Global Scholarship Alliance Welcomes Indian Nurses to Midwestern State University and United Regional Health Care System
Five qualified international nurses to be part of four and a half year program that includes higher education and academic training.
Cincinnati and Wichita Falls, Texas (PRWEB) June 13, 2005 –- Global
Scholarship Alliance (GSA) today welcomed five foreign nurse-scholars into its
innovative cultural exchange program in partnership with Midwestern State
University (MSU) and United Regional Health Care System (URHCS) in Wichita
Falls, Texas. The program is designed to help improve the global nursing
shortage by producing the next generation of nurse leaders and educators through
higher education and world-class academic training at American universities and
hospitals. Of the five nurse-scholars from India, three will pursue Masters of
Nursing (MSN) degrees and two will achieve bachelor’s degrees (BSN) at MSU while
also working part-time at URHCS.
“These nurse scholars represent some of
the best nurses in India who are determined to not only improve themselves
academically and professionally, but also to improve healthcare for their home
country,” said Susan Sportsman, dean of the College of Health Sciences &
Human Services at MSU. “GSA offers a unique program that allows us to expand our
nursing programs beyond traditional boundaries and create a unique and diverse
learning environment. We look forward to their contributions in our classrooms,
at our partner hospital, and back in India.”
Participants in GSA’s
program at MSU receive full MSN and BSN scholarships to the John and Nevils
Wilson School of Nursing and are eligible to work part-time at URHCS during the
period of study. Upon completion of the program, the nurse-scholars must return
to India for at least two years, where they will lead the next generation of
nurses as clinical instructors, nurse leaders or hospital administrators.
“We have always had a strong relationship with MSU and the university’s
Wilson School of Nursing,” added Pam Bradshaw, chief nursing officer at URHCS.
“This program allows us to expand our relationship while continuing to provide
quality healthcare to our patients during a time when the number of trained U.S.
nurses is shrinking rapidly. We recognize the global nursing shortage, and are
pleased to participate in a program that helps to give nurses from all countries
the opportunity to expand their learning and gain valuable on-the-job training
that they can use to improve healthcare abroad.”
The Global Scholarship
Alliance selection process ensures only first-rate nurses are accepted into the
program. GSA carefully evaluates educational transcripts, licensing board
scores, work histories, clinical experiences, references, and background checks.
In addition, prospective nurse-scholars are required to have the
following:
• Registered nursing license from their home
country,
• Two or more years of hospital experience, and
• Must pass the U.S. nursing exam and a language
proficiency exam.
If nurse-scholars meet the challenging criteria, they are
then personally selected by representatives from the universities and hospitals
through face-to-face interviews in the nurse’s home country.
“India’s
most talented nurses have been leaving for higher pay in developed countries for
many, many years,” explained Reene John, lecturer at TMM College of Nursing in
Tiruvalla Kerala, India and former nursing administrator at Kochi Kerala’s
Gautham Hospital. “This trend is having a monumentally negative impact on the
quality of nursing education and healthcare in India. The innovative program
offered by Global Scholarship Alliance will provide the opportunity these nurses
are looking for, while also returning them to India at the program’s completion
with greatly enhanced technical skills and education. They will contribute to
the nursing programs and healthcare system here in India as faculty, nurse
leaders or hospital administrators. I’m proud to be a part of GSA’s effort to
improve nursing globally.”
GSA’s program also helps U.S. hospitals
achieve their goals of maintaining safe nurse-patient ratios, increasing staff
diversity and continuity of care, and reducing dependency on staffing agency
nurses. The hospitals achieve these objectives within nursing union guidelines
and without displacing positions that would otherwise go to American nurses.
“The GSA program is one of a kind, and we continue to identify
universities and hospitals that recognize the benefits of working with
international nurses to not only improve the nursing shortage in the United
States, but also to help eliminate the worldwide crisis,” commented J. William
DeVille, chief executive officer at Global Scholarship Alliance. “Our goal at
GSA is to continue to find qualified nurses that have a vision for better
healthcare at home and match them up with U.S. universities and hospitals that
share a similar vision of improving patient care worldwide.”
About Global
Scholarship Alliance:
Global Scholarship Alliance partners with leading U.S.
universities and healthcare organizations in an effort to enrich nursing
globally by providing scholarships and professional development for future nurse
leaders and educators, building alliances between leading U.S. universities and
hospitals, and fostering the equitable distribution of nurses throughout the
world. The company facilitates cultural exchange programs and provides
scholarships to foreign nurses who seek professional development through the
combination of a U.S. Masters of Science in Nursing degree and academic training
in a U.S. hospital. U.S. universities and hospitals benefit from a long-term
solution to declining enrollment and the global nursing shortage; and through
the requirements of the program, Masters-degreed and U.S. hospital trained
nurse-scholars return to contribute to the education and training of future
nurses in their home countries. The company currently provides scholarships to
nurses from a variety of countries including the Philippines, India, Canada, and
the United Kingdom. Global Scholarship Alliance has alliance partnerships in
Kansas, Ohio, New York, Minnesota, and Texas. More information is available at
www.GlobalScholarship.net or by contacting Steve Albert at
513-665-4544.
Contact:
Steve Albert
513-665-4544
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb250651.htm