The Loyola University Chicago School of Nursing has partnered with Yersin University School of Nursing in Dalat and the Lam Dong Province Nursing Association in a unique Masters of Science in Nursing programme. Six Vietnamese teachers of nursing are enrolled in the two and a half year programme, which begins in June 2011.
The programme is one of several organised by the Loyola Vietnam Centre, an educational enterprise set up by Loyola University Chicago as part of its long-term educational commitment to Vietnam. The university has dedicated financial and personal resources to improving the professional capacity of Vietnamese educators, with the emphasis on “training the trainers” and “educating the educators”. Loyola Chicago is the only American university to be granted an operating license in the country by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.
“After an examination of the needs of professional Vietnamese educators and what Loyola Chicago can offer to meet those needs, the university decided to focus much of our energy and resources on professional nursing and health care,” said Fr Julio Giulietti SJ, Director of Loyola Vietnam Centre.
“Vietnam’s healthcare system is greatly overburdened. Half its population of 92 million is under the age of 35, so preventative community healthcare, so often delivered by nurses, is critical to the health and overall development of the nation.”
The Masters of Science in Nursing programme, which is conducted in three parts, began on June 25. The first part consists of five weeks in Chicago, half of which will be dedicated to English language classes and the other half spent in the Loyola University Medical Centre.
The second part is two years and will take place in Vietnam. Each semester, a nursing professional from Loyola University Chicago will travel to Vietnam to conduct a three-week intensive course on an area of nursing science. Additional instruction will be provided online.
The final part of the programme will take place at Loyola Chicago Medical Centre in June 2013. The Vietnamese nurses will shadow their American mentors as they teach nursing students, and work on their chosen area of nursing specialisation e.g. paediatric nursing or oncology nursing.
Upon successful completion of the programme, the six Vietnamese teachers of nursing will receive a unique master’s degree from Loyola Chicago for use solely in Vietnam. They will also be qualified to teach nursing at an advanced level in the country.
“It is Loyola Chicago’s hope that these nurses will be the first of many who can, little by little, bring about positive change to an overburdened health care system,” said Fr Julio.