From student to teacher: Health education in remote areas

Teaching in virtual environments

In 2011, just a year later, Cecilia was invited to become a tutor at the same virtual campus that had changed her life. "I was very nervous. It was a big responsibility and my first experience as an online teacher. But it was great, I loved it! It was serious work, with discussion, debate, and enrichment through shared experiences," she said.

Gabriel Listovsky, who leads the VCPH, emphasized the approach required for online education in health. "Teaching in virtual environments involves interdisciplinary work between content experts, teachers, tutors, specialists in designing virtual education programs, and specialists in multimedia technology. Cecilia fit this model perfectly," he said.

For Cecilia, this approach was essential for effective learning and then teaching, since VCPH course participants share very different experiences and backgrounds.

"VCPH students have a lot of experience in health care, which always enriches the discussions. It's good to be able to access such high-level courses free of charge," she explained. Created in 2003, VCPH is PAHO's educational platform. It currently has nearly three and a half million users from more than 225 countries and territories around the world.

Virtual education that reaches remote locations

PAHO's VCPH has played an essential role in remote areas such as Patagonia, allowing health professionals to access quality training without having to leave their communities. This type of education is especially crucial where distances are vast and connections are limited.

Patagonia is the largest region in Argentina, and the one with the lowest population density, according to the latest national census. "The six provinces of Patagonia are not connected to each other. We often have to travel by land, air, and water. Distances are enormous and the geography is a limiting factor. To get together, we always have to go through Buenos Aires. This means that many health posts are vacant, which is a problem," Cecilia noted.

"We need policies for attracting and retaining personnel. It’s not enough to just offer a good salary. We also have to offer opportunities for professional growth and development," she added. In this regard, virtual education has been fundamental. According to VCPH data, 11,286 people are enrolled in 785 courses in Patagonia, 7,664 of them in the province of Santa Cruz alone . With a total of 290,287 users, Argentina is among the countries with the highest enrolment in the VCPH.

"Since access to large urban centers is limited, virtual education is a critical resource, complementing what can be done face-to-face," Cecilia concluded, highlighting the importance of the VCPH in training human resources for health in this corner of South America.

Through the VCPH, PAHO not only transformed Cecilia's professional life, but is also helping to improve public health in one of the most remote regions of the continent. In Patagonia, where resources are limited and distances are immense, virtual education not only opens doors, but also helps to save lives.