International Nursing Partnership

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Hi everyone,

I am a new member to allnurses.com. I am a Filipino nurse based in Ireland. The topics in this forum are just so interesting that I was reading the threads for whole day, non- stop! My interests are on nursing education, migration and globalisation. I wanted to become a sociologist or a lawyer but thanks to me bestfriend who's a nurse in California "inspired" me to do nursing instead.

I never thought that there is a big shortage of nursing faculty in the US, thanks to the site and all the members who continuously voicing out their opinions on relevant topics. In relation to wages, nursing educators in Ireland or UK are paid more than clinical practitioners (well, teachers are paid better here generally).

I've read the threads about varied interventions initiated by different American nursing schools in relation to nursing education (notably the International Nursing School, is it in the Carribean?).

Another program worth mentioning is the "International Nursing Partnership" between Alderson Broaddus College in West Virginia and Arellano University in the Philippines (both are private schools I think). I have attached the news article which explains a little bit about this partnership.

I am not sure if somebody has posted this news article (please direct me to this thread if somebody did) or maybe some of you have heard about it. I am very interested how nurses around the globe (users of this site) perceive this "unique" partnership. I hope to share my views as well.

NB: The program has commenced last June as confirmed by my niece in the Philippines who is in her final year in Arellano University.

I'm wishing a though- provoking discussion on this.

Thanks a lot!

A-B To Enroll First International Nursing Class

Alderson-Broaddus College is helping to curb the national nursing shortage by taking its regionally known nursing program abroad. On Wednesday, June 14, 2006 A-B enrolled its first class of international nursing students at Arellano University, Manila, Philippines. The Alderson-Broaddus International Center for Nursing will prepare students to be licensed as professional nurses in the United States and other underserved regions of the world.

More than thirty freshmen are expected to enroll in this first-ever international nursing partnership. The students will attend classes on the Arellano campus for the first three-years, with the opportunity to complete the clinical phase of their education on the A-B campus and take the NCLEX-RN exam in the United States. Upon graduation they will have the option of remaining in the United States to practice nursing.

"We believe that this partnership is the first of its kind in the world," said Stephen Markwood, A-B President. "Arellano University has fully adopted A-B's curriculum. They will use our syllabi, our textbooks, and our exams. Our nursing faculty have been personally training AU's faculty since 2004. This special AU Nursing Program will in essence be a satellite program of A-B."

Through this partnership students enrolling in the international nursing program will be admitted under A-B's admissions standards and will have to maintain A-B's academic standards in order to remain in the program.

"In June 2009, the seniors in this program will complete the clinical phase of their education at A-B and take the NCLEX-RN exam," said Markwood. "These students will be totally immersed into college life in rural Appalachia. They will stay in our residence halls, eat their meals in our cafeteria, and attend our campus activities."

Like A-B, Arellano University has a rich history in nursing. AU has the oldest and largest baccalaureate nursing program in the Philippines. They compete with other well-prepared professional nurses to become globally employable in other cultures, cope with the fast pace of nursing practice, and are influenced by the changing needs of health care.

"Both institutions are similar in the fact that we possess a two-fold mission function," said Markwood. "We both educate students for professional employment and we both change students lives forever."

Currently in West Virginia only 11.8% of all RNs are under the age of 30. Average age for all nurses in West Virginia is 43.4 years, and increasing. Data also shows that if this current trend continues, many of the retiring nurses will not be replaced due to insufficient education of new nurses. Too few students are graduating from West Virginia's 17 nursing schools. Thus, West Virginia is experiencing a dwindling number of students graduating from nursing education programs at a time of growing demand for their services.

A recent study by the West Virginia Department of Labor found that the number one need in West Virginia over the next decade will be nurses. The national nursing supply mirrors the local situation. The Department of Health and Human Services predicts a staggering shortfall of 810,000 nurses nationwide by 2020, representing a 29% vacancy rate, up from 7% today.

"With the launching of this collaborative effort, A-B has positioned itself once again as a pioneer in the health sciences," said Markwood. "A vitally important educational and health care niche that will serve us well in the 21st century."

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Alderson- Broaddus College is apparently one of the best nursing schools in America(?). Anybody from West Virginia? How much is the avarage nurse salary in W.V?