What do IUBAT volunteers do when they are not teaching? Often they explore the local neighbourhood as well as downtown Dhaka and even further afield. In this photo Dan Hawkins, Arman Azad, Sam Simpson and Andrea Marrie stand outside Bangladesh’s famous National Assembly, designed by Louis Kahn.
Perhaps even more urgent than the demand for well-trained nurses in Bangladesh, is the need for effective nurse managers and educators. IUBAT faculty encourage the BSN students to think of themselves as future leaders of the profession. Their studies in Nursing Administration help them develop some skills. This course is also attended by practicing nurses and managers from our teaching hospital partners, ICDDRB and United Hospitals. The experienced practitioners always help the IUBAT students gain a realistic perspective on the challenges of management. The course includes a hospital management workshop, shown in this photo. In this day-long simulation, participants solve various problems related to personnel and care management issues. Visiting faculty Moira Cameron and Sam Simpson assisted Alex Berland in presenting the workshop.
In an editorial, Dr. Jane Robinson, editor of the International Nursing Review states, “ A briefing from the International Department of the Royal College of Nursing, England (http://rcn.org.uk) gives an update on the European Year of Volunteering 2011. The RCN gives as an example of international collaboration in nurse education the case study on a Canadian-Bangladeshi partnership published in INR (Berland et al. 2010). The RCN cites amongst the mutual benefits derived from the partnership: the material resources made available; the sharing of expertise between high and low income countries; professional development; and interaction between faculty and students. This seems to be a classic example of what the Europe for Citizens programme, which includes the European Year of Volunteering within its brief, aims to achieve ‘in bringing people closer together’…. In promoting participation and shared values, achieving intercultural dialogue, employment, social cohesion and sustainable development (European Commission – Citizenship 2010), it appears that nursing, once again, leads the way!”
