Nurses can acquire higher education without quitting job

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) launched a new educational initiative to support the career of nurses working in the field, enabling them to seek higher education without having to leave their jobs. As part of this initiative, the DHA has signed an MoU with the University of Bradford, which is one of the top British universities in health studies in the UK and provides nurses who have a diploma with an opportunity to obtain a bachelor’s degree within one year, without having the need to leave their jobs. The MoU was signed by Dean of the School of Health Studies and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Bradford University Shirley Congdon on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford Professor Mark Cleary and the Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid Senior DHA officials including Deputy Director-General Khalid Al Shaikh Mubarak and the Director of Medical Education Khalil Qayed were present at the the signing ceremony. Speaking about the importance of this initiative, Al Murooshid said that the authority takes into consideration the requirements for developing all professions in the medical field, especially nursing and midwifery, which is a field that has been given due importance by the UAE Council of Ministers and the UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council, which is chaired by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Al Murooshid said that the move is in line with the authority’s aim to provide high-quality healthcare professionals, foster a culture of medical education and develop skills of healthcare professionals. The Director of Medical Education at the DHA Dr Khalil Qayed said ‘Growth of human resources especially in the medical field is of vital importance. Both local and expatriate nurses at the DHA expressed their keenness to undertake educational courses and we are glad to provide them with this opportunity.’ He said the nurses will enter an intensive one year program without having to leave their jobs. He added that this program will provide an opportunity for those nurses who were previously unable to obtain their bachelor’s degree due to certain circumstances. He said that the DHA chose to partner with Bradford University given their reputation and high ranking in this field. ‘We wanted to look for a partner who is well renowned in the field and the University of Bradford’s School for Health Studies is considered to be one of the best in the field of nursing.’ Senior Development Officer of DHA Medical Education Department Dr Roxanne Nematollahi said: ‘Capacity building for nurses is very important and this program will open the door for nurses to undertake higher studies while continuing their work, making it convenient for more nurses to opt for higher education. In time, the program will be available for all nurses in the UAE.’ Dean of the School of Health Studies and Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Bradford University Shirley Congdon said: ‘This is the first health science program in the UAE and we are very pleased to sign a MoU in this regard, especially as DHA is one of the oldest healthcare providers in the Emirate. We look forward to future cooperation in this field.’