A hundred and ninety-five Jamaican practical nursing students, the first to be trained outside of Canada and accepted for that country, are set to graduate soon, having completed theoretical and practical exams.

The group of students was recently assessed by a team of 10 Canadian assessors from Norquest College in Alberta, in collaboration with the Pre-University School, the local institution which trained the practical nursing students in collaboration with Norquest.

According to Frances Palmer-Barlow, co-ordinator of the International Practical Nursing Programme at Norquest, the Jamaican students had displayed a high level of mastery of the course content and she was confident that the partnership with the Pre-University School would continue to blossom.

“We were very impressed with the breadth of knowledge and awareness displayed by the Jamaican student nurses, it is the first time that Canada will be accepting nurses trained outside the country for employment there and we’re confident that they will all find jobs in British Columbia, which is the province we are recruiting for,” she said.

Palmer-Barlow added that Norquest College is the largest nursing school in Canada and is highly recommended by Canadian employers.

The recruits will enjoy full immigrant status in Canada upon acceptance.

The assessment took place at the Pre-University Nursing School at the University Hospital. Lab tutor at the Pre-University School, Charlene Vasell outlined that the trainees were tested in areas such as assisting patients with walkers, facilitating chest examinations, dressing wounds and drains, documentation of patient illnesses and recognising and treating with symptoms of a range of common ailments, such as strokes and diabetes.

“This is essential to determining how well they have assimilated what they learnt during the course and how they would deal with some of the expected challenges on the job,” Vassel explained.

The students played interchangeable roles as nurse and patient as part of the simulation exercises in the practical component of the assessment. They also undertook written tests covering the spectrum of care required by young, elderly and maternal patients.

The pioneering batch of trainee practical nurses is drawn from three of the Pre-University School’s four campuses islandwide in Kingston, Montego Bay and Portmore.

The programme comes on stream at a time when the demand for qualified practical nurses is on the rise in Canada to meet the growing need for care for that country’s aging population and fits into the Ministry of Labour’s drive to find jobs overseas for qualified nationals.

The course is open to individuals between the ages of 18-49, with a matriculation requirement of three subjects including English Language, Human and Social Biology and Mathematics at CXC of GCE O’ Level. On application, students undergo an interview process and on selection become a part of this ever-expanding and life-changing experience.