20 Ukrainian health care workers complete occupational therapy training in Estonia
Last week, 20 Ukrainian health care workers were awarded diplomas for completing occupational therapy internships at Tallinn Healthcare College. Upon their return home, they will be able to become occupational therapy trainers in Ukrainian hospitals.
Occupational therapy helps those who have limited functional capacity as a result of trauma. It includes physical and psychological therapy to increase their ability to cope and live independently. The joint project run by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) and Tallinn Health Care College aimed to provide “train the trainer” occupational therapy training for Ukrainian health care workers to support the development of the occupational therapy profession in Ukraine.
Occupational therapy is particularly relevant in Ukraine today, as it is used to treat people injured in the war and those suffering from psychological trauma due to the war, helping them regain their ability to participate in everyday activities. As demand for these services is high, the programme's long-term goal is for occupational therapists to receive training and then pass on their acquired knowledge to colleagues in Ukraine.
Olha Voronkova and Victoria Popadynets currently work as teachers and occupational therapists in Ukrainian hospitals. Voronkova said she learned a lot from the training programme because Estonia’s approach to rehabilitation and occupational therapy is very modern. “I can’t even name anything specific because everything was so new to me,” Voronkova said, praising the programme.
Victoria Popadynets said that she enjoyed learning new techniques and methods, which she will then pass on to her students in Ukraine. “I learned many things that we don’t do in my clinic in Ukraine, like how to communicate with the victim’s family and loved ones during rehabilitation and occupational therapy,” said Popadynets.
The training programme consisted of theoretical training for 50 Ukrainian health care professionals and internships in Estonia for 20 online training participants. Overall, medical professionals from 15 Ukrainian hospitals participated in the training programme.
The 20 health care professionals who completed their internship in Estonia were awarded certificates at the graduation ceremony. Ukrainian Ambassador to Estonia Maksym Kononenko said at the ceremony that Ukraine currently needs qualified doctors and medics to help build a medical system based on modern systems and techniques. “Every medical worker who has received competent training is as important as military assistance in the form of weapons and ammunition,” Kononenko said.
According to Eva-Maria Liimets, ESTDEV’s Democracy and Rule of Law programme manager, cooperation between Estonia and Ukraine has resulted in several projects to help rebuild Ukraine. “The Health Care College course is an example of practical assistance that can help those who have suffered the most in the war,” said Liimets.
Occupational therapy training continues an earlier medical project between ESTDEV and Tallinn Health Care College, which trained specialists in post-amputation rehabilitation. Last year, eight Ukrainian hospital rehabilitation teams, including a total of 40 doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, prosthetists, psychiatrists, and psychologists, completed the training programme.
Occupational therapy "Train the Trainer" for Ukraine programme graduation ceremony
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