"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!"

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.

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.

 

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."

IUBAT alumni perform well

Congratulations to IUBAT College of Nursing graduates, Poonam Limbu,  Karuna Sharma and Bimala Rai. They recently passed exams for an advanced ACLS course offered at Dhaka’s BIRDEM Hospital. Of about 40 health professionals attending, only 10 passed, with the three IUBAT graduates in the top rank.  When the head of the Critical Care Unit announced the results, he told the audience that nurses are intelligent professionals, as these three IUBAT alumni had demonstrated. 

Health information for volunteers

People interested in volunteering with our project are sensibly concerned about their health and safety in Dhaka. IUBAT is very experienced at keeping its many international visitors secure and comfortable. The university is located in the north of the city, far from occasional political demonstrations downtown. On the daily walk to work, neighbours greet us as members of the community. Our guest house is run by housekeepers who have been trained in food safety. Preparations before you leave are available from the USA Centre for Disease Control http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/bangladesh.htm#notices You can also read more about all these matters in our Volunteer Guide.

IUBAT at the School of Hope

Dhaka’s School of Hope provides free education to local poor children (http://www.schoolofhope.net/ ). Each year, IUBAT Nursing students provide free health screening as part of their training in Community Health. This summer they were taught by an educator from Vancouver Community College Nursing Department, Susan McNeill. Susan says, “We screened approximately 200 kids for hearing, vision, height and weight. The students actively participated in developing and evaluating the program. The additional picture of Rakib at the white board shows an impromptu lesson during our global health class. He was illustrating the distribution of donor aid, and how most gets siphoned off before it reaches the end user. Part of one of our lively class discussions! I was impressed by these thinkers and future leaders.”