Baylor Nursing Professor Travels To Philippines

by Judy Long

Dr. Jacquelin Neatherlin, a professor at Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas, will travel to the Philippines from March 27 until April 3 to interview between 20 and 30 scholarship candidates who wish to pursue a graduate degree beginning in the fall of 2004.
The School of Nursing is participating in the Sister Remy Junio Scholarship Program of the Global Scholarship Alliance (GSA) to bring Filipino nurses to the U.S. for master's study. Next fall, 10 of the interviewees will begin coursework toward a master of nursing science degree at the school.
Dr. Judy Wright Lott, dean of the nursing school, said Baylor is looking at the scholarship program as a mechanism to fulfill the imperative of its 10-year vision, Baylor 2012, to emphasize global education.
"Baylor has partnered with GSA and the Baylor University Medical Center to bring the students to enroll in our leadership track," Lott said.
"This plan works well for everyone. We can enroll the students in our program, Baylor Medical Center will have them to work part-time during their schooling and full-time for 18 months afterward and the Philippines will receive their nurses back prepared to teach in Philippine nursing schools and train nurses there."
Baylor 2012, a 12-point plan to move Baylor into the top-tier of American universities while reaffirming its distinctive Christian mission, encourages Baylor students to understand other cultures. The school promotes study abroad, exchange programs and a welcoming environment on campus for international students.
GSA seeks to combat the worldwide healthcare staff shortage by training nursing educators who will return to their native country to train nurses. Due to a worldwide shortage of health care workers, developed countries, like the U.S., are offering jobs to nursing professionals from third world countries and draining the supply of health care workers from the world's most disadvantaged people, said GSA chief executive officer Todd Bol.
Bol said many countries' health care systems are experiencing the pressures of recruitment of their nurses by Western economies.
"We need to develop sustainable health care staffing models to reverse this trend; otherwise, the richest economies will have virtually all the nurses, leaving health care systems around the world in a constant state of emergency for lack of nurses," said Bol.
For more information, contact the School of Nursing at (214) 820-3361.