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Rethinking the Nursing Profession

March 2017

In the 21st century, the health challenges facing the nation have shifted dramatically as the aging population is increasing that demands the changes in the nation’s health care needs. Most health care today relates to chronic conditions such as cancer, hypertension, and diabetes – to name a few. While chronic conditions account for most of the care needed today, the Malaysian health care system was primarily built around treating acute illnesses and injuries, the predominant health challenges of the early 20th century.

“The ways in which nurses were educated during the 20th century are no longer adequate for dealing with the realities of health care in the 21st century. As patient needs and care environments have become more complex, nurses need to attain requisite competencies to deliver high-quality care,” said Adrian Hon, the Principal of I-Systems College.

Hon’s emphasized that these competencies include leadership skills, health policy, system improvement, research and evidence-based practice, and teamwork and collaboration, as well as competencies in specific areas such as community, public health and geriatrics. To respond to this increasing demands, I-Systems College calls for interested candidates especially the SPM school leavers to achieve a higher level of education and suggests that they are educated in new ways that better prepare them for the future.

The college aspires to develop holistic nursing graduates who are able to work collaboratively and effectively with other health professional. Entry-level nurses, for example, will be trained to transition smoothly from their academic preparation to a range of practice environments.

“Our fully accredited Diploma in Nursing at I-Systems College has been regarded as a choice programme for those aspiring to a career in nursing,” said Hon. “Indeed this programme is a springboard to an exciting global career in healthcare after passing their exam with the Malaysia Nursing Board to become a registered nurse,” he added. To date, the graduates have been employed in a various nursing-related position, both locally and abroad, such as Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

Karen Juhis, a nursing graduate from I-Systems College who is now working at the Government Hospital in Singapore is a living proof of the academic quality uphold by the college. “It is a blessing to be one of the students here, I might not be the one whom I am now if without courage and support from the knowledgeable and experienced lecturers. Once again thanks ISK for making my dream come true,” said Karen when asked regarding her experience.

Adding to its globally recognized graduates, I-Systems College has partnered with London South Bank University, UK to offer BSc (Hons) Nursing Studies (Post-Registration) – a two-year programme designed to deliver the graduates the necessary skills required for them to function in a modern clinical environment. This programme is approved by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) and Nursing Board Malaysia.

The School of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, UK has a long-standing reputation for professional education, training and research in the fields of nursing, social work and professions allied to health and medicine. For more information about the university, please visit www.lsbu.ac.uk/schools/health-and-social-care.

The programme is delivered via a variety of learning and teaching methods, including e-learning and face-to-face lectures. It builds on the experience of the qualified nurses by adding professional and knowledge required of an honors graduate. The content enables plenty of opportunity for teaching and learning to be set in both regional and international context – so that the graduates can cater to not just local but also global clientele.

“Looking at the current development, the outlook for Malaysia’s medical tourism industry is expected to be positive in the long term with the growing demands for healthcare services, both domestic and international, coming from especially an increasingly affluent and aging population, due to reasonable pricing,” said Hon.

Malaysia has a wide range cross-section of different cultures, races and religions. In addition, it has a wide range of languages, coupled with international qualifications from the UK, US, India and Australia, Malaysia is seen as an ideal location to attract visitors. To date, Malaysia is ranked top three as the preferred destination for healthcare travel in Asia, behind Thailand and Singapore.

“The landscape for healthcare system in Malaysia is now changing and we want our graduate to be part of this global shift,” added Hon.

I-Systems Group of Colleges offers Occupational Safety & Health, Nursing, Medical Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technology & Environmental Health programmes. The group has campuses in Kuching & Miri (Sarawak), Klang (Selangor) and Kota Kinabalu (Sabah).

For more information about I-Systems Group of Colleges’ programmes, please visit www.i-systems.edu.my or contact the Course Counselor at 082-363787 / 082-369887or SMS to 016 889 3089. Students are encouraged to visit the campus and meet its course counselors at No.1, Taman Muara Tabuan, Jalan Muara Tabuan, 93350 Kuching, Sarawak (Tel: 082-363787/369887).

(Press Release)


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