YEREVAN, Armenia — On May 22, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at the American University of Armenia (AUA), proudly showcased its second cohort of graduating students in the presence of BSN faculty, students, faculty members from other programs, and distinguished guests. The event included a welcome note by faculty members Vicky Herkelian and Shehnaaz Mohamed.
The showcase began with capstone presentations by the senior BSN students, followed by poster displays, and an address by the BSN Program Chair Dr. Nour Alayan. The capstone projects represent a significant milestone in the students’ academic journey, providing an opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills, and research competencies acquired throughout the program to address real-world healthcare challenges. Students selected topics that reflected issues within the Armenian healthcare system and developed evidence-based strategies to support meaningful and sustainable change.
A key component of the research process involved conducting an extensive environmental scan to understand the scope and significance of each issue, both locally and globally. While students found a plethora of international evidence, many encountered a common challenge, which was a lack of available data within the Armenian context. Instead of viewing this as a barrier, students transformed this challenge into an opportunity for inquiry and discovery.
Using validated and reliable survey instruments, the students collected local data from healthcare professionals and stakeholders. The findings often aligned with observations from their own clinical and personal experiences, while also revealing unexpected perspectives and insights. This process underscored the importance of understanding local contexts when developing healthcare improvement initiatives, and reinforced the value of data collection within the local context.
With guidance from university librarians and faculty mentors, students explored successful interventions implemented around the world and evaluated their applicability to Armenia. Through this work, they gained an appreciation for the importance of socially and culturally responsive healthcare solutions. The projects highlighted that effective change cannot rely on a “one-size-fits-all” approach but must consider the unique social, cultural, and organizational environments in which care is delivered.
Collaboration emerged as another central theme throughout the projects. Students recognized that meaningful healthcare improvements require engagement from a broad range of stakeholders. They identified potential challenges to implementation, sought stakeholder input, and developed strategies to foster support and sustainability. Using a modified Input–Output Model, each team created a comprehensive project plan that outlined the resources, activities, expected outcomes, and evaluation measures necessary for successful implementation.
The success of these projects reflected the dedication of the students, as well as the invaluable support provided by supervisors Dr. Nour Alayan, Dr. Nancy Barsamian, Dr. Jennifer Dodds, and Dr. Pamela Grace, whose mentorship guided students through every stage of the research process. The projects presented this year addressed a range of important healthcare priorities, including nursing student resilience, prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infections, fall prevention among older postoperative patients, and barriers to incident reporting among hospital nurses.
Through their capstone projects, the future nursing leaders demonstrated how nurses can play a pivotal role in improving healthcare quality and patient safety. Their work not only contributes to addressing current healthcare challenges in Armenia, but also highlights the potential of nursing-led initiatives to drive positive change within healthcare systems. As these graduates prepare to enter professional practice, their capstone projects stand as a testament to the critical thinking, leadership, and collaborative skills they have developed throughout their BSN education and to their readiness to shape the future of healthcare in Armenia.
A memorable moment of the celebration was the pinning ceremony, during which graduating students received their nursing pins marking their transition into professional nursing. This long standing nursing tradition signifies more than the completion of an academic program—it represents a commitment to ethical practice, professional excellence, and lifelong service to patients and communities.
The BSN faculty members pinned each of the 10 graduating students with a specifically designed pin featuring the lamp of knowledge in the center, most famously associated with Florence Nightingale, who was known as “The Lady with the Lamp” for her work caring for the wounded in the Crimean War. The lamp symbol also represents knowledge and wisdom, compassion, and hope, as well as the role of nurses as “lights” to their patients and the healthcare system.
As each student received their pin, they were reminded of the important role they will play as nurses in Armenia. Equipped with knowledge, skills, and values developed throughout their education, the graduates are prepared to navigate the changing healthcare landscape and contribute to advance the nursing profession, and improve health outcomes across the country. To the graduating students, the pin will remain a lifelong reminder of the pursuit of learning, reflecting the intellectual rigor of the nursing profession.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.
