Testament to the Commitment of the IUBAT Nursing Students

Christine Eugenio, RN, completed her final preceptoriship through Vancouver Community College at IUBAT and describes the experience as life changing. ” Because of the rich experience I had, I feel I am better equipped as a nurse to inquire into the diverse health care needs of patients based on socio-economic, political, and cultural perspectives.”  She was moved by the IUBAT nursing students ability and dedication, “It was inspiring to see student nurse leaders at IUBAT show commitment to nursing excellence in Bangladesh through research and community involvement.  IUBAT nursing students showed unparalleled resilience and adaptability as they work through an international nursing curriculum. Working with IUBAT nursing students was such a positive and humbling experience. We worked together in various activities which included health assessments for IUBAT students and faculty and for underprivileged school-aged children at School of Hope. The success of those activities showed the crucial role of nurses in community health and helped foster a positive image of nursing in Bangladesh. The success was also a testament to IUBAT nursing students’ strong nursing foundation, determination, and perseverance. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from, share nursing knowledge and experiences with, and to work alongside the future nurse leaders who are bound to change the face of nursing in Bangladesh.”  

Opportunities for Posterity, a Bengali Not-for-Profit Social Welfare Organization, Awards Scholarshi

On October 28th, Opportunities for Posterity (OfP) awarded various scholarships and health supports at its office and computer literacy center located in the village of Balagram of Jaldhaka under Nilphamari district, also known as the famine region of Bangladesh. Depending on financial needs, scholarships ranging from 600-3500 taka ($7 – $42Cnd) were given to students as well as Health Supports from 600-1100 taka ($7 to $13Cnd) were given to laborers. OfP’s chairman and founder, Mr. Md Rabiul Islam, was present to distribute the scholarships and to meet the beneficiaries. At the ceremony he introduced the organization by saying, “OfP is running a distinguished program that utilizes local resources through investments in agro-business to benefit the impoverished communities and to promote technology based education and agricultural productivity so as to ensure a better world for posterity. OfP’s working priorities include poverty, food & nutrition, education, technology, agriculture & environment, income generation, health services, sanitation and the like”.

In addition, OfP is also funding a rice mill to be completed by December 2012 and a literacy center, which benefits hundreds of families in the area. In the future, the organization hopes to open a Polytechnic Institute to provide access to technical education, free of cost, to thousands of students.

OfP is strengthening community resilience through sustainable programs that use local resources allowing small investments go a long way. To learn more, visit their website at http://www.ofpbd.org/

VCC students learning and teaching at IUBAT

This summer, Christine Jhoan Eugenio and other senior students from the Vancouver Community College BSN program completed preceptorships at IUBAT. In the photos, Christine is shown with her classmates, Anastasia Vlasova and Josh Gardiner. Christine writes, “My colleagues and I did a presentation on HIV/AIDS for the junior nursing students.  The presentation mainly focused on the stigma attached to HIV and the importance of providing compassionate care to ALL patients.  We used the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Ethics to discuss the professional responsibility of nurses, especially to vulnerable populations such as HIV+ patients.  A puzzle activity called How to provide care to HIV+ patients helped the students understand nurses’ responsibility to provide competent, ethical care. In a group activity, we asked the students to develop a teaching strategy (a skit, a comic, or a poster) to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS and reduce stigma. By developing values such as compassionate nursing care, IUBAT graduates will be able to practice in ways that foster positive images of nursing in Bangladesh.  The students’ comments showed that they enjoyed and learned from our presentation.  One wrote, “It was the best presentation that I had ever seen. I really liked how you involved us and made it so very interesting.  The puzzle and drama helped to make us creative and knowledgeable.” I am glad that I was able to share my nursing knowledge to influence other future nurses.  It was great working with and learning from the IUBAT students. I was impressed by their enthusiasm and creativity and I appreciate how they welcomed us in their classroom and treated us as their peers.