International Nursing Program

Alderson-Broaddus College is helping to curb the national nursing shortage by entering into a partnership with Arellano University, Manila, Philippines.  This collaborative effort will prepare students to be licensed as professional nurses in the United States and other underserved regions of the world.

PHOTO CAPTION:  International Nursing Partnership – Alderson-Broaddus College President, Dr. Stephen E. Markwood, (front row, third from left) and Arellano University, Francisco P.V. Cayco, (front row, second from left), sign an agreement establishing a collaborative nursing program.  They are pictured with other administrative representatives from both institutions including Dr. Dennis Stull, (back row, left), Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs at A-B.

On June 14, 2006, more than thirty freshmen at Arellano University enrolled in this international nursing partnership.  These Arellano students will complete the first three years of their work in Manila, with the opportunity to complete the last phase of their education on the A-B campus.

“We believe that this partnership is the first of its kind in the world,” said Stephen Markwood, A-B President.  “Arellano University has fully adopted A-B’s curriculum.  They will use our syllabi, our textbooks, and our exams.  Our nursing faculty have been personally training AU’s faculty prior to June 2006."

Through this partnership, students enrolling in the international nursing program will be admitted to AU under A-B’s admissions standards and will have to maintain A-B’s academic standards in order to remain in the program.

“In June 2009, the seniors in this program will complete the last phase of their education as transfer students at A-B,” said Markwood.  “These students will be totally immersed into college life in rural Appalachia.  They will stay in our residence halls, eat their meals in our cafeteria, and attend our campus activities.”

Like A-B, Arellano University has a rich history in nursing.  AU has the oldest and largest baccalaureate nursing program in the Philippines.  They compete with other well-prepared professional nurses to become globally employable in other cultures, cope with the fast pace of nursing practice, and are influenced by the changing needs of health care.

“Both institutions are similar in the fact that we possess a two-fold mission function,” said Markwood.  “We both educate students for professional employment and we both change students lives forever.”

A recent study by the West Virginia Department of Labor found that the number one need in West Virginia over the next decade will be nurses.  The national nursing supply mirrors the local situation.  The Department of Health and Human Services predicts a staggering shortfall of 810,000 nurses nationwide by 2020, representing a 29% vacancy rate, up from 7% today.

“With the launching of this collaborative effort, A-B has positioned itself once again as a pioneer in the health sciences,” said Markwood,  “a vitally important educational and health care niche that will serve us well in the 21^st century.”