Left to right: Drs. Peggy Ann Dros, Chairlady of the AVE Board of Directors, Dr. Heidi Chumley Executive Dean of AUC, and Dr. Carla Sanderson Provost of Chamberlain University.
~ Institutions align to address nation’s health care needs ~
CAY HILL–Health care workers are in high demand, with shortages sweeping the globe. To help address the need for more nurses in St. Maarten, National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) is partnering with American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) and Chamberlain University, the largest nursing school in the United States.
The institutions have signed an agreement to collaborate in training more nurses in St. Maarten. As part of the agreement, Chamberlain and AUC, both Adtalem Global Education institutions, will partner with NIPA to develop an associate’s level nursing degree programme in St. Maarten, NIPA said in a press release on Friday. The partnership is the first of its kind for the nation, and the schools are calling it a significant step towards meeting the Caribbean’s health care needs.
“The NIPA realised there was a need for a revamp of the current Nursing programme, because we wanted to train the students who graduated to be able to take up jobs in the international labour market, not just locally.” Drs. Peggy Ann Dros, Chairlady of the AVE Supervisory board of directors said.
“We identified the need to launch a School of Nursing; a completely separate wing of the NIPA. In order to successfully achieve this goal, it would be necessary to hinge our programme on a United States (US) accredited curriculum. AUC was essential in this process, not only because of its current cooperation with NIPA, but also because of the relationship with Chamberlain University, which boasts multiple campuses across the US offering undergraduate degrees in Nursing.”
The goal is to allow students to attend NIPA, and, with a curriculum based on Chamberlain University, provide them with an Associate’s degree in nursing, allowing for a seamless transfer to an American university to complete a Bachelor’s in Nursing; preferably with Chamberlain University, the release said. The launch and revamping of NIPA School of Nursing has officially begun, but is scheduled to be fully operational as of the first quarter of the NIPA 2021 semester.
NIPA said registrations are anticipated to begin as soon as the 2020 semesters. The entire signing was livestreamed via the NIPA Facebook Page. Drs. Dros urged viewers to be vigilant of the page’s activities, as a majority of the information from the Nursing School would be published there.
“AUC is excited to work with our Adtalem colleagues at Chamberlain University, as we expand our collaboration with NIPA, together increasing the opportunity for nursing education here in St. Maarten,” said Dr. Heidi Chumley, executive dean, AUC School of Medicine. “Creating a stronger health care workforce, through initiatives like this one, is a crucial part of growing quality health care in St. Maarten and the broader Caribbean community.”
“The partnership with NIPA provides a unique opportunity for Chamberlain to have a positive impact on the health of the people in St. Maarten,” said Karen Cox, Ph.D., R.N., president of Chamberlain University. “Like many areas of the world, there is a shortage of trained nurses and this agreement will help close that gap.”
Present at the signing were Drs. Dros and Annuska Friday-Illis, Vice-chair of the AVE Supervisory board of directors, along with other members of the NIPA Management and Support Team. Representing AUC were Executive Dean, Dr. Heidi Chumley and Hazarie Ramoutar, Campus Administrator. Attending on behalf of Chamberlain University was Provost, Dr. Carla Sanderson and her team; Senior Director of Partnerships Dr. Danika Bowen; Senior Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Kellie Bassell and Dr. Taryn Hill, Dean of Academic Affairs.
Also present was Eric Mitchell, Director of Government Relations for Adtalem, parent company for AUC and Chamberlain.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92713-nipa-partners-with-auc-and-chamberlain-university-to-launch-first-nursing-school
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