Head’s Welcome Address

As the new Head of the University of the West Indies School of Nursing (UWISON), it is a pleasure to welcome all new and returning students for the academic year 2010-2011.

The School has a long history of providing quality nursing education fostered by visionary and committed leadership. I feel honoured to be given the opportunity to lead the School in this phase of its development.

In recent years the School has seen significant expansion both in the number of nursing students and lecturers and in the teaching facilities. The facilities now include a state of the art skills laboratory, with a range of patient simulators which allows students to develop and practice skills in a safe environment. New classrooms and lecture theatres, as well as recreational and study spaces have been added.

Building on the successes and academic excellence that has been achieved to date, the future focus of the School will continue to be the development of nursing knowledge through scholarship and research and the application of that knowledge to deliver nursing education that contribute to improving health care outcomes.

As undergraduate and postgraduate students in nursing, you have chosen to be part of the largest group of health care professionals. With the developing complexity in health care delivery, nursing careers have become more flexible, diverse and rewarding. Nurses are taking on new and enhanced roles such as, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, nurse consultant and independent nurse prescribers. We aim to educate nurses who are competent to deliver the best quality care in a range of settings and who will become future leaders, contributing to the advancement of healthcare and of the profession of nursing. With the current international shortage of qualified nurses, a range of job opportunities are available nationally, regionally and internationally.

My vision is that the UWI School of Nursing, Mona will be recognized regionally and internationally for providing excellence in nursing education through innovative programmes that are responsive to global health challenges and for generating high quality interdisciplinary and international research. Achieving this vision will only be possible when the whole school, including the students is committed to it. We will therefore strive to foster a student centered culture, where the students are our top priority and opportunities are afforded for students to engage in our vision and development. Whilst we will continue to challenge our students to enable them to achieve their full potential and to maintain academic standards, we will continue to strive to work with students in a supportive, sensitive and respectful manner.

 

Dr. Joanna Bennett PhD, RN, RM