RCSI Bahrain celebrated International Nurses Day this month with a joint two-day online conference under the theme of “Cultural Perspectives in Nursing and Midwifery 2023” with four international universities.

From the School of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI Bahrain, five participants presented their experiences with the Nethersole School of Nursing at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Keele University, UK, the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka, and the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.

Dr Husain Ali Nasaif, Senior Lecturer in Nursing and Director of BSc Nursing Programme, RCSI Bahrain, commenced the round of presentations by providing his update on the “Internationalisation of Nursing Undergraduate Curriculum: A Window for Cultural Awareness”. Dr Nasaif highlighted several driving forces behind the internationalisation of the nursing undergraduate curriculum, such as a global shortage of competent, professional and culturally sensitive nurses, changes in population demography in almost all nations, as well as the evolution of global health issues. 

Dr Nasaif explained, “We work in partnership with communities nationally and globally to prepare future nurses to provide care to patients with diverse health problems and cultural backgrounds. In addition, we collaborate with Bahraini institutions to identify health priorities and improve wellbeing in accordance with the national health strategies and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a result, we are embedding in our new nursing undergraduate curriculum, one compulsory elective module to enrich the personal and professional development and experiences of our nursing students through participation in varied community engagement activities.” 

Also participating in the conference were senior nursing students, Ms Maria Trinidad and Ms Thajba Yaqoob Abdulrahman, who shared their experiences of participating in the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Congress held in Portugal in December 2022, along with Ms Sana Alhaj and Ms Hanan Faraj, who shared their learnings from their participation in the nursing exchange programme with Keele University, UK, in July 2022.

Professor Kathryn Strachan, newly appointed Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery and former Director of Quality and Academic Development at RCSI Bahrain, commented: “I am delighted that in collaboration with global universities, we have the opportunity to share our mutual knowledge and experience to create truly global experiences for our nursing students. Patient care and healthcare services are evolving toward global practices, and we will continue to adapt our nursing undergraduate curriculum to cater to current and future needs.”  

Since the establishment of RCSI Bahrain’s School of Nursing and Midwifery in 2006, the university has graduated a total of 1,232 nurses as of November 2022 with an employment rate of 97%as of June 2023.