October 2016


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The UWI School of Nursing (UWISoN) in partnership with the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative (SCI) launched a new Diploma in Paediatric Haematology/Oncology for Registered Nurses mid-September. The launch took place at the Academy of Nursing and Allied Health in El Dorado. The Minister of Health, the Honourable Terence Deyalsingh delivered the feature address.

The diploma is a component of the SCI’s Enhancing Capacity for Care in Paediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders project, a five-year partnership with the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health in Toronto, The UWI, Ministries of Health, and hospitals in six Caribbean countries. The overall goal of the initiative is to enhance the diagnosis and care of children with cancer and blood disorders in the SCI partner countries, and the Caribbean region.

Director of UWISoN, Dr Oscar Noel Ocho said, “This programme targets registered nurses working in paediatric wards. It is the only programme of its kind in the Caribbean that seeks to build clinical competence of Nurses in Paediatric Haematology/Oncology. UWISoN has been identified as the institution for the delivery of this curriculum and this is a welcomed opportunity to transform nursing education programmes through multi-sectoral collaboration”.

Foundational concepts in paediatric nursing, paediatric haematology/oncology nursing care, and nursing leadership will be covered throughout the programme. Grounded in the “flipped classroom” philosophy, it will be delivered using blended learning methodologies including e-learning, in-class workshops and clinical practicum. Successful candidates will be awarded a Diploma in Paediatric Haematology/Oncology Nursing. The content of programme for the first two cohorts will be jointly delivered by SickKids educators and lecturers at UWISoN, with SCI sponsoring 14 students in each cohort. Students in the programme come from the Caribbean territories where the SickKids-Caribbean Initiative also runs.

For further information on the diploma, please contact Shadiwsh Bailey at (868) 225-1026 ext. 3004. For more information about the SCI, please visit www.sickkids.ca/sci.