How the Fifth Educational Intensive for Nurses Went

We rightfully call this series of three-day training sessions “intensives” because the program is designed to allow our trainers to share as much of their knowledge and international experience as possible. At the same time, we don’t forget about developing practical skills, as our nurses will return to work the very next day, ready to implement what they’ve learned.

The participants of the fifth intensive were nurses from our pilot primary healthcare facilities, who are implementing their expanded roles — in particular, independent patient consultations. The training took place in Lviv and brought together 46 participants from various institutions, who spent three days working together and sharing their experiences. Practical sessions were held in small groups, allowing each participant to practice under the guidance of experienced speakers.

The intensive program included practical sessions, panel discussions, and inspiring meetings with experts in communication, palliative care, teamwork, and life support. We invited 14 expert trainers to cover each topic in depth, including:

• Management of chronic diseases
• Palliative care
• Effective teamwork in PHC
• Motivational interviewing
• Communication skills
• Basic Life Support (BLS workshop)

We also discussed patient trust, as patients may not immediately accept the expanded role of nurses. A powerful way to change this is by demonstrating supportive attitudes from doctors. When a doctor shows respect for their nurse colleague as a professional partner, the patient is more likely to trust them as well.

Ihor Zastavnyi and Anastasiia Khodan, family doctors and co-founders of the svoi.ridni family medicine clinic, opened the intensive with a plenary session on patient dignity. Participants also took part in two panel discussions:

• “Planning and Organizing PHC Teams’ Work” — Ihor Zastavnyi, Oksana Matsiuk, Tetiana Filippova, Iryna Ivaniuk, and Anna Sokhan shared how the logic of collaboration shifts when a nurse is no longer the “doctor’s assistant” but an equal colleague.
• “Beyond the Template: New Roles for Nurses” — Natalia Povar, Ivan Didyk, Myroslava Yasnohorodska, Olha Kuzmenko, and Tetiana Horuk discussed how perceptions of nurses change when they become trainers, facilitators, or educators.

For participants, this was a chance to share their success stories, find like-minded professionals, and build strong professional connections.

Special attention during the training was given to empathy and maintaining patient dignity — because behind every medical record is a living person with their own story, fears, and hopes.

“Nurses are capable of more than they think. They need support and an environment where they can feel their own professional strength,” shared one of the participants.

The work was productive and will help accelerate the implementation of the expanded role of nurses in primary healthcare.

Background

The pilot project “Advanced Nurse Practitioner at the Primary Level” was created to improve access to services for patients and to transform the role of nurses in the primary healthcare setting. Specifically, it focuses on introducing separate consultations by family doctors and nurses in PHC facilities and enhancing the clinical and communication competencies of nurses. Fifteen PHC facilities are participating in the pilot project.