Ms Lauren Orlando1, Dr. Marsha Nicholson-Ramdeen1, Dr. Roxann Lewis-Roberts1
1St. George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada
St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, is home of four schools (medicine, veterinary, graduate, and undergraduate) which attracts faculty and students from over 140 countries. The undergraduate program population comprise mainly of Grenadian and but is quickly attracting students from other Caribbean islands. These students are taught predominantly in models based on the British educational system. These models facilitate learning through rote memorization, re-reading, and essay writing. This is in contrast to their university exams that emphasizes skills of critical thinking and multiple-choice questions. The Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR) is an exam that prospective nurses must pass with a grade of 66% in order to gain licensure in the Commonwealth. This exam comprises of 250 multiple choice questions within the fields of basic science and a specialized nursing curriculum. The exam structure raised concerns regarding the student’s level of preparation and prompted a partnership with the Department of Nursing and Allied Sciences and the Department of Educational Services learning strategists’ unit. Through this collaboration an intensive three-day a week workshop series was conducted for five months. The intensive workshop included critical thinking, question dissections, content linkage, and question timing. Out of 16 students registered, 10 participated in this workshop and successfully passed their RENR exam. With this internationally recognized certification, our students will now be able to practice throughout the Caribbean and not be limited to only one country. To further develop the collaboration, both departments will implement strategies throughout the three-year Nursing curriculum to enhance student learning and application. This presentation will illustrate the outline of the workshop series and how to utilize specialists in each department for the overall benefit of their students.
Biography:
Bio to come