The quality of health care and social welfare – EDUCATION AND PRACTICE/ 2019
The quality of health care and social welfare – EDUCATION AND PRACTICE (23 May 2019)
On Thursday, 23 May, the P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia organised the 2nd International Scientific Conference “The Quality of Health Care and Social Welfare - EDUCATION AND PRACTICE”, with the aim of promoting interdisciplinary cooperation and the exchange of academic and professional experience. The first conference was held in 2016.
The conference was opened by Ilga Eriņa, Director of the P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia; Professor Valdis Segliņš, Vice-Rector for Exact, Life and Medical Sciences at the University of Latvia; and Rita Sproģe, Deputy Chairperson of the Jūrmala City Council.
On behalf of the University of Latvia, Professor Valdis Segliņš presented certificates of appreciation to several members of the College staff. In recognition of their long-standing and dedicated contribution to the development and management of the College, awards were presented to Director Ilga Eriņa and Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Ieva Urtāne. Appreciation was also expressed to Elita Rutka, Head of the Department of Healthcare; Aelita Koha, Haead of the Podiatry Study Program; and Rūta Melbārde – Vāvere, Head of the Biomedical Laboratory Technician Study Program. Special recognition was given to Aiga Grauduma, International Relations Coordinator, for her dedication and efforts in developing cooperation with the Colleges international partner institutions.
The central theme of this year’s conference was teamwork in healthcare and social welfare. Participants were invited to discuss competences required in today’s labour market, interprofessional collaboration, teaching in multicultural environments, and both oral and written communication.
The conference brought together healthcare and social welfare professionals, social partners of the College, academic staff and students. International partner institutions were represented by guest speakers from Germany, Denmark, Lithuania and Estonia.
Presentations on professional competencies were delivered by Ilze Kurme, representative of the Ministry of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia; Dita Gudrā, researcher at the Latvian Genome Centre; University of Latvia lecturers Sanita Baranova and Agnese Rusakova; and Mārīte Saulīte, lecturer at the P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia.
The importance of teamwork was highlighted in presentations by Liene Cipule, Director of the State Emergency Medical Service of Latvia; physician assistant Rafaels Ciekurs; and Inga Marriotta, lecturer at the College.
Current issues related to working in multicultural environments were presented by University of Latvia lecturer Ieva Margeviča-Grinberga. Professor Signe Mežinska discussed cooperation between patients and nurses during pharmacological therapy and emphasized the importance of patient adherence to treatment. Communication methods and practices were explored by Valdemārs Vāvere, lecturer at the College, and Dite Liepa, lecturer at the University of Latvia.
In total conference participants attended seventeen engaging and informative presentations.
As part of the conference, the latest volume of the Scientific papers of the P. Stradins Medical college of the University of Latvia was also published.
The College extends its sincere gratitude to all who contributed to the success of the event: thank you for the inspiring opening remarks; thank you to Linda Paula Kudrjavceva for her performance at the opening ceremony; thank you to the conference moderators, Inga Marriotta and Leonids Afremovičs; and special thanks to the conference organising committee for their outstanding work in delivering a highly successful event. Appreciation is also extended to the students and lecturers for their excellent presentations.
The college would also like to thank the conference supporters: the University of Latvia, the Latvian Association of Radiographers and Radiologist Assistants, SemaraH Hotel Lielupe, GMT Beauty, BIOMark, Slaugivita,. OfficeDay and TZMO Latvia.
We look forward to welcoming you to the next conference!
Dagnija Gulbe
Deputy Director for Research
P. Stradiņš Medical College of the University of Latvia