The first international students got enrolled at the Ternopil State Medical Academy in September 1997. Since then, their number at our University have been increasing steadily: in the academic year 2021/2022, near 2865 international students from about 60 countries are studying at Ternopil National Medical University.
Dynamics of international students at Ternopil State Medical University
Presently, the University has the right to enroll and train 100 students at the Preparatory Department and 500 students in the accredited specialties each year.
About 80% of the teaching staff of TNMU have certificates of English proficiency and 80% of international students study General Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Nursing in English.
Diversity of international students at Ternopil National Medical University
Staff of the Faculty of International Students: 8 Professors, 30 Associate Professors, 17 Assistant Professors, 1 senior laboratory assistant, 3 laboratory assistants.
The Faculty of International Students has 5 departments, the Institute of Nursing and the Preparatory Department. Four new departments (Department of Surgery No 2, Department of Therapy No 2, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No 2, Department of Pediatrics No 2) were created to improve the organizational and educational work among international students; they began to teach solely international students from September 1, 2009. The newly created departments led were chaired by Doctors of Science, and all departments are fully staffed with English-speaking teachers who have level 1 certificates of English. Departments have prepared all materials to train students for practical classes, presentations, lectures, curricula and guidelines in English and Russian, as well as at least 250 questions for daily tests in the Moodle system for each practical class in both languages.
The new departments are fully equipped. Computer classrooms are functioning, all departments are connected to the internet, equipped with the necessary phantoms, models and other kits for mastering practical skills.
Along with the departments that belong to the Faculty of International Students, international students have classes at all the other departments of the University that belong to the Medical Faculty, Dentistry Faculty, and Pharmacy Faculty. All of these departments have English-speaking specialists. Of all the disciplines studied by international students have methodological support in English and Russian, such as materials to prepare for practical classes, presentations, lectures, teaching materials for students, algorithms of practical skills, teaching materials for the teachers. All of these materials are available both in printed and computer versions, to which students have free access 24/7 via the Internet.
The Institute of Nursing trains nurses at the Specialty “Nursing” of the educational qualification levels of Junior Specialist, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science, Specialty “Laboratory Diagnostics” of the educational qualification level of Bachelor of Science. The Institute of Nursing operates the International Nursing School. Students from the United States, Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana and other countries receive training here in the field of Nursing.
Curricula and Syllabi used for training of international students at the Institute of Nursing are identical to those of the University of South Carolina School of Nursing. Therefore, graduates of the International Nursing School get jobs in Europe and the United States after passing the relevant examinations.
In 2009, the Institute of Nursing introduced a new form of training – distance learning – for the Specialty of Nursing of the educational qualification level of Bachelor of Science. For this form of training, the University obtained permits of the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine, created online resources and currently has about 200 international students from the US and Canada enrolled in the distance form of training. On July 10, 2011 the first graduates of the distance learning program was held at the International Career Consulting, Inc. in New York.
Presently, diplomas of almost all graduates of the distance learning Bachelor of Science in Nursing program have been recognized in the USA by the evaluation agencies that belong to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, as well as by the hospitals where our graduates work.
The Preparatory Department of the University is also a part of the Faculty of International Students. Every year, about 100 students study here. Most of its students study the Ukrainian language. Teachers of the Preparatory Department are highly qualified linguists who have received or are about to receive their PhDs.
Teachers of the Preparatory Department have published the textbook Ukrainian language for students of the Preparatory Department and are preparing another textbook for the Russian language. Each year, students of the Preparatory Department participate and win prizes at inter-university competitions for the best knowledge of the Ukrainian language.