“From scratch”: how refugees from Donetsk have become popular medical professionals in the US - ForumDaily
The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.
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"From scratch": how refugees from Donetsk became popular medical professionals in the United States

For many years, Peter and Maria Kovalenko worked as children's anesthetists at the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital in Donetsk. Experienced doctors, they eventually began to occupy leadership positions, and it seemed that nothing in their lives foreshadowed dramatic changes. Everything changed suddenly, with the start of hostilities in the Donbass. The couple confessed: at the very beginning of the war, they hoped that the occupation would not last long, and left for Kiev, hoping to wait for the peace there. However, the war dragged on. Meanwhile, it was not so easy to get a job in the Ukrainian capital: against the background of what was going on, the locals looked at the refugees from Donetsk with caution.

Students in class in Concord Rusam

«After three or four weeks in Kiev, we decided to go to the USA. In New York, we had acquaintances of parents who had long invited us to see America. Now the circumstances are such that we decided to take advantage of their offer.“- says Peter.

Flight from war

Spouses Kovalenko long been going to see New York and managed to open a tourist visa before the military events. In June 2014, Peter and Maria, together with a seven-year-old child, arrived in New York, still hoping to go back.

«However, the situation was getting worse. Donetsk was constantly bombed, the outskirts of the city were swept away by tanks and heavy fire “Gradov”. In short, we had to file for political asylum“- Peter shares.

Spouses admit: they did not prepare for emigration, and their English at the time of arrival was at the half-forgotten level of the Soviet high school. Nevertheless, having received the necessary documents, Peter and Maria began to look for work.

Maria was more fortunate - she quickly got a job as a clerk in a medical company. Of course, this work was far from what she, a highly qualified and experienced doctor, was doing at home. However, Maria, at least, worked in the medical field. Peter at first got a job as a gardener.

«We had to literally start with a clean slate. Our earnings allowed us to at least survive here: to pay and rent an apartment, and products. But English was very hard for us. We were able to read, somewhat worse - to write, and almost did not understand the spoken language by ear. Therefore, two weeks after arrival, we immediately found free English courses at one Jewish organization, and then more serious courses at the college. It was very hard: we worked 8 hours a day, and then we went to class. We went to college by turns, because someone had to stay at home and look after the child. It was also not easy for the son: by age he was accepted immediately into the third grade of the American school, and it was very difficult for us to help him with the lessons. However, over the course of the year he has fully adapted himself and is studying no worse than his American peers."- say the couple.

Return to the profession

Gradually, Peter and Maria began to make acquaintances, including in the medical field.

«These people were able to confirm their medical degree here and pass the license exams. But then it turned out that for years they could not find a residence, without which they are not accepted as a doctor. Against this background, one friend suggested that I get an education as a nurse (nurse) on the basis of my medical degree. According to him, it was possible to undergo retraining, having a diploma of a doctor, and get the qualification “Nurse”, which gives the right to further pass the exam for a Registered Nurse license. The main thing is that it was a chance to do your favorite thing again.“- says Peter.

The ideal option for the couple was the licensed New York School of Private Career School Concord rusaminvolved in preparing for the Registered Nurse (RN) license exam. Over the 15 years of the program, the school has prepared thousands of students for the NCLEX-RN exam for holders of the “Nurse” diploma. Her training programs (both full-time and online versiona) Approved by the New York State Education Department. In addition, Concord Rusam allows holders of medical, paramedic, nurse-midwife and pediatric nurse diplomas to undergo a professional retraining program with a diploma in “Nurse”. Spouses Kovalenko admit: at first they did not believe that the school will help them go all the way and really get the coveted diploma and American license for the Registered Nurse. However, over time, they began to meet Concord Rusam graduates who managed to build a successful medical career in the United States.

Practical training in Concord Rusam

The first to go to school was Peter, a little later - Maria.

«Gradually, I learned that, in addition to the evaluation of a previous diploma and obtaining postgraduate American education, at Concord Rusam you can obtain certificates in the specialties “Clinical Medical Assistant”, “phlebotomist” and others. Again, it was very difficult to study and work at the same time. We took turns going to school: one goes on Saturday, the other on Sunday, and on weekdays we prepared at home after work and until late at night. It helped that almost all medical terminology is in Latin, regardless of whether it is Russian or American.“- says Mary.

In parallel with the almost two-year nurse retraining course, Peter and Maria at Concord Rusam completed the Phlebotomy Technician and Electrocardiography Technician programs, passed exams and received not only school certificates, but also the corresponding national certificates that gave them the right to work as a Medical Assistant.

In search of work in the specialty

While awaiting the NCLEX-RN exam and obtaining a Registered Nurse license, the couple began to look for a job, based on the certificates obtained in Concord Rusam, and again they encountered difficulties.

«We applied constantly, for every second job, and we were constantly denied - even though during the training at Concord Rusam we had special lessons on resume writing. It turned out that in the USA there is another unwritten rule - to accept specialists who already have experience in this field. Therefore, we were advised to agree to any conditions in order to get the first experience.“- says Peter.

According to the spouses, in this seemingly hopeless situation, the director of the school Concord Rusam came to the rescue. Zinaida Freink.

«Zina literally saved us. Her school is very well known, and she constantly receives applications for specialists. She suggested one of such applications to me, gave me a recommendation, and helped me prepare a resume. It was a part-time phlebotomist job, only three days a week - but it was an opportunity to get the first experience! I am grateful to this office because it has taught me a lot“- Peter shares.

In February, 2018, after receiving permission for the exam, Peter passed it on the first attempt and obtained a Registered Nurse license. After that, he again turned to Concord Rusam, where he was helped to edit the resume and made recommendations about the work.

«At first I had a little duty, one or two a week. Nonetheless, I quit everywhere, devoting myself entirely to the new work of the Registered Nurse. It was a completely American center, almost all doctors are Americans. Gradually the number of rotations began to increase to 20-25 per month“- says Peter.

Listeners School Concord Rusam. Photo: concordrusam.com

After some time, Peter Kovalenko without any recommendations found a second job in the field of home care - Visiting Nurse. This is the name of a nurse visiting patients at home - a kind of analogue of a district doctor in the post-Soviet space. Now Peter is working on two jobs at the same time. His wife, Maria, is only preparing for the licensing exam and is simultaneously working as a phlebotomist in the laboratory.

«I leave for patients at home and take blood for analysis. I have about twenty patients a day. However, today this job suits me, because I have the opportunity to return home and continue to learn“- says Maria.

Spouses do not intend to stop there. While Mary is finishing her studies, Peter is thinking about learning Spanish. According to him, a significant part of his patients are Hispanic, so Spanish would not interfere with his work.

About school Concord Rusam can be found on the website www.concordrusam.com. Administration Phone: (212) 619-2260. School address: 160 Pearl Street, 3 floor, New York, NY 10005.

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