20 / 32
VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica |
February 2017
20
She noted that the CSON achieved the highest pass rate in the Regional
Examination for Nursing students in 2015 and also shared that nursing
student, Miss Kaysha Foote, copped the 2015 LASCO/NAJ Student Nurse
of the Year award.
Train Nurses for International Communities
Prof. Stephen Vasciannie, CD, President, UTech, Ja. in his remarks, lauded
the students and their lecturers on their achievement. In addressing the
chronic shortage of nurses caused by their migration to “greener pastures,”
Prof Vasciannie said, “Jamaica can and should be training a much larger
pool of nurses not just for our local sector, but also for access to international
communities.” He shared that a recent World Bank study on nursing labour
in CARICOM countries showed that if current policies remain the same, the
gap in the nursing shortage will grow from the present figure of 3, 400 to
10,700 by 2015. He also shared that current data reveals that the USA
has projected that the country will need 1.2 million trained nurses by the
year 2022.
Prof. Vasciannie opined that with proper arrangements with foreign
governments, Jamaica could gain significant foreign exchange earnings
from training nurses for the export market. He suggested that, “through
structured training agreements with overseas government we [could]
provide the required training of their own people for re-entry into their
respective economies once they have been trained here.” He also noted
that, conversely a structured arrangement with foreign governments could
require their investment in strengthening our healthcare infrastructure so
that more nurse can be trained for both countries.
Noting that UTech, Jamaica is doing its part in helping to fill the large gap
for trained nurses,” the President reported that since 2007 the University
has graduated some 678 nurses, with the yearly intake of midwifery and
nursing students at both the Papine and Montego Bay campuses steadily
increasing, with an intake of 192 students for the 2016/2017 academic
year.
President, Nurses Association of Jamaica, Mrs. Janet Coore-Farr who
brought greetings to the nursing students, stressed the importance of
exercising empathy in their profession, noting that a patient may never
remember a nurse’s name but will always remember how they are treated.
With a ratio of only 1 dentist for every 17,000 persons in the population
and in some areas as low as 1 dentist for every 53,000 persons in the
population, the Dean further points out that “the public health outreach
thrust also provides our students with a full appreciation of the community
and the landscape in which they are going to work and enables them to
become competent very quickly.”
Dental Prosthetic Laboratory
The Dental Prosthetic Laboratory established in January 2015 at the
College of Oral Health Sciences, Arthur Wint campus has added another
significant dimension to the service and outreach capacity. The first of
its kind established at any oral health training facility in Jamaica, The
Dental Prosthetic Lab has been set up with the support of Great Shape!
Volunteers
Bob and Dr. Sonja Irlbeck
working along with members
of faculty, staff and UTech, Jamaica’s Dental Laboratory Technician
students. The Lab boasts state-of-the art equipment comparable to the
best of such facilities in the world and has provided several complete
removable dentures and partial removable dentures to patients free of
cost through the Great Shape! Mission in rural Jamaica.
Professional Licence and Accreditation
The competent authority for entrance to the dental profession in Jamaica
is the Dental Council of Jamaica. The College of Oral Health Sciences
was recognized by the Dental Council of Jamaica in accordance with the
Dental Law of 1972.
It was also evaluated and recognized by the Commission on Dental
Competency Assessments (CDCA) in June 2014. The CDCA is an
independent international competency assessment agency for ensuring
that the highest standard of dentistry is maintained. The Dental Council
of Jamaica is currently a member of the CDCA and recognizes this exam
in licensing candidates for local practice. In this regard, on successful
completion of the CDCA examination, UTech’s graduates will be eligible to be
licensed by the Dental Council of Jamaica and by various states in the USA.
UTech, Jamaica is committed to all processes of relevant accreditation
for all of its courses of study and intends to meet every accreditation
standard required for its Oral Health courses of study. The College
has established a highly qualified accreditation team which is currently
engaged in the self-study and other internal processes in preparation for
having its courses of study accredited.
College of Oral Health Sciences students attend to patients receiving treatment
at the College’s “Campus Smiles” dental health clinic hosted recently at UTech,
Jamaica’s Papine Campus.
Cont’d from page 18
Cont’d from page 19
Prof. Stephen Vasciannie, CD (centre) pose with proud male nursing and midwifery
students from left, Noel Wright, Gillon Lindo, Romoy Richards, Javel McGowan,
Odean Forbes, Jason Grandison and Eric Armstrong.