The three-day meeting of the SAFEMED+ project of the European Union started at the Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi.
Anna Ghazaryan, Head of the Department of International Cooperation, made an opening speech at the event. “At the very beginning, we faced a number of challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic and wars. But our SAFEMED+ family was and remain strong to overcome the obstacles, continuing to successfully implement the aims of our project”, she stressed.
Larisa Avetisyan, Vice-Rector for Educational Affairs, welcoming the attendees, noted: “I am very happy to host you in our hundred-year-old university. A university with more than 8,000 students, a quarter of whom are foreign students from 35 countries. The university implements many international projects, and among these projects, the SAFEMED+ has a unique place, which, I can say, has succeeded. It is successful, because the project is not over yet (we will work together for another year), but it already has serious investments in the educational activities of the university”, Vice-Rector said.
In the coming year, according to her, the University will apply for the international accreditation, and this project has a very important place in this regard, because it helped to introduce the OSCE (Objective Structural Clinical Exams) format into the knowledge assessment system of YSMU.
“5 employees of the university passed training courses, also attending the exams held in the OSCE format. 25 employees were trained in Georgia, where the format has been used for several years. Important training courses were also held here with the participation of professors from 9 clinical departments”, Larisa Avetisyan added.
In parallel with that, Vice-Rector informed, the University took the initiative and in a short period of time prepared 27 new rooms to hold OSCE exams.
“As a result of all this, according to the decision of the Scientific Council, this year one stage of the three-stage final certification of the state exam will be held in the OSCE format. In the future, we aim to apply this exam format to the remaining courses as well”, Vice-Rector Avetisyan emphasized, thanking the project leaders for their theoretical and financial support.
According to Yervand Sahakyan, Vice-Rector for International Activities and External Relations, the medical education is facing increasingly high demands all over the world today. “Sometimes solving these problems is difficult for a single university, and universities unite to exchange their experience”, Vice-Rector noted, highly appreciating the willingness of the states participating in the project to cooperate.
Lana Karlova, Head of the National Office of the Erasmus+ program in Armenia, characterized the consortium as unique. “Nine universities from 6 countries participate in the project. This is a complex project, this is a new format and a new behavior for us. We need a good team that will go through all the difficulties, introducing new skills into the educational process”, Lana Karlova said, emphasizing the importance of public awareness as well.
Project coordinator, Vice-Rector for International Relations of Tbilisi Medical Academy, former Vice-Rector for International Relations of Tbilisi State Medical University, Ia Avaliani, emphasized with satisfaction that it was a great honor and privilege for her to be in a very beautiful and ancient city of Yerevan. “For us Georgians, it is always a great honor and joy to be in Armenia. During all these days we – all the participant countries – will be working on the book, which will later remind us later about conducting examinations in the OSCE format. The main goal of the Erasmus+ program has already been achieved. We have created one big team, one big family, which works continuously and effectively”, she added.
Vice-Rector for International Relations of Tbilisi Medical Academy met with YSMU Rector Armen Muradyan as well. “It is a great honor to cooperate with you within the framework of the SAFEMED+ project. Our university always tries to comply with internationally accepted standards. Let me to express our full support for all your initiatives”, Rector said.
Ia Avaliani informed that the next meeting of the project would be held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, in June, and the final meeting of the project would be held in Tbilisi in October, where the final version of the book written with joint efforts will be presented.
It should be noted that within the scope of the SAFEMED+ project, YSMU foreign partners are Tbilisi Medical Academy (Georgia), University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), University of Catania (Italy), Vilnius University (Lithuania), Tbilisi State Medical University (Georgia), Bukovinian State Medical University (Ukraine), Ivan Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (Ukraine).
The SAFEMED+ project is implemented within the Erasmus+ program and is funded by the European Commission. The goal of the project is to improve the quality of medical education in Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine implementing skills-based medical education program reform, including the introduction of Objective Structural Clinical Exams (OSCE).