Armenian healthcare workers to undergo centralized exams for individual professional licenses

Armenian healthcare workers will have to pass a centralized examination to obtain an individual license to practice their profession, with the examination question banks set to be made available in November.

Alexander Bazarchyan, Director of the National Institute of Health, said at a press conference that the preparatory work is in its final stage and that the institute will soon be fully ready for the examination process.

The composition of the centralized examination commissions has been approved by an order signed by Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan.

“We are publishing the question banks so that senior healthcare workers and pharmacists who will take the examination have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with them in advance. Starting in January 2027, we will already be ready to conduct the examinations. Around 20,000 senior healthcare workers and pharmacists will have to take the examination,” Alexander Bazarchyan said.

The Director of the National Institute of Health urged doctors to register for the examinations through the Healthcare Workers Registry by the end of the year.

Karine Abrahamyan, legal adviser to the Director of the National Institute of Health, noted that every healthcare worker must be registered in the Healthcare Workers Registry to participate in the examination.

“The examinations will be conducted online. After submitting an application, starting in January, healthcare workers will be able to log into the system from any location convenient for them and take the examination. Let me say that each test will consist of 30 questions. In addition to questions related to the professional activities of healthcare workers, there will also be questions concerning rules of professional ethics and first aid. Each test will be allotted 60 minutes,” Karine Abrahamyan said, emphasizing that doctors will have the opportunity to take the examination three times.

After successfully passing the centralized examination, a healthcare worker must submit a licensing application. After the documents required by law are entered into the Healthcare Workers Registry, healthcare workers will be able to obtain an individual license.

The specialists emphasized that the Minister of Health has clearly instructed that the process be organized in the most streamlined manner possible, so that doctors do not encounter problems when applying, registering, and taking the examination.

Doctors will take the individual licensing examination only once; subsequently, new specialists entering the field will take the examination.

Doctors and pharmacists must have passed the examinations by July 1, 2027.