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The plight of the people of Haiti that came to the world's attention following the devastating earthquake there in 2010 has for the most part receded into the background amid other issues despite their continuing economic and health problems. The purpose of this article is to explore the experiences of the first graduate nurse students in Haiti. The program is funded and operated by a nonprofit, nongovernment nursing organization, Promoting Health in Haiti, based in New York City. A narrative was generated by doing focus groups and interviews with 10 of the students in the program. Three themes found in the narrative are pressing on amid uncertainty and unanswered questions, living and learning amid competing responsibilities, and enjoying support while learning new skills that can make a difference. The implications for graduate nurse education in low-resource countries are discussed.

Background: Healthcare professionals' number in Haiti is reported to be 5,400: 2.8 per 1000, or 1.8 nurses and one physician per 10,000 people. There is a need for well-trained professional nurses to care for the population and educate incoming nursing professionals. The City University of New York's (CUNY) involvement in a project to strengthen the nursing school at the Université Publique d'Artibonite aux Gonaives (UPAG), is an essential initiative that can help improve Haiti's health care system.Methods : Members of the CUNY faculty team traveled to Haiti to conduct the initial needs assessment. They met with students and faculty at UPAG. A program was designed to respond to the need's assessment findings. CUNY faculty for the UPAG project were selected from a core member of CUNY Chancellor's Haiti Initiative team. It included educational sessions for senior students and an opportunity for UPAG nursing faculty to participate in a professional development program. Conclusion:The project fulfilled the needs for faculty and students' supports. However, there is still more work to be done. To this end, two UPAG nursing faculty participated in a Master's in Nursing program at Regis University and CUNY faculty continued to support students through a mentorship program.

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