YSMU Syrian-Armenian graduate Ani Kirakosyan has clearly decided to live and work only in her homeland – Armenia. She is a future dermatologist.
24-years-old Ani was born in Aleppo. After completing high school, Ani moved to Armenia in 2014. “Our family has a background in medicine and since a young age, I wanted to become a doctor to contribute to a healthier and stronger society. When I decided to enter the medical field and become a doctor, my whole family supported me, especially my mom who endlessly didn’t miss a chance to provide me with all the needed support, love and encouragement throughout the past 6 years”, she tells.
Today, after completing these 6 years of studying medicine within Yerevan State Medical University, Ani is 100% confident and content of the step she took, especially after living 2 years of an unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19 where the world turned upside down and our lives changed drastically whether directly or indirectly affected by it.
“I chose to follow my dream and become a doctor and where is a better place to follow my dream than my motherland Armenia, specifically Yerevan State Medical University that gave some of the greatest doctors who are saving lives all around the world”, she emphasizes.
The start of her journey in Yerevan was challenging. “I was away from my family and close friends; however, it was only a matter of some weeks that I felt at home and had a sense of belonging. I started making friends who then became my family”, Ani adds.
With all the knowledge and learnings, she has today, she is very confident and happy of her decision to study at YSMU in Armenia and wouldn’t have changed it if she had the chance to.
“I would love to stay and work in Armenia and serve my country. One of the things I want to achieve is to initiate a health insurance base along with my colleagues and the respective entities in the country to provide the care needed to anyone and everyone who needs the right medical assistance”, Ani says. She learnt work ethics from her professors. “Work ethics is the most important quality for doctor. Along with that, kindness, modesty and a strong will are important factors to succeed as a doctor. Needless to say, keeping ourselves updated with what is new and advanced in the medical field is crucial for us – doctors to treat our patients efficiently and effectively. My advice to future doctors is to be committed to their jobs keeping the patient your number one priority. The journey will not be easy, you will have stressful and challenging days but it will pay off eventually”, Ani concludes.
Author: Tatevik Ghazaryan