Future Haitian Nurse Leaders Visit BWH

Nadia Raymond, RN, right, leads visiting nurses from Haiti on a tour.

When Jocelyne Mayas toured BWH last month, she couldn’t stop thinking about the hospital in her native Haiti where she cares for patients as a registered nurse.

“My vision for nursing in Haiti is to one day have an institution like the Brigham,” said Mayas, who, along with 14 other nurses from Haiti, toured the hospital as part of Regis College’s Haiti Project. The project is advancing education for Haiti nursing faculty by providing them with an opportunity to earn their master’s degree in nursing from Regis, focusing on nursing education and leadership.

Having close ties with Haiti, Partners In Health and Regis College, the Department of Nursing invited the group for a tour that included a visit to the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center and Tower inpatient units. Visitors had an opportunity to meet nursing staff, educators and leadership, ask questions and discuss nursing care and practice.

“Part of the program is empowering these nurses so they can go back to their respective hospitals and schools and provide leadership to their colleagues,” said Cherline Magny-Normilus, MSN, RN, FNP BC, MICU staff nurse and a faculty member at Regis College.

The group that visited BWH is the first cohort in this program. During the two-year program, nurses from different hospitals and clinics throughout Haiti attend summer classes at the college and complete other courses back home. Online courses are also available.

“The Department of Nursing is committed to providing the best care to our patients, and that mission extends globally as well,” said Patrice Nicholas, DNSc, DHL (Hon.), MPH, RN, ANP, FAAN, director of Global Health Nursing and Academic Partnerships. “Over the years, many of our nurses have taken their compassion and nursing skills all over the world. Being able to host the future nursing leaders in Haiti is yet another way to extend and carry out our mission.”

Nicholas added that nurses and nursing leadership are needed now more than ever in Haiti. “The earthquake destroyed a lot of the infrastructure, and as they continue to rebuild, it’s important to have the right hospital personnel in place to maintain that infrastructure,” she said.

MICU Nursing Director Kathleen Leone, MBA, BSN, RN, CCRN, said it was a pleasure to meet with the Haitian nurses during a round table discussion on intensive care unit practice.

“Nursing has a unique capacity to expand the resources available deep into the community,” she said. “The differences in health care infrastructure seemed to be overwhelming, but the commitment of these nurses is what will support the creation of a system that stretches resources efficiently. The program will hopefully provide educational opportunity and professional vision to these nurses.”