Student nurses urged to try clinical research
▶ Region’s largest private healthcare provider offers five hopefuls the chance to study in the US
Emirati student nurses are being offered fellowships to attract more of them into careers in clinical research.
The Moonshot programme is being led by VPS Healthcare, one of the region’s largest private providers.
Managers hope that by offering the scheme, more candidates will join the industry and help to change perceptions of nurses’ work.
“Nurses, especially Emiratis, will have a critical role in new research and development in the UAE,” said Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, chairman and managing director of the company.
“As technology and science become increasingly complex, clinical research will play an even more important role in health care. We want these Moonshot fellowships to start the journey towards achieving that.
“Hopefully this agenda will help attract more candidates into the industry and change perceptions of the kind of work nurses can do.”
VPS’s Burjeel Royal Hospital and Medeor 24x7 International Hospital in Al Ain are establishing the annual research fellowships for Abu Dhabi’s Fatima College of Health Sciences students.
Students will learn about management, organisational skills, teaching and mentoring, and communications and technology.
In September, health experts called on the government to boost nurses’ salaries in the UAE and reduce their hours as part of an attempt to recruit more Emirati staff.
The latest government statistics show that of the 7,000 nurses in Abu Dhabi Health Service Company hospitals, only 125 are Emiratis and only one of these is male.
Government hospitals pay Emirati nurses from Dh10,000 to Dh25,000 a month.
A shortage of nurses is becoming a global problem. The World Health Organisation estimates that by 2030, the 31 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries will have a shortage of 750,000 doctors, 1.1 million nurses and 70,000 midwives.
“These fellowships are an important building block, not only for expanding medical research in the UAE but also for creating new career pathways for nurses,” said Abdullah Al Neyadi, chairman of Al Bayt Mitwahid Association.
“The role and participation of nurses is critical to making this initiative a success. One of our main goals continues to be to encourage more Emiratis to join the healthcare sector, especially in nursing.”
Five nursing students will be offered a two-week stay at top research institutions in the US under the Moonshot initiative.
To qualify, they must have top grades at the Fatima College of Health Sciences and an aptitude for research.
Recipients will be announced in the second week of January and the programme will begin in summer next year.
“These students will witness new horizons in research and development and will expand their perceptions when they participate with experts in medical research,” said Dr Ahmed Alawar, managing director of the Institute of Applied Technology, which has campuses in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Shahama.
“We have an advanced strategy to attract students by providing free monthly bonuses and training in health institutions to help them reach the highest levels and competencies.”