From economists to nurses and dental technicians. How Belarusians from other professions retrain as medical workers
Some Belarusians quit their jobs in banks to work in emergency medical services or dentistry.
The story of women who enrolled in retraining at the Belarusian State Medical College is described by "Narodnaya Gazeta".
From economist to dental technician
25-year-old Viktoria Sonich is a second-year student specializing in "dental prosthesis". The girl, as long as she can remember, wanted to become a medical professional. In school, she was an excellent student, understanding both chemistry and biology well. However, the fear of not getting a budget place at a medical university prevailed. As a result, she enrolled in the Faculty of Finance and Banking at BSEU (Belarusian State Economic University).
After university, she was assigned to work as a credit expert in the fast leasing department of a bank.
A year later, Viktoria was reassigned to a private organization, where she worked as an economist for a quarter of a full-time position. At the same time, the girl was looking for a job not related to finance. And somehow, she saw a vacancy for an administrator in a dental clinic.
Working there, the girl learned about the profession of a dental technician. She decided to enroll in a medical college but first gathered a financial cushion, as the studies were full-time.
"I got a second job — at a dermatology center. A 2/2 schedule at both. There were no days off. I lived in this mode for eight months. I resigned from both clinics on August 31, and on September 1, I went to the college's orientation. But already in mid-September, I started working part-time at a cafe near home. I felt uncomfortable sitting without income. However, after the first session, I left there and focused on studying and practical training."
This summer, the girl will graduate and start working in her profession.
Following her son's example — to become a paramedic
Irina Krapivina worked as an accountant for 15 years. And she would have continued if not for health problems: her eyesight deteriorated, and migraine attacks became more frequent…
"The doctor said that if I continued at that pace, working 14 hours a day, I could have a stroke," notes Irina. "I brought myself to a state where I can't sit at the computer for more than an hour and a half before a migraine starts. That's when I started to think about what I really wanted. And since childhood, I loved reading medical literature, understanding illnesses, and studying how they are treated."
Irina made the final decision to go into medicine thanks to her son. He graduated from college a year ago and now works in emergency medical services.
However, Irina's husband did not approve of the idea, saying how he would support two students on one salary. The rest of the relatives also reacted skeptically to the news. But her son and a medical professional friend supported the woman.
Currently, Irina is in her third, final year. In August, she will officially start working in emergency medical services, where she received her assignment.
"I already had practical training in emergency services, plus my son works there, so I have a good idea of how everything is organized. And I like this frantic pace, the constant movement. I truly love it."
To become a nurse in an oncology center
At 37, Yulia Gaido is finishing her third year specializing in "nursing" and has already received an assignment to the Minsk City Clinical Oncological Center.
"I grew up in a medical family, it seemed like my path was predetermined. But because I studied in an economic class at the gymnasium, I decided to enroll at BNTU (Belarusian National Technical University) as an economist-manager, and after that, I worked for a couple of years in that specialty. It wasn't for me; I started looking for a direction that would appeal to me. I've been everything — a fitness instructor, a stylist, a masseuse… Along with this, I liked giving injections, IV drips, and caring for close ones when they were sick. That's when the thought came to my mind that I needed to get a medical education."
As a result, Yulia decided to submit documents to a medical college and was accepted for a budget-funded place. The passing score in her year of admission matched her average certificate score — 8.7.
During their studies, they undergo practical training in Minsk hospitals and polyclinics. Thus, Yulia ended up in the oncological center, where she will work as a nurse for the next two years.
Are there many such examples?
Olga Kotova, director of the Belarusian State Medical College, notes that currently, 39 people are studying with them who chose medicine at a conscious age. They worked in various fields — economics, jurisprudence, occupational safety, pedagogy, and so on.
"All of them are admitted based on their average certificate score and study in the full-time department. This means that the requirements for them are exactly the same as for our students who entered after the 9th or 11th grades."
Most students are trained at the expense of the budget, after which they have a mandatory job assignment.
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