Framework for Professional Nursing Practices: Reaching Nurse Managers from Yerevan Inpatient Healthcare Facilities

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On July 26 and 27,  the Nursing in Armenia project of the American University of Armenia’s (AUA) Zvart Avedisian Onanian Center for Health Services Research and Development continued its contribution to strengthening the capacity of nurses through a workshop on Promoting Professional Organization of Nursing Practice among nurses in leadership positions in different inpatient healthcare facilities. Tina Baramakian designed and led a two day workshop in collaboration with Nursing in Armenia team member Serine Sahakyan, MPH ’15. The Ministry of Health, through the National Institute of Health, provided five Continuous Professional Development theoretical credits for participation in this workshop emphasizing the importance of this training for nurses.  

Tina Baramakian is the healthcare administrator of Dar Al Shifa Hospital in Kuwait, is simultaneously completing her Ph.D. in Health Management in the UK. Her main interest and the focus of her doctorate dissertation is introducing and implementing a shared governance model in the healthcare practices in Kuwait. She started her professional career as a critical care nurse at the American University of Beirut, concentrating on health education and health training and later she completed a Master of Science degree in Population and Health Demographics. She is also a  Certified Professional for HealthCare Quality (CPHQ) and holds a Certificate for Professional Inpatient Safety (CPPS). She has extensive experience as a nursing director, quality director and hospital administrator in various newly commissioned healthcare facilities in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Tina Baramakian led the discussion on patient safety and stressed the importance of applying patient safety thinking in nursing practice. She noted that the role of nurse leaders in error management and prevention, as well as in the development of reporting culture in a healthcare facility, is key in promoting safe healthcare delivery. The lectures were accompanied with diverse examples from Baramakian’s rich experience in various hospital settings. Nurses were largely involved in the discussions by sharing their own experience. Baramakian has also covered the topic of evidence based practice in nursing and recent developments in the role of nurses in the twenty-first century. This lecture was especially important for Armenian nurses, as the Nursing in Armenia Project Assessment showed that nurses in Armenia have insufficient participation in patient care and have a limited understanding of their professional role.  

Twenty-four nurses from five Yerevan inpatient healthcare facilities attended the workshop. The participants rated the seminar highly in terms of content, lecture delivery and organization in their anonymous evaluations. They also suggested new topics for future seminars and asked to target nurses in rural areas, who do not have access to such events due to limited financial resources and distance.

Through such workshops, the Nursing in Armenia Project continues to apply the results of the study into action for mobilizing efforts on improving the nursing profession throughout Armenia. This project and partnership between Penn Nursing and AUA Turpanjian School of Public Health was made possible thanks to the generous support of Edele Hovnanian, University of Pennsylvania alumna and trustee of her family’s foundation, the Hirair and Anna Hovnanian Foundation. The Hovnanian family remains committed to improving lives and making a difference in Armenia.

The AUA Gerald and Patricia Turpanjian School of Public Health works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.