On the occasion of International Nurses Day 2024, RCSI Medical University of Bahrain participated in a two-day online conference under the theme ‘A Voice to Lead – Influencing Global Health’, organised in collaboration with the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Keele University, UK, and featuring 20 distinguished speakers from global esteemed universities.

Among the participants, two nursing academics and two nursing students from the University delivered outstanding oral presentations on the themes of nursing leadership, AI in global health and global nursing competence. The conference served as a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration and inspiration, recognising the invaluable contributions of nurses to global healthcare and fostering the pivotal role that nurses play in shaping the future of healthcare systems worldwide. 

In this ongoing global context, RCSI Medical University of Bahrain recently concluded the latest curriculum review of its undergraduate nursing programme to further align its nursing graduate profile with the newest requirements of Bahrain’s health strategies and National Vision, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in addition to global requirements by the National University of Ireland (NUI).

Three key factors were identified as driving forces for the internationalisation of the University’s undergraduate nursing curriculum: a global shortage of professional and culturally sensitive nurses, changes in population demography in almost all nations and the evolution of global health issues. As a result, RCSI Medical University of Bahrain’s undergraduate nursing curriculum has been enriched with personal and professional development opportunities and experiences, including participation in varied community engagement activities. New themes have been added to the curriculum, such as refugee health, domestic violence, care of individuals with special needs, environmental health, artificial intelligence, nursing informatics, social inclusion and health care policy. The revised undergraduate nursing curriculum will commence in the new academic year 2024-2025.

Professor Kathryn Strachan, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, commented: “We believe that patient care and healthcare services are evolving toward global practices, and our latest undergraduate nursing curriculum has the depth and breadth to prepare our nursing students to cater to current and future needs. Thanks to our nursing programme and extracurricular activities, we aim for our future nurses to be ready upon graduation to work in a dynamic and diverse healthcare environment and meet the nursing workforce needs of Bahrain and beyond.”

Building on the noble purpose of RCSI’s mission, the School of Nursing and Midwifery has been working in close partnership with communities nationally and globally to prepare our future nurses to care for patients with diverse cultural backgrounds and health conditions.