Niagara College is virtually sharing Canadian nursing practices in Southeast Asia throughout the month of March through a partnership with one of the top universities in the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas (UST).
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of UST’s School of Nursing this year, UST wanted to provide a unique learning experience for its students through special guest lecture classes, offered online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This opportunity will allow students to gain a deeper understanding of Canada’s higher education programs and give them a chance to meet program administrators and alumni.
NC School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker associate dean Angela Butt is excited to share her industry expertise with students from across the globe.
“As COVID-19 has demonstrated, healthcare and healthcare concerns are global; we need to work together to strengthen our global response in all sectors that impact healthcare including education,” said Butt. “COVID-19 adds extra urgency to the need for mental health and gerontology services so it is a unique, opportune time to be discussing these specialties.”
The first of the two webinars took place on March 3. With over 250 students tuning in, the webinar focused on the topic of Mental Health Nursing Practice in Canada and highlighted NC’s Community Mental Health one-year graduate certificate program. Sharing her school and current working experience, the session was hosted by Registered Nurse, Kathrine Lim, who graduated from UST and from NC’s Palliative program in 2019.
The second webinar is set to take place on March 19 and will focus on Geriatric Nursing Practice in Canada, highlighting NC’s Gerontology one-year graduate certificate program. Other universities in the Philippines and institutions in Southeast Asia will be invited to attend the session, which will be hosted by Registered Nurse, Christine Turiano, who graduated from UST and from NC’s Palliative and Community Mental Health programs in 2019.
“I hope attendees will gain an appreciation for the need for healthcare providers to develop expertise in mental healthcare and /or gerontology; these are both growing areas of concern in healthcare but they continue to be under-resourced,” said Butt. “Investment in these fields will only grow if our healthcare providers promote a passion for them at the grass-roots.”
Niagara College enjoys a strong partnership with UST. Since 2014, the College has welcomed over 100 graduate students from UST’s Nursing School and looks forward to welcoming more students through this partnership for years to come.
For more information on Niagara College’s School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker, please visit niagaracollege.ca/nursing/.
