Central Asia Regional Nursing Education Project
AIHA sent a team of six faculty members from University of Minnesota School of Nursing to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan in May 2004 to conduct site assessments prior to selection of the Central Asian partner institutions for this regional nursing education program.
With input from USAID’s mission in Central Asia, the following schools were selected to participate:
- Almaty Nursing College (Kazakhstan)
- Astana Nursing College (Kazakhstan)
- Bishkek Nursing College (Kyrgyzstan)
- Kyrgyz State Medial Academy Higher Nursing Education Institute
- Borovsky Nursing College (Uzbekistan)
- Republican Scientific Center for Emergency Medical Services (Uzbekistan)
- Bukhara State Medical Institute’s Higher Nursing Education Department (Uzbekistan)
Tasked with the overall goals of updating undergraduate and graduate-level nursing curricula, as well as enhancing the leadership skills of nurses, the partners identified faculty and curriculum development, the provision of technical and equipment support, and the linkage of theoretical education with clinical education and training as key priorities for their collaboration.
Specific objectives included:
- Enhancing basic level nursing curricula (post 11th grade) at the State Medical College of Astana and Bishkek Nursing College;
- Enhancing nursing curricula at the advanced level (including master’s degree level) at Bukhara State Medical Institute in 2005 and at Almaty Medical College and Kyrgyz State Medical Academy in 2006;
- Increasing the nursing and pedagogical knowledge and skills of nursing faculty;
- Increasing access to educational and informational resources in support of curricular and faculty development objectives; and
- Enhancing the professional independence and leadership capacity of partner faculty.