Since arriving in this province last month, the nurses completed practical nursing courses at the Centre for Nursing Studies to bridge the training they received in Jamaica as Enrolled Assistant Nurses .
On June 10, they begin two weeks of supervised clinical practice in the long-term care setting within the Eastern Urban zone in St. John’s; followed by a six-week clinical practice preceptorship with licensed practical nurses at sites from St. John’s to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, after which they will be employed as LPNs at those sites.
“We are excited to welcome these new nurses to NL Health Services,” said Joanne Pelley, vice president and chief nursing information officer for NL Health Services. “Partnerships like the one we have with the Centre for Nursing Studies and the College of Licensed Practical Nurses are essential in finding creative solutions to recruit health-care professionals locally, nationally, and internationally to live and work in all areas of this beautiful province.
In addition to the recruitment of these 13 nurses, plans are underway to recruit more EANs from Jamaica. They will join 156 internationally-educated nurses who are already licenced as RNs or LPNs within the NL Health Services system and will further complement over 300 recent nursing graduates from local nursing schools who began work with NL Health Services this spring.
“The Centre for Nursing Studies has a rich history of collaborating with the nursing profession and community colleges in Jamaica since the CNS offered its Practical Nursing program in Jamaica in 2009,” says Dr. Kathy Watkins, director, Centre for Nursing Studies. “We look forward to welcoming more EANs educated in Jamaica into this bridging education program in the coming months.”