Monday, November 28, 2011

Leadership development

Perhaps even more urgent than the demand for well-trained nurses in Bangladesh, is the need for effective nurse managers and educators. IUBAT faculty encourage the BSN students to think of themselves as future leaders of the profession. Their studies in Nursing Administration help them develop some skills. This course is also attended by practicing nurses and managers from our teaching hospital partners, ICDDRB and United Hospitals. The experienced practitioners always help the IUBAT students gain a realistic perspective on the challenges of management. The course includes a hospital management workshop, shown in this photo. In this day-long simulation, participants solve various problems related to personnel and care management issues. Visiting faculty Moira Cameron and Sam Simpson assisted Alex Berland in presenting the workshop.

 

Friday, November 25, 2011

"Nursing, once again, leads the way!"

In an editorial, Dr. Jane Robinson, editor of the International Nursing Review states, “ A briefing from the International Department of the Royal College of Nursing, England (http://rcn.org.uk) gives an update on the European Year of Volunteering 2011. The RCN gives as an example of international collaboration in nurse education the case study on a Canadian-Bangladeshi partnership published in INR (Berland et al. 2010). The RCN cites amongst the mutual benefits derived from the partnership: the material resources made available; the sharing of expertise between high and low income countries; professional development; and interaction between faculty and students. This seems to be a classic example of what the Europe for Citizens programme, which includes the European Year of Volunteering within its brief, aims to achieve ‘in bringing people closer together’.... In promoting participation and shared values, achieving intercultural dialogue, employment, social cohesion and sustainable development (European Commission – Citizenship 2010), it appears that nursing, once again, leads the way!"

Friday, November 18, 2011

Difficult conditions in public hospitals

Dhaka Medical College Hospital is the country’s largest public sector general hospital. Conditions there are illustrated in the weekend edition of The Daily Star, one of the major English language newspapers http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2011/11/02/photo.htm . IUBAT BSN students do not practice in this hospital. Naturally, though, we believe that our graduates will be part of the human resource solution to improve health services for all sectors of society.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Training of trainers - our next priority

The global shortage of nurse educators is a major barrier to increasing supply of nurses. To tackle this problem, we prepare students for teaching roles when they graduate. Senior students have the opportunity to learn as volunteer Teaching Assistants; our BSN graduates are paid for part-time positions. Visiting faculty coach and support novice educators as they develop classroom management skills. In this photo, Teaching Assistant Asha Gurung (BSN 2010) demonstrates wound care, observed by volunteers Monique de Groot and JoAnn Leavey and Teaching Assistant Shahed Chowdhury (BSN 2012). Already this strategy has made an impact, with some IUBAT graduates teaching in nursing colleges in Nepal.

 

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Positive impact for volunteers

Cassandra Ma was a senior nursing student in Canada when she went to IUBAT last year. In addition to helping junior students in the nursing labs, Cassandra used her long experience with St. John Ambulance to teach first-aid to nursing students, IUBAT security guards and faculty. About her experience at IUBAT, Cassandra says, "Increasingly, I find that what I learned in Bangladesh is transferable to my practice in Canada and even to how I carry myself as a person. Although initially I felt 'out of my element', I gained confidence in my knowledge base. Now I am more vocal about my strengths, more assertive in contributing my knowledge to other healthcare professionals. For example, in my first preceptorship, I had the confidence to advocate for my patients with other team members. That’s not all: I also gained first-hand knowledge about the value of cultural acceptance. And I had no idea of the struggles nurses face in Bangladesh – these encounters have been invaluable in my own development."