospitality and proper preparation. The British expert has been involved in the process of enhancing the quality of education for over 30 years and has experience working in 60 countries of the world.
The members of the international delegation managed to study the voluminous documents presented by the University regarding the educational program, and now they have the opportunity to get acquainted with the study process on the spot.
The guests introduced themselves to the Armenian colleagues, detailing their narrow specialisation and experience in the field of education.
YSMU Vice-Rectors also spoke about the areas coordinated by them, expressing hope that the recommendations and remarks of foreign colleagues would contribute to the improvement of the educational policy of Yerevan State Medical University named after Mkhitar Heratsi.
It should be noted that within the framework of the working visit, the expert group would examine the scientific and research theses of the students, will visit YSMU Departments, including University hospitals.
