Grameen Caledonian
College of Nursing
A collaboration between Glasgow Caledonian University and Grameen Trust
GCCN NEWSLETTER
Autumn 2010
Letter from Professor Barbara Parfitt
the Principal of the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing
Thank you for taking the time to read
our first GCCN newsletter. I do hope
that you will enjoy it and that it will help
you share some of the excitement of
this nursing project. We opened our
College on 1st March 2010 after only a
few short months to prepare and a few
even shorter weeks to set in place all
the necessary infrastructure to admit
40 students. As a result of a lot of hard
work and support from many of the
Grameen organisations we now have the
beginnings of a first class facility.
The young women who are eligible
for entry into our college are from the
Grameen Bank borrowers’ families,
therefore by definition poor and largely
from the rural areas. We aim to prepare
them to be well educated professional
nurse leaders.
We want our students through the use of
problem solving and critical thinking skills
to recognise the contribution that they
can make to Bangladeshi society and in
particular its health service. To be change
agents promoting the move towards the
integrated delivery of care in the primary
health care setting and the provision
of high quality care for hospitalised
patients.
We also aim to establish a research
centre that will focus on building the
evidence base for nursing and midwifery
practice in Bangladesh, identifying the
contributory factors that higher education
for young women have on the poverty
cycle, and we also plan to monitor the
development of the nursing college as an
effective social business. We aim to build
the capacity of our staff and students
so that they will be able to make a
substantial contribution to our research
and engage in scholarly activity.
As the founding Principal I have had the
privilege of working with a great team
who are open to new ideas and want to
provide the best possible education for
our students. I have asked them to share
something of what they are doing with
you in this paper.
I do hope you enjoy reading this
newsletter and will keep in touch with us.
Best wishes
Barbara
Professor Barbara Parfitt
For more information please contact:
Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing
Ms Rafia Muntasira
[email protected]
Our vision is to establish a
nationally and internationally
recognised institution for nursing
and midwifery education in
Bangladesh.
We aim to
•prepare young women to become
leaders and agents for change who
will promote improvement in the
health and well being of the people
of Bangladesh and elsewhere in
the world;
•deliver an international quality of
nursing and midwifery education
and research;
•be recognised as an institution that
is a leader in the field of nursing
and midwifery education and
research in South Asia and
elsewhere in the world;
•ensure that our students experience
an education that prepares them
with the skills and expertise they
need for life long learning;
•be creative in our approach to
learning and teaching using
adult learning approaches with our
students;
•be inclusive in our activities working
closely with the government, partner
organisations and institutions.
The students’
experience in
learning computer
skills
Students in Grameen Caledonian
College of Nursing are learning how
to use the computer. This is really
important for their everyday lives in
this modern World.
Before starting the course, most of the
students were not familiar with using
a computer. Many of them had never
touched or even seen one. As part of
their programme computer classes
were organised in the department of
Grameen Communications providing
them with the opportunity to develop
their computer skills.
The Computer Lab in Grameen
Communication is ideal, it is well
equipped and a comfortable
environment. The teachers are very
co-operative and patiently teach the
students. There are good interpersonal
relationships between the students
and the teachers which helps the
students to learn. Our students have
learned to use Microsoft office as well
as email. Our aim is that students
will be able to access face book by
Christmas and link with friends and
fellow students round the World.
Poly Immaculata Costa
Nursing
the Future
Together
Grameen Trust joins Glasgow Caledonian
University UK to bring world class
nursing education in Bangladesh
The health of the world population is
seriously implicated by the shortage of
well trained nurses. Bangladesh as well
as many developed and developing
countries need many nurses to support
their health services.
A leading University in Scotland, UK; the
Glasgow Caledonian University has come
forward to join Grameen to establish the
Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing
to meet the ever growing demand of
nurses in Bangladesh and elsewhere.
The brain child of Professor Yunus:
Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing
is the brain child of Noble Laureate
Professor Muhammad Yunus. Under the
Grameen Nursing Initiative, Professor
Yunus envisioned to set up a series of
Nursing Colleges in Bangladesh. GCCN
is the first step on that mission.
Institutional Approval by the Bangladesh
Nursing Council has been obtained and
approval for the Diploma in Nursing
Science and Midwifery program has been
granted. The academic program for the
2010-11 session is currently underway.
Nursing Lecturer
“We feel that joining the GCCN
has been a turning point in our
lives. Since we joined here we had
the chance to meet and interact
with many respected person
from different countries and
cultures. All of these experiences
contribute to our understanding of
communication. By learning about
communication we have realized
the significance of communication
studies in a Nursing Science
and Midwifery studies and as
individuals. Here in GCCN we are
getting the opportunity to learn
the tools of communication, we
learn computer and we also study
English from the British Council
and Saifur’s. Already we have
visited many hospitals and there
we observed communication
between a nurse and a patient. We
think that studying in this way we
will develop our professional and
our personal lives.”
Student’s Comments
Social Business- serving a good cause
in a sustainable way: Our nursing
college operates on social business
principles. Here the investments are not
made for profit but to serve a good cause
in a sustainable way. The initial funding
for this project has been generously
provided by the NIKE foundation.
The Academic Leadership: the pioneer
in place Professor Barbara Ann Parfitt,
CBE, PhD, Former Dean of Nursing
and Midwifery at Glasgow Caledonian
University- and a leader of distinction in
the field of nursing education world wide
has joined as the Founding Principal of
the College. She has brought a life time
of international experience in developing
nursing and midwifery to this new college
in Bangladesh.
Creating a future for rural girls:
Daughters of the families of eight million
borrowers of Grameen Bank are our
prime target. Gradually other rural girls
will also be admitted in our programs.
World class education facilities: We are
committed to present an exciting learning
and recreation environment in our
Professor Yunus with students
college. We are in the process of setting
up quality class rooms, a library and state
of the art laboratories. All our students
are accommodated in the dormitory of
the Grameen Bank hostel. For clinical
training our students will be placed in
some of the best practicing hospitals
and community health programs in
Bangladesh. A new purpose built college
and hostel is planned for the immediate
future.
Interest free Education Loan: Grameen
Bank provides a soft education loan
to cover the food, accommodation,
academic expenses and pocket money
to every student of our college.
Guaranteed job after education: After
completing their education, all of our
students have a guaranteed job in the
Grameen Organisations. They will be able
to pay back their loan from their salary
gradually over a period of time.
Promising not only education but
the future as a whole: We provide
education, interest free loans and a
guaranteed job after education to
ensure a positive hope for the future of
the rural girls.
What do we offer?
At present we offer a four year Degree
Level program integrated with Diploma in
Nursing Science and Midwifery approved
by Bangladesh Nursing Council. In future
we will be offering Masters and PhD level
courses in nursing science.
Entry Requirement:
•Daughter of a Grameen Bank Borrower.
•Passed HSC Examination from Science
group within past three years with
minimum GPA 3 in SSC and HSC both
examinations respectively. Minimum
GPA 3 in HSC level English and
Biology.
•Unmarried.
The entry requirement may vary from
time to time and meets the minimum
requirement of BNC.
Join us today for Nursing
the Future Together
Dr Nazmul Huda
Director of Academic and Administrative Affairs
Organisational Development
workshop at Comilla
Learning experience in the midst of nature
The Start up phase for any institution
includes hurdles and ambiguity which
the organisation has to overcome as a
team. The key to a well functional team
is to have order, discipline and unity
which are quoted from the three pillars
of Buddha’s words of wisdom. Just
when our team at GCCN was struggling
through the hurdles of the start up
phase, Ms. Freya Brannan came all the
way from GCU to help us overcome
this situation as a team. We had a short
2 days trip to Comilla Bard where Ms.
Freya led an organisational development
workshop. We had discussion as a
group on our expectations, what had
been working right and what was
not. A team effectiveness survey was
conducted by Ms. Freya which showed
our strengths and weakness as a team.
After these discussions we realised
what was wrong and what needed
to be done. Two of the main issues
identified were that clarity was required
in the job roles and responsibilities
for all staff members and a revised
organisational structure with clear line
management and functional teams.
Since the workshop, it seems we have
overcome several problems as a team.
Now we have regular team meetings
were we set up goals to achieve
timelines, which includes introducing and
implementing systems in different areas
and managing the administration side
of the college effectively. Staff members
have structured planning and execution
of their tasks which lead to active
participation. I believe we still have a long
way to go but as a team we can conquer
all the obstacles ahead. Gradually as the
college grows, we even grow with it and
it is a learning experience for us all.
Ms Rafia Muntasira
Senior Personal Officer and Acting Head of
Administration
Orienting Nursing
Students in
Community
Orientation to the community early in
their programme is a key requirement
for our nursing students. The
community placement provides an
excellent opportunity for students to
develop their practical competencies
exposing them to preventative care
as well as diagnostic and emergency
interventions and midwifery. GCCN
has developed an institutional link
program collaborating with the one
of the best rural community based
organizations in the North West of the
country. Students are being placed in
the health centre and they will live and
work with the Skilled Birth attendant
and the health care assistant for a
full week. The goal of the community
placement is to introduce students
to a full understanding of community
health nursing and community
oriented nursing practices. The
placement will provide them with the
opportunity to work directly with the
community. Our aim is for the students
is that they appreciate the importance
of primary health care provision for
promoting the health of the community
and understand how the health
centre functions. They also need to
appreciate the main health problems
of the patients and clients and assist
with the care that is given to them.
Mohammad Monir Hossain
Nursing lecturer Community Health
GCCN
Teaching communication to student
nurses can make a difference
Teaching communication to student
nurses is very important and it has
been a major part of our course during
this first semester. We aim to teach
our students to not only understand
what they are learning but also to be
able to express themselves clearly
with confidence. Without the tools of
effective communication they will not
be able to relate to their patients or the
families with whom they work. These
tools include a fluency in both English
and Bengali, the ability to express ideas
clearly, the ability to ensure that those
they are speaking to understand their
message. They need to appreciate the
importance of both verbal and non verbal
communication. In order to support their
development we approach our teaching
in a very innovative way. Using modern
approaches to learning we encourage
our students to work in small groups
and carry out project work. English is the
language medium that we use and to
encourage their language development
we have access to audio visual aids
such as our multimedia projector with
sound system and a digital LCD screen.
Students are also encouraged to use the
internet. Our aim is that all students will
be able to access facebook by the end
of this year. Students also have access
to our new library and this helps their
intellectual development.
Good communication is integral to all
that the nurse does and our students will
be encouraged to communicate not only
with their patients and the teams they
work with but also with the world wide
community of professional nurses and
midwives.
Khondker Mahmuda Akter Halim
Nursing Lecturer at GCCN
Fulkumari Rozario Oketani Awarded practitioner & Expert, Lecturer, GCCN
Really I enjoy working
in the simulation lab
The Clinical Simulation Laboratory
is a new facility being developed at
the Grameen Caledonian College of
Nursing, it is a new idea in Bangladesh
and provides a model for others to
follow. We divide our students into
groups, five beds for five groups
of four students for their simulated
case study practice. They have this
opportunity before going to the
hospital for clinical practice. They
are enjoying the simulated practice
in the lab with one student acting as
a patient and other students caring
for them, assessing and managing
the patient. We plan to develop our
simulation lab with new equipment
and to use Mannequins, so we are
seeking for donations to help us. All
our students are enjoying this new
approach to learning as it gives them
the opportunity before they manage
the real cases to become familiar with
the clinical situation.
China Mittra
A fantastic
foundation
for nursing
students
Nursing students at the newly founded
Grameen Caledonian College of
Nursing in Dhaka, are enjoying their new
professional study environment. They
have the opportunity to experience an
integrated approach to teaching and
learning that is applied to all the subjects
studied by the students. They also learn
about the care of patients using the
Activity of Daily Living model of nursing.
Students are able to learn in a variety of
different places including the class room,
the community and the clinical areas.
Clinical practice is an essential part
of the learning process for a nursing
student. For our students it is particularly
important as they come from the different
corners of Bangladesh and have little
appreciation of the health situation of
sick patients admitted to a hospital.
Clinical Demonstrator for Nursing Practice
THE award shortlist
success for GCU and
Grameen Trust
Professor Muhammad Yunus, who
was made an Honorary Doctor of GCU
in 2008, commented: “As joint founder
of the Grameen Caledonian College
of Nursing, I have had the privilege
of observing the impressive efforts
Glasgow Caledonian University has
made in establishing this vital health
education project. I am extremely
proud to be a part of it.”
This year’s winners will be announced
at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House
Hotel in London on November 25.
During their placement students were
encouraged to apply their learning in
nursing ethics, effective communication
skills and in establishing their
professional relationship with the patients
using a therapeutic approach. They were
introduced to modern technology used in
some of the hospitals for the medical and
nursing management of clients and they
were able to observe and understand
the differing nursing activities of the four
hospitals.
The students have enjoyed their clinical
experience very much. Following
their placement they have a better
understanding of how they need to
prepare themselves as a professional
nurse and the standards that are required
to do so.
Students opinion:
‘……after our clinical practice we are
completely motivated to provide care and
support for the needy peoples of Bangladesh,
we respect and love the nursing profession. We
are happy to come to this noble profession.’
GCU has been shortlisted for the UK
Times Higher Education International
Collaboration of the Year Award
in recognition of its work with the
Grameen Trust to establish the
Grameen Caledonian College of
Nursing in Bangladesh.
The Grameen Caledonian College of
Nursing is one element of the strategic
partnership between GCU and Nobel
Prize winner Professor Muhammad
Yunus and the Grameen Trust to
leverage the University’s teaching and
research strengths to help to tackle
poverty and inequality in Scotland and
in Bangladesh.
In the first year of the programme,
in order to give our students the
opportunity to discover what the inside
of different hospitals are like and the
different standards of care provided, we
send our students for placement in four
different hospitals. We have also selected
two different types of hospital, private
and public. The private sector offers
international standards of care while
the public sector provides more general
levels of care with fewer resources.
‘Our expectations are that we will bring a
bright future for our nursing profession in
Bangladesh and the world as well.’
A New Approach to improve Lactation
in Bangladesh It’s “Oketani” by Fulkumari Rozario
In Bangladesh we are promoting the
Oketani approach to breast massage
for lactating women. I have had the
opportunity to attend a course in Japan
and learn about this method and now we
plan to teach this to our students.
flow of quality breast milk. It is claimed
that the technique changes the nature
of the breast milk and the entire breast
tissue becomes more elastic. This leads
to increased patient comfort in the chest,
shoulder and the neck areas.
The Oketani method is a breast massage
technique carried out manually in order
to promote lactation in breast feeding
women. Sotomi Oketani, a Japanese
Midwife invented this approach to breast
massage during the second world war
when there was a baby milk/food crisis
that occurred in Japan.
There are two training centres in
Bangladesh for the training of specialists
in the Oketani method and about 200
health professionals (especially midwives)
are trained.
During the painless massage of the
breast softening of the breast glands
occurs and leads to the improvement of
lactation so promoting the secretion and
Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish Charity, number SC021474 Ms Fulkumari Rozario, a post graduate
RN Midwife who now works at GCCN,
is the first foreign member of Oketani
Association of Japan and is the
only ‘Oketani’ Nurse Practitioner in
Bangladesh.
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