First nursing university opens door
Sun, 07 Jun 2009
Its vice-chancellor (VC) and president Datuk Professor Dr Hashim Yaacob who is also the former VC (8th) of Universiti Malaya said, "For those of you seeking a career in nursing, IUCN is the place. We offer the best in nursing studies at the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degree levels."
IUCN’s degree programmes are pending final approval from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).
IUCN faculty members will be from Malaysia and elsewhere, including Australia, India, Canada, USA, Indonesia and China. IUCN is wholly-owned and managed by Run Education Sdn Bhd.
In the meantime, registration for IUCN’s pre-nursing foundation programme will be conducted from Feb 16 to 28. Post-SPM students can use their forecast results to apply. The minimum entry qualification is five SPM credits, including Bahasa Malaysia, and passes in English, and either Mathematics or Science.
Upon completing the foundation programme, students will continue with the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Hons) at IUCN. The degree programme is awaiting approval by the MOHE. Those waiting for STPM results can also join the foundation programme and transfer to the degree programme once the Ministry of Higher Education approves it, provided their STPM results meet degree entry requirements.
Other programmes in the pipeline are the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Hons) (a top-up programme for in-service nurses with a diploma or its equivalent), Master of Nursing Science by research, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science. These are also waiting for final approval from the MOHE. IUCN invites enquiries.
The IUCN route of "one-year foundation followed by four years of honours degree programme" is a new option for nurse-aspirants who want a degree and not just a diploma. The traditional route to nursing for SPM holders is via a diploma in nursing. However, a nursing degree affords greater learning, and more career flexibility.
An artist’s impression of IUCN’s campus
at Bandar Sri Sendayan.
The Malaysian government also wants to upgrade at least 10%-15% of diploma qualified nurses in Malaysia with top-up degrees. At present, only 2% of nurses in Malaysia have nursing degrees.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the ideal ratio between a nurse and patient is 1:200. However, in Malaysia, the ratio is 1:645. At least 130,000 nurses must be trained by year 2020 to meet the nation’s demand.
Aside from that, there is also a world shortage of nurses.
IUCN will contribute towards reducing these deficiencies locally and internationally by producing quality nurses with degrees, and upgrading the existing-diploma qualified nurses via its post registration programmes.
The Bandar Sri Sedayan campus targets 5,000 students when it opens next year.
It is a 25-minute drive from KL International Airport (KLIA) and 45-minute drive to Kuala Lumpur.
IUCN executive chairman Summugam Ramasamy said, "It is our mission to make Malaysia the nursing hub of the world. IUCN will be able to accommodate 20,000 students at any one time where focus will be on international students at a ratio of 60%, while local students will make up 40%."
Visit
www.iucn.edu.my , email
info@iucn.edu.my or call 03-7955 4444, 012-475 6455 (Adeline Lim) 012-473 6455 (Param), 012-471 6455 (Radha), 012-500 8454 (Suresh) or 017-594 2971 (Haryati).