Filipino nurses help upgrade skills of Cambodian counterparts

The Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia successfully concluded the 1st batch of the Cambodia Nurse Bridging Program (CNBP) conducted by the University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila) College of Nursing on January 28 through its Recognition Ceremony. According to Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires Myca Fischer, the CNBP provided indispensable technical support for the upgrading of the Associate Degree in Nursing to Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Cambodia.

The first batch  of the CNBP is composed of 29 members of the nursing faculty of Cambodia’s University of Health Sciences (UHS) and the regional training centers from the four Cambodian provinces of Battambang, Kampot, Kampong Chang, and Steung Tren.

The CNBP is a two-year in-country capacity-building program that was launched on February 19, 2013, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UHS and UP Manila.  Australia, through the World Health Organization, provided funding support.

UHS Rector Professor Saphonn Vonthanak thanked UP Manila for its dedication and excellence in conducting the bridging program and expressed the hope that this would not be the first and last nurse bridging program the Philippines will conduct. He requested the help of the Philippines in UHS’ ultimate goal of establishing Cambodia’s first college of nursing, which will greatly contribute to the professionalization of nursing in Cambodia.

In her keynote address, UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla noted that the CNBP advanced the education of Cambodian nurses through a competency-based and community-oriented curriculum that is expected to contribute to the overall health situation in Cambodia. She encouraged the graduates of the program to serve as “the ‘bridge’ for future Cambodian nurses to be molded as nurses able to care for individuals, families, population groups, and communities in all settings.”

UP Manila’s College of Nursing implementation of this program is part of its role as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Leadership in Nursing Development.

Ms. Fischer noted, “The Philippines has always championed the socio-cultural concerns in ASEAN and this program is a concrete example of the Philippines’ contribution to the evolution of ASEAN as a sharing and caring community.”