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21ST AUG 2008
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 From front line of war to front line of healthcare, The University of Dundee has bestowed degrees on its 30 newest nursing graduates– a class which includes battle-hardened veterans of one of Africa’s longest and bloodiest conflicts.
The graduation ceremony in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, which saw the graduates collect their Bachelor of Nursing degrees, was the result of a Distance Learning programme run by the University.
Eritrea is a poor country, still emerging from the impact of 30 years' bloody war with neighbouring Ethiopia.
The students represented many
branches of nursing and midwifery, including community and public health and also mental health. Some had been barefoot doctors in the war years.
University Vice-Principal Professor James Calderhead was in Asmara to
bestow the degrees upon the graduates, who represent the second cohort to graduate through the programme.
“This is a programme which is having a real impact on health services in Eritrea, training a new generation of ward sisters, charge nurses and senior managers who can bring new skills to the front line of healthcare,” said Professor Calderhead.
“The work being done by the Distance Learning Centre in Dundee and by the students here in Eritrea shows how we can make a real impact in Africa and help to build the healthcare infrastructure that will help a country like Eritrea for many years to come.”
The Distance Learning Centre, part of the College of Medicine,
Dentistry and Nursing at the University, was contracted in June 2003 by the Ministry of Health in Eritrea with the prime objective of enabling senior Eritrean nurses to graduate in advanced nursing studies, thus bringing a greater level of much-needed expertise to the country.
“Eritrea only has around 220 doctors serving a population of 4
million, so the role that nurses play is extremely important in
delivering healthcare,” said Pauline Horton, Education and Programmes Leader for the Distance Learning Centre.
“We graduated 18 new nurses two years ago and have another 25 this time, all of whom will take new expertise into their communities. The hope then is that they can pass this on and improve the levels of training and expertise within the country.”
Despite the distance learning mode of delivery, the contract includes
some face-to-face teaching, delivered in Eritrea.
A third cohort of students are already enrolled on the Programme.
The Distance Learning Centre (Nursing and Palliative Care) is engaged with students in seventeen different countries all over the world. It is fully accredited by the major American nursing bodies the National
League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) and the American Nursing Credentialing Centre (ANCC).
Related Links
University of Dundee News
Student News
University News
Provided by The Student Zone (United Kingdom) |
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