Supporting a Nursing Program in a Low-Income Country: A Collaborative Project

Abstract

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.