News Releases

UWI formally launches new School of Nursing facility

For Release Upon Receipt - May 14, 2015

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – May 14, 2015 – On May 13, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal of The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine, Professor Clement Sankat was joined by the Honourable Dr. Fuad Khan, Minister of Health, Senator The Honourable Fazal Karim, Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, to formally launch The UWI School of Nursing (UWISoN), located in the Academy of Nursing and Allied Health in El Dorado.

UWISoN was established to meet the needs for specialist nursing personnel including administrators and educators. It is the only tertiary education institution in Trinidad and Tobago that offers specialist training for nurses. The school has been strategically positioned to develop nursing and midwifery professionals with core competencies in seven domains – Nursing Practice; Professional Conduct; Health Promotion and Maintenance of Wellness; Nursing Leadership and Management; Communication; Clinical Decision Making and Intervention; and Professional Development. The programme’s core focus, therefore, is the development of competent practitioners.

Speaking at the Ceremony, the Campus Principal said “Nurses represent the largest group of health professionals involved in the direct delivery of services at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care. Practitioners must have access to education programmes that are rooted in empirical data to enhance their capacity to deliver evidence-informed care and services… Most of the current leadership positions in administration and education in Trinidad and Tobago are graduates of UWISoN. This is testimony of the effect of the training and its relevance in achieving its mandate for the development of nurse leaders in Trinidad and Tobago.” He also applauded Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Professor Samuel Ramsewak and the Director of UWISoN, Dr. Oscar Ocho for their leadership and commitment to the success of this initiative.   

In his address, the Minister of Health restated his commitment to equipping nurses with the means to be the highest quality of staff possible. Minister Khan also expressed a desire to partner with the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training to develop scholarship opportunities for the nation’s nurses.

The Academy of Nursing and Allied Health in partnership with The UWI St. Augustine and COSTAATT is a unique partnership model for tertiary education provision and rationalization that addresses a pressing societal need.  Professor Sankat applauded the government for its support for what he called a “timely and relevant initiative; one that will significantly expand national capacity for nursing and allied health professionals.”

The 2014/2015 academic year as one of extraordinary expansion and exploit for the Faculty of Medical Sciences. In April, the Faculty formally opened The UWI Arima Dental Clinic, a modern dental facility that is dedicated to delivering dental services to the catchment area of Arima and its environs. On May 15, the Faculty will host a Sod Turning Ceremony for the expansion of the School of Dentistry at the Eric Williams Medical Complex at Mt. Hope.  These two initiatives, coupled with the launch of The UWI School of Nursing, coincided with the Faculty’s 25th Anniversary celebrations.

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

 

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.) 

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