On December 4, Georgian physicians that participated in Salzburg Medical Seminars in 2012-2013 met at Betsy’s Hotel.
Forty doctors working in different fields of medicine took part in the meeting.
Nato Pitskhelauri, the Salzburg Medical Seminars coordinator, updated the program alumni on new medical stipends. She gave them instructions about filling in application forms and introduced new program eligibility criteria.
The meeting ended with discussions about the experience the physicians had gained during the Salzburg Medical Seminars. They noted that the seminars were interesting and beneficial because participants had been introduced to new directions in medicine, including modern protocols, hospital management, and new approaches in different fields of medicine. Moreover, the doctors had established helpful contacts with colleagues in the field.
The alumni also discussed recommendations on how to improve the seminars and the issues on which the next round of seminars should focus. The physicians noted that Georgia is facing problems with continuing education and the Salzburg Medical Seminars help them improve their knowledge and share experience with their colleagues.
The Salzburg Medical Seminars is a postgraduate medical education program founded by the American Austrian Foundation. The seminars are run by the Open Medical Institute in 109 countries and regions of the world. The mission of the program is to improve the health-care sector in developing countries, build the alliance of physicians worldwide and contribute to the continuing education of medical staff.
The Salzburg education program has been active in Georgia since 1993. Approximately 30 Georgian doctors take part every year. Participation in the program is free of charge. It offers a three-stage educational cycle: transferring knowledge (seminars), sharing experience (internship) and distance learning (open medical clubs, the e-library and materials, and satellite symposia).
Information about the 2014 seminars is available at this link.