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HEALTHCARE EDUCATION CONT’D
nursing education in Haiti, he continued, adding that the pieces eventually fell into place for what would become the Haiti Nursing Continuing Education Program, for which Elms would partner with the Episcopal University of Haiti and its school of Nursing.
That was back in early 2019, said Du- may, adding that there were visits to Haiti by officials at Elms and those with the Kel- logg Foundation to explore the facilities of the Episcopal University of Haiti’s School of Nursing and meet with officials there to brainstorm about how the initiative could take shape.
Eventually, continuing education for nurse educators became the focus, he went
“We had to adjust our course time because, once darkness comes,
it becomes much more dangerous. It became an example of the ways we had to work with our students to make sure we were not only providing them with a great education, but also keeping them safe.”
on, adding that a ‘train-the-trainer’ model was identified as the most effective course of action — figuratively but also quite literally.
“We know that a lot of the nurse educators in Haiti are at varying degrees
of preparation, and we heard from our partners from the healthcare system in Haiti that the nurses that are coming out
of the various schools of nursing in that country have varying degrees of prepara- tion as well,” Dumay explained. “So helping to reinforce the capacity, the level, and the preparation of nurse educators in Haiti so that they, in turn, can teach the nurses who are on the front lines became the concept that we created.”
With a $750,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation, plans were put in place for two cohorts of 24 faculty members from ap-
proved nursing schools across Haiti to take part in this ‘train-the-trainer’ program, he noted, adding that the original plan was for in-person classes at the Episcopal Univer- sity of Haiti — specifically a “very intense” once-a month model.
Obviously, this plan had to change, because of COVID but also other factors, including the growing danger of traveling from one province to another in Haiti,
said Dumay, noting that the program was halted at one point as plans were developed for an online format. This was a challeng-
ing adjustment because of the need to provide the nurse educators with needed equipment in the form of laptops and hotspots — and then actually getting this equipment into their hands, an assignment fraught with challenge on many levels, from the transportation and safety issues to the pandemic itself.
“We worked with and leveraged the network of the telephone company in Haiti, which has stores throughout the country,” he said. “We worked with them to coordi- nate the distribution of the technology to
individuals all across Haiti; it was a logisti- cal feat to be able to have all of the students have access to that material so they could complete the program.”
Overall, said Mistivar, the move to a remote format provided other learning opportunities.
“Not only did they learn about nursing, but also about technology,” she told HCN, adding that the students were nurses repre- senting all 10 provinces in Haiti. Some were
Please see Elms, page 26