Under the patronage of His Excellency, Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health, RCSI Bahrain recently launched a nationwide campaign on the Positive Promotion of Nursing (PPON).

Key nursing stakeholders in Bahrain attended an event at RCSI Bahrain to officially inaugurate the campaign, including nurses, doctors and officials from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education.

The event commenced with a welcome note by the University’s Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Seamus Cowman, who introduced the PPON campaign and later discussed the implementation of the programme with the stakeholders and addressed their questions and concerns.

The campaign was initiated as part of the PhD findings of the Director of the BSc in Nursing Programme at RCSI Bahrain, Dr Eman Tawash, entitled ‘Promoting Nursing as a Career Choice in Bahrain: Implementation and Evaluation of a Stakeholder Model for Best Practice’, which was presented to the guests.

Health Workforce Development and Nursing Consultant, Dr Fariba AlDarazi, provided the guests with information in relation to nursing shortages from a World Health Organisation perspective.

With the aim of building a positive perception of nursing as a viable career choice to encourage Bahraini high school seniors to choose nursing as a career, RCSI Bahrain will recruit ambassadors including current nursing students, alumni, career counsellors, teachers and nursing and medical professionals.

The ambassadors will be a part of the University’s Mobile Engagement team, who will visit local schools and communities to educate them on the role of a nurse, the value of the occupation and the career opportunities available.