MANILA, Philippines - Roger Bartholomew, Inter-Ed (International Education Specialists) president, one of BUCKS’ Philippine representatives screening nursing students for UK, said they were very impressed with their facilities and the quality of training the Pinoy nurse students get at BUCKS (Buckinghamshire New University) just at the edge of London.
The first ever cohort of students from around the world have arrived to study BSc (Hons) Nursing and Healthcare and BSc (Hons) Professional Nursing Studies at Bucks and have complemented the quality of the course.
The students, many of whom are from the Philippines and are all registered nurses in their home country, spend half their week on placement and half studying at High Wycombe. The course includes an optional module, Overseas Nursing Programme (ONP), which can lead to students becoming registered nurses in the UK with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) when they graduate. Crystal Oldman, Dean, Business and Enterprise, Society & Health at Bucks, said she was delighted the students were enjoying their new surroundings.
“This is the first time we have run this course with the work-based learning structure and we are very pleased with the level and quality of employer engagement and the valuable experiences we are able to give to our students — the course is proving to be incredibly popular,” Oldman said. “The next intake will be February and we are ready to run a third in September.”
Oliver Tadila, 23, from Manila, has lived in the UK for almost three years and now lives in Aylesbury, working on placement as a care worker at a care home in the town. He said life inside the classroom at Bucks is different to what he had been used to in the Philippines.
He said: “Here, rather than simply being told what to do and directed towards the texts and books to read, you are also encouraged to think independently and to contrast our experiences in the workplace here to the Philippines.”
Classmate Modhel Galor, 28, is from Mindanao, and is carrying out her placement as a care worker at a nursing home in Westminster, London.
She said: “I worked as a health care assistant in Devon for two years and had been intending to return to the Philippines before my agency told me about this course, and that the teaching was blended with a placement. It seemed perfect for me. Thanks to this course, I am feeling very positive about my future.”
Inter-Ed has been in the Philippines for nearly 32 years, placing students all over the world. For details, call 8191001 or send SMS to +639399142387 and +09175351956. Interviews are being conducted for BUCKS.