IUBAT at the School of Hope

Dhaka’s School of Hope provides free education to local poor children (http://www.schoolofhope.net/ ). Each year, IUBAT Nursing students provide free health screening as part of their training in Community Health. This summer they were taught by an educator from Vancouver Community College Nursing Department, Susan McNeill.

Susan says, “We screened approximately 200 kids for hearing, vision, height and weight. The students actively participated in developing and evaluating the program. The additional picture of Rakib at the white board shows an impromptu lesson during our global health class. He was illustrating the distribution of donor aid, and how most gets siphoned off before it reaches the end user. Part of one of our lively class discussions! I was impressed by these thinkers and future leaders.”

"An incredible experience"

A Canadian RN working in a busy emergency department, Danielle LeMoine, volunteered at IUBAT during spring 2011.  This photo shows her (back row, right) with Monique de Groot and medical-surgical students at United Hospital. “Teaching at IUBAT was an incredible experience …. I learned what it’s like living in a developing country, and saw first-hand the impact of social determinants of health like income, education and access to services. It is important for me to involve myself with projects that help create sustainable change… educating nurses is an excellent way to do this. Nurses can be leaders for change; we have all seen this in action. Sharing our knowledge and experiences, while helping build their confidence, practical and critical thinking-skills can help shape the future of nurses and health care delivery in Bangladesh.”

Thank you, Danielle, for your passion and effort.

International Nurses Day at United Hospital

Each year, the nurses of United Hospital celebrate International Nurses Day.  United Hospital [UH] is one of Dhaka’s major international hospitals and an IUBAT affiliate. This an excellent setting for our students to practice medical-surgical nursing. At this year’s Nurses Day festivities sponsored by the hospital, management made a huge effort to show their support for nurses.  IUBAT volunteers were proud to be invited. The UH nurses read poems they had written about their nursing experiences, and performed traditional songs and dances. Kudos to UH for the great work they’re doing to elevate the status of nursing in Bangladesh!