Seeking Technical Support, Advice and Experiences in the Areas of Nursing Curriculum Development and Integration

We have now completed the start-up for this project and graduated several cohorts of students. Our next step is to develop our BSN program resources so they can be used by other educators. We have already created lectures, academic policies, evaluation materials and clinical practice tools; these materials could be useful in other low-resource settings. (IUBAT is an English-medium institution.) At this stage our curriculum material is not ready to be shared, because it has been prepared for a specific situation. Our intent is to make our resources more user-friendly so they can be distributed more widely. What we are seeking is technical support, advice and experiences in the areas of nursing curriculum development and integration. We are also seeking expert advice to set up a Creative Commons license that enables sharing of the resources. If you can help us with this work, please contact us directly at: info@bangladeshhealthproject.com

Two Time IUBAT Volunteer Continues her Work in Bangladesh

Permjit Soomal volunteered with IUBAT in the fall of 2011 and again in the winter of 2012 as part of her practicum experiences for her Masters of Nursing (nurse educator option). She has now graduated and continues her work in Bangladesh with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as a Canadian Teaching and Pedagogy Specialist – Clinical Supervision Specialist. She is responsible for setting up training programs for nursing instructors in pedagogy as well as setting up and training clinical supervisors for diploma nursing students. 

The University of Victoria recognized her efforts in their newsletter, The Ring. Soomal is quoted saying “I wanted to create and support programs that will help alleviate poverty and improve health.” She believes “nursing education does both.” To read more of this article titled Grad Shares Nursing Expertise in Bangladesh, open this link. To view Soomal’s blog where she shares more reflections and details about her experiences, visit Permjit's Postcards.

Good luck Permjit in your future endevours!

 

Testament to the Commitment of the IUBAT Nursing Students

Christine Eugenio, RN, completed her final preceptoriship through Vancouver Community College at IUBAT and describes the experience as life changing. " Because of the rich experience I had, I feel I am better equipped as a nurse to inquire into the diverse health care needs of patients based on socio-economic, political, and cultural perspectives." 
She was moved by the IUBAT nursing students ability and dedication, "It was inspiring to see student nurse leaders at IUBAT show commitment to nursing excellence in Bangladesh through research and community involvement.  IUBAT nursing students showed unparalleled resilience and adaptability as they work through an international nursing curriculum. Working with IUBAT nursing students was such a positive and humbling experience. We worked together in various activities which included health assessments for IUBAT students and faculty and for underprivileged school-aged children at School of Hope. The success of those activities showed the crucial role of nurses in community health and helped foster a positive image of nursing in Bangladesh. The success was also a testament to IUBAT nursing students’ strong nursing foundation, determination, and perseverance. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from, share nursing knowledge and experiences with, and to work alongside the future nurse leaders who are bound to change the face of nursing in Bangladesh."  

Volunteer Experience Positively Impacts Vancouver Nurse

Amy Hall, a Vancouver based occupational health researcher with UBC, volunteered with IUBAT last summer. She writes, "I knew this experience would change the way I saw the world, but not how. It made me realize why people love 1) teaching, and 2) Bangladesh. Because I hadn’t practiced as a nurse in a clinical setting for several years and had never visited the country, I wasn’t sure how my role as a course instructor in IUBAT’s nursing program would go. It turned out to be an amazing teaching and learning experience. One of the most inspiring parts was interacting with IUBAT nursing students at various stages of their education, and seeing the lengths they went to develop confidence and competence in both clinical and academic environments. It made me feel like I was contributing (in a small way) to something of huge importance, for the students as well as the Bangladeshi society. While I watch Bangladesh's nursing profession grow, I know that this program’s graduates will be leading the way. The friendliness, hospitality and strong capabilities of the Bangladeshi people have left a permanent mark on me, and I will always look back on my IUBAT experience with fondness."

4 Minute Video on Bangladesh

Elaborating on the article The Path Through the Fields posted earlier, The Economist created a short video displaying the health and social gains by Bangladesh despite the slow economic development in the country.

Global Health Worker Shortage

Demonstrated in an interactive graphic by The Guardian, the World Health Organization considers 57 countries to have a critical health worker shortage. View the link below to compare these 57 countries with the UK and the USA in terms of health worker per capita (nurses and doctors), infant mortality, maternal mortality and number of births attended by a skilled birth attendant.
Open the link to view: Global Health Worker Shortage

Article Published in The Economist Highlights Bangaldesh's Social Strengths

Last week The Economist devoted one of its lead editorials and its briefing section to an extended discussion of Bangladesh society. Emphasis was put on the role of NGOs, on the role of women, and on the importance of achieving decent education and health outcomes.

Here are a few quotes from the editorial:

"In the past 20 years, Bangladesh has made extraordinary improvements in almost every indicator of human welfare. The average Bangladeshi can now expect to live four years longer than the average Indian, though Indians are twice as rich. Girls’ education has soared, and the country has hugely reduced the numbers of early deaths of infants, children and mothers. Some of these changes are among the fastest social improvements ever seen. Remarkably, the country has achieved all this even though economic growth, until recently, has been sluggish and income has risen only modestly."

"Bangladesh shows what happens if you take women seriously as agents of development. When the country became independent, population-control policies were all the rage (this was the period of China’s one-child policy and India’s forced sterilisations). Happily lacking the ability to impose such savage restrictions, the government embarked instead upon a programme of voluntary family planning. It was stunningly successful. It not only halved the rate of fertility within a generation, but also increased women’s influence within their own households. For the first time, wives controlled the size of families."

"…the textile industry took off—and four-fifths of its workers are female. Bangladesh was also the home of microcredit, tiny loans for the poorest. By design, these go to women. Thus, over the past two decades women have earned greater influence in the home and more financial autonomy. And, as experience from round the world shows, women spend their money differently from men: typically, on their children’s food, health and education. Child welfare has been underpinned by a quiet revolution in the role of women."

To View the full article, visit: 
The Economist: The Path Through the Fields

Opportunities for Posterity, a Bengali Not-for-Profit Social Welfare Organization, Awards Scholarships and Health Supports to Local Citizens.

On October 28^th, Opportunities for Posterity (OfP) awarded various scholarships and health supports at its office and computer literacy center located in the village of Balagram of Jaldhaka under Nilphamari district, also known as the famine region of Bangladesh. Depending on financial needs, scholarships ranging from 600-3500 taka ($7 - $42Cnd) were given to students as well as Health Supports from 600-1100 taka ($7 to $13Cnd) were given to laborers. OfP’s chairman and founder, Mr. Md Rabiul Islam, was present to distribute the scholarships and to meet the beneficiaries. At the ceremony he introduced the organization by saying, “OfP is running a distinguished program that utilizes local resources through investments in agro-business to benefit the impoverished communities and to promote technology based education and agricultural productivity so as to ensure a better world for posterity. OfP's working priorities include poverty, food & nutrition, education, technology, agriculture & environment, income generation, health services, sanitation and the like”.

In addition, OfP is also funding a rice mill to be completed by December 2012 and a literacy center, which benefits hundreds of families in the area. In the future, the organization hopes to open a Polytechnic Institute to provide access to technical education, free of cost, to thousands of students.

OfP is strengthening community resilience through sustainable programs that use local resources allowing small investments go a long way. To learn more, visit their website at http://www.ofpbd.org/

The Joys and Rewards of Volunteering with IUBAT

Rebecca Campalans, a geriatric nurse with an interest in volunteering abroad, traveled to Dhaka as an instructor in the med/surg course and the nursing research course at IUBAT during the monsoon season earlier this year. She writes, “What was it like? I had a huge learning curve as a first time nursing instructor - I have a new appreciation for all the professors I ever had and who had me as a student!! I was one of those students who asked LOTS of questions!! J  I never knew how much work it took for the instructor to prepare for lecture and clinical time. One of the best experiences I had was the clinical rotation at the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, ICDDR, B.  This is better known as “The Cholera Hospital”. The work the organization does is amazing and my students loved the fast-paced environment.   For my Nursing Research class, I had some great students who had a chance to develop a research proposal for the class. Many of the students showed original thought and innovation in the subject matters selected. I was really impressed and hope to follow their progress as they begin data collection in the coming year.”

She concludes by saying, “I encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing international health, international volunteer work, and/or the nurse educator role, volunteer with the Bangladesh Health Project.  With all its challenges, there was also a lot of laughter, and I would do it again!”

BC Maternity Nurse Shares Experiences from IUBAT

Rachel Thiessen, a maternal child health nurse from BC, visited Bangladesh during the summer semester of 2012. Amidst the heat and dust, she experienced the friendliness and intriguing nature of the colourful city of Dhaka. About her time at IUBAT she writes, "The summer semester focused on abnormal obstetrical situations. Since I have only two years of nursing experience in maternity nursing, this proved to be somewhat of a challenge. Perhaps I underestimated the mountains of work that go into preparing course lectures, assignments, marking, completing clinical evaluations and supervising clinical placements. The eight students in my class surprised me with their verbal English and I was impressed with their ability to communicate with me."

She continues, "IUBAT is on the right path to graduating competent nurses who have the opportunity to change the face of nursing in the future for Bangladesh. And a lot of this is due in large part to having volunteer faculty who come to the university to pass on their knowledge and skills across various nursing practice settings. All in all, despite the day to day challenges, the IUBAT health project is well worth the time invested, both professionally and personally."

IUBAT nursing supporting research

Recently Professor John Richards of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada  and his graduate student Ms Afifa Shahrin completed a study of nutritional status of women from  low-income households in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh. John is a founding director of the Bangladesh Health Project and  also a member of IUBAT's overseas advisory committee. Ms.Shahrin, a former instructor in BRAC University and recent graduate of SFU, engaged IUBAT College of Nursing students for some of the surveying. See  http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=5&date=2012-08-31 for more on this. IUBAT has taken a pioneering role in the country's higher education sector by supporting researchers, practitioners, and academics to undertake  practical research on the policy problems facing Bangladesh (http://www.iubat.edu/cpr/). Several students and faculty from Canadian and US universities have completed research studies through IUBAT, providing College of Nursing students with an excellent exposure to research methods and academic expectations.

IUBAT students inspire

Sam Simpson visited IUBAT during the fall trimester 2011. She writes, “Since volunteering in the Nursing Program, I have had Bangladesh ‘under my skin’.  I suspect that it will remain there for the rest of my life.  The sheer number of people, how hard they work, the poverty, the noise, the climate and the pollution all made indelible impressions.   And the nursing students took a chunk of my heart and continue to inspire me with their spirit and determination.

It is challenging to compare my experience in Bangladesh with my incredibly comfortable life in rural British Columbia.  How does my experience there inform my life here?   How can I integrate these diametrically opposed realities?  Several months after my return, I gave two presentations to friends and neighbours and the general public.  Organizing these helped me to focus on the important parts of my time at IUBAT.  Presenting my slide shows has not resolved my dilemma of cultural/economic adjustment but has certainly assisted me.   And the modest Canadian dollar donations to the Bangladesh Health Project will translate into many more taka!”

 

VCC students learning and teaching at IUBAT

This summer, Christine Jhoan Eugenio and other senior students from the Vancouver Community College BSN program completed preceptorships at IUBAT. In the photos, Christine is shown with her classmates, Anastasia Vlasova and Josh Gardiner. Christine writes, "My colleagues and I did a presentation on HIV/AIDS for the junior nursing students.  The presentation mainly focused on the stigma attached to HIV and the importance of providing compassionate care to ALL patients.  We used the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Ethics to discuss the professional responsibility of nurses, especially to vulnerable populations such as HIV+ patients.  A puzzle activity called How to provide care to HIV+ patients helped the students understand nurses' responsibility to provide competent, ethical care. In a group activity, we asked the students to develop a teaching strategy (a skit, a comic, or a poster) to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS and reduce stigma. By developing values such as compassionate nursing care, IUBAT graduates will be able to practice in ways that foster positive images of nursing in Bangladesh.  The students' comments showed that they enjoyed and learned from our presentation.  One wrote, "It was the best presentation that I had ever seen. I really liked how you involved us and made it so very interesting.  The puzzle and drama helped to make us creative and knowledgeable."  ­ I am glad that I was able to share my nursing knowledge to influence other future nurses.  It was great working with and learning from the IUBAT students. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and creativity and I appreciate how they welcomed us in their classroom and treated us as their peers.

 

 

Canada Bangladesh learning exchange

Helen Jiang, (seated in photo) is a recent BSN graduate from Vancouver Community College who completed a preceptorship at IUBAT last month with support from an Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship. Helen writes: “My Bangladesh preceptorship allowed me to re-examine who I really am and my core values. The experience also provided an opportunity to strengthen my empathy, leadership and adult-teaching skills. As a senior student, I was blindly trusted by the IUBAT students. Their trust, their leadership, their willingness to learn, and their notion of moving forward as a team motivated me as a role model. Unexpectedly, this Bangladesh trip also assisted me to integrate my own immigrant experience in my interactions with the local students. In short, my Bangladesh learning experience helped me to really understand nursing and caring.”

Rotary Club of Olds supports BHP

The Rotary Club of Olds, Alberta, Canada recently donated $4000 to the Bangladesh Health Project. In this photo, Club President Greg MacIntyre (right) and Publicity Director Mary Turner (2^nd from left) are shown with the contribution. We are very grateful for this support from the Rotary members, as well as businesses and the Olds community at large, We have a strong Rotary connection in Bangladesh: Dr. Alimullah Miyan, Vice-Chancellor of IUBAT, has held senior positions in national and local Rotary organizations; local Rotary clubs support the annual polio immunization campaign held on the IUBAT campus. In future, we hope to develop further projects in cooperation with Rotary International. The Rotary Club of Olds describes itself as “FUN . . . with a Purpose.” Rest assured we will make purposeful use of this generous donation. Thank you.  

 

Learning global health theory in context

Jen Preston travelled to IUBAT with her husband and daughter in early 2012 to complete her final year practicum for a BSN through Selkirk College/ University of Victoria. She writes, “It is incredible that so many topics I looked into here have tied together: food security, gender issues, breastfeeding, culture, politics and economics. This has been an excellent learning experience. I am finding that while we focus on one seemingly small assignment, endless questions surround each issue. The time that we are here seems to speed up as if we are going to run out of time and not be able to research everything that we observe. I have started to make a list of everything I am interested in, so after this practicum I can continue to explore these issues.”

IUBAT students as nursing leaders

Visiting faculty member Susan McNeill of Vancouver Community College Nursing Department writes: “Today I checked in on our practicum and internship students at ICDDR,B and left feeling proud and inspired. They are taking on leadership roles and tactfully modelling quality care with compassion. Shahed Chowdhury (BSN 2012, wearing blue in this photo) is a teaching assistant at IUBAT who is dedicated to staying in Bangladesh and changing the perception and quality of nursing. Although the number of grads may be small, they have the potential to ‘punch above their weight’ and make a real difference.”

 

Audit for BHP completed

Accountability is an important principle for our project. Recently one of our founding directors, John Richards (on the left in this photo with volunteer Amaan Banwait) donated several thousand dollars to pay for the first audit of the Bangladesh Health Project. This audit of project finances from 2008-2010 was completed by Chartered Accountant Mahmoud Virani of Vancouver. (IUBAT is also fully audited in Bangladesh.) Virani’s audit report has been approved by the Mid-Main Community Health Centre Board of Directors. Copies of the auditor’s report are available upon request and will be posted on our website shortly. We are grateful for John’s on-going and generous support. With very few exceptions, such as our auditing and book-keeping services in Canada, virtually all donated funds are spent in Bangladesh.

Opportunities to help develop Bangladesh nursing

We are working with our teaching hospital and college partners on academic program development and quality improvement. (The photo is from a recent workshop at IUBAT on nurse education.) One of our project goals is to create a BSN program for learners who have English as a second language, which meets international standards. In future, this curriculum might be shared with global partners through a Creative Commons arrangement. We need help to develop and format our digitally-based materials for this approach. Another area for volunteer support is quality assurance and accreditation. Such programs are fairly new to Bangladesh, but IUBAT is at the forefront of their development. This foundational work could also have international benefit. Please contact us if you are interested in these opportunities.

 

Nursing Week 2009 still a hit

In summer 2009, Vancouver nurse Lynn Buhler taught Community Health Nursing at IUBAT. Early during her stay, the IUBAT Nursing Student Society organized a boisterous celebration of Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Lynn writes, “Ever since my wonderful trip to IUBAT & Bangladesh – I have not experienced Nursing Week without thinking of the fantastic students and staff and volunteers that manage to make the School of Nursing a reality. In honour of Nursing Week I would like to get back to donating to the school and in particular providing support to individual nursing students that need a little bit of financial help.” Thank you Lynn for your commitment and support.

 

Our teaching partners, CWCH and U of Vermont

Each year, a group of BS (nursing) students studying under Dr. Hendrika Maltby  at U of Vermont visit Bangladesh and IUBAT as part of their community  health field experience. In January 2012, their fieldwork included observation and practice at one of our teaching hospital partner sites, CWCH - the Centre for Woman and Child Health in Savar. Photos show students working with CWCH Nursing Director, Sister Margaret Sarkar. At the request of the CWCH medical director, Dr. Khurshid Talukder, Dr. Maltby provided some feedback, noting that the students were very impressed with how much can happen with the resources at hand.  "It was powerful to see how the millennium development goals are being put into action at CWCH." "This experience helps me to realize that patient care can be provided without the use of fancy equipment.  It is about how compassionate you are and how much you are willing to give." Overall, praise for CWCH is high and students appreciated the opportunity to spend time there.

 

BSN grad earns Norway scholarship

IUBAT graduate Bimala Rai (BSN 2009) has earned a full scholarship to attend the University of Oslo International Summer School. From late June to early August, she will enrol in a Masters level course in International Community Health. According to the UiO website, the course focuses on global health issues such as human rights, equity, and the social dimensions of health, with a focus on child health, sexual reproductive health and rights, communicable diseases, and chronic conditions. Bimala will study with students from a wide variety of backgrounds: different countries, professional training, academic training, work experience, and cultures. We know she will be a strong representative for South Asian nurses and will bring new skills home with her.

IUBAT grads to write Nepal registration exams

For the first time ever the Nepal Nursing Council is holding a Registration Exam for new nurses this May. A group of IUBAT College of Nursing graduates returned to Nepal after completing their education in Bangladesh. Recently they applied for and received equivalency for their IUBAT BSN degree at Tribhuvan University, the major public sector university of Nepal. This means that IUBAT BSN graduates can now write the new Nepal Nursing Council Registration Exam.  Good luck to all the IUBAT graduates. We are proud of you!

Immunization Day at IUBAT

Rotary Clubs world-wide sponsor child immunization programs, usually coinciding with government initiatives. IUBAT has strong connections with Rotary Club of Greater Dhaka which provided the vaccines for the national polio eradication drive held last February. Using the IUBAT campus, this annual event attracts local residents of all ages. Under the guidance of faculty member RN Shamsun Nahar, IUBAT College of Nursing students organize the event, register clients and administer vaccines. In time, we hope to develop a primary health care clinic to serve the neighbourhood shanty-dwellers.

Strengthening our partnership with United Hospital

United Hospital Limited is one of the best hospitals in Bangladesh. IUBAT Nursing students practice medical-surgical nursing on its cardiac, general medicine and neurosciences wards. Visiting faculty provide workshops for the nursing staff there. In early 2012, UHL opened its own nursing school. Karen Lund and Alex Berland toured the facility and delivered a gift of textbooks, visiting with UHL Director Education, Mme. Hanufa Ahmed (L), Vice-Principal, Major Nazneen (C) and  Principal, RN Momtaz Khanum (R). We look forward to on-going collaboration to strengthen nurse education in Bangladesh.

 

8th Year Anniversary

Eight years ago, volunteers from Mid-Main Community Health Centre in Vancouver started their collaboration with the College of Nursing at IUBAT. In February 2004, the Registrar of the Bangladesh Nursing Council (RN Hosne Ara Begum) inaugurated the nursing program as part of a function held at the IUBAT campus with a large number of senior members of the BNC present. This photo from that occasion shows IUBAT Vice-Chancellor, Dr. M. Alimullah Miyan (centre), National Professor Dr. M. R. Khan, as well as Bangladesh Health Project Director, RN Alex Berland. Eight years later we can claim 22 graduates who have been praised by national and international nurses and doctors for their excellent practice!

Upcoming volunteer opportunities

The IUBAT College of Nursing has a few opportunities for visiting faculty in 2012.

June 15 to August 15 – maternal-child nursing (classroom and clinical)

September 5 to October 15 – professional orientation

September 5 to October 15 – medical-surgical nursing (classroom and clinical).

We will post opportunities for 2013 shortly.

If you are unable to travel to Bangladesh, we have some volunteer tasks that can be completed from home using the internet.

For more information please visit the website, where you can also contact us.

On-going collaboration between IUBAT and U Vermont

Each year BScN students from University of Vermont visit IUBAT College of Nursing with their instructor Dr. Rycki Maltby. In this photo students from UVm and IUBAT work together at the Centre for Woman and Child Health, our clinical teaching partner. (In case you are wondering about the winter head gear, January can be chilly even in Bangladesh!)

Nursing students at IUBAT Convocation

Previous visiting faculty can share the pride of these students and their families.  This was the third formal Convocation for the University and the first Convocation for the College of Nursing.  Twenty-two BScN graduates had their Certificates of Graduation confirmed by the Government of Bangladesh. In the first picture, they are shown with Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mahmuda Khanum and Chair, Health Sciences, Dr. Karen Lund. The other photo shows some of the graduates with IUBAT Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Alimullah Miyan as well as Chief Guest Prof Dr Gerald Reisinger, President of Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences.