Title: Development of Advanced Training Specialists Islands Nursing.
Representative: Dr. Midori Kamizato

〔Summary of the Education Program 〕

１　Outline of the program establishment.
There is a need to provide further training and education to the nurses who are working on the different islands of Okinawa. Okinawa is an island prefecture which consists of many islands. For this reason, the subject, Islands Health Nursing, has been developed and taught at this college from the start. Since the establishment of the post-graduate program, the College has enrolled many nurses who are working at hospitals all over Okinawa. This was done by using a new remote lecture system called the Flash Communication Server (hereinafter referred to as FCS). This enabled the faculty and students to conduct various research on the problems and other issues related to the practice of nursing encountered at various hospitals around the prefecture. However, the systematic approach that our graduate program has taken so far has not been sufficient to meet our new objectives.
The aim of a nursing college in a prefecture with many islands is to produce advanced nursing specialists who will cooperate with other professionals in related fields and thus become nursing leaders and educators to spearhead research to meet the specific health care and nursing needs typical of this prefecture.

2　 Contents of the program
1) Establishment of a new education research area
This course will be established as one education research area of the Health and Nursing Science, Graduate Program of the Graduate Program Department. The "Islands Health Nursing” course will be included in the leading healthcare and nursing field available in both Master’s and Doctor’s Program for Health and Nursing Science Research and Specialization. In this course, based on nursing rooting in the island community culture, research, training and practice will be undertaken to promote the community care cooperation where islands collaborate to solve problems as a whole, to take preventive measures against emergencies and infections typical of islands, and to improve lifestyle to lower the lifestyle-related disease occurrence rate.

2) Admission policy in the islands healthcare and nursing course
We accept two students in the master’s course and one in the doctoral course. Applicants must be nurses or nursing staff who are currently working on islands. Students are given three years maximum to complete the course. We also willingly accept undergraduate students from islands, which will lead them to obtaining a bachelor’s degree in nursing and encouraging them to pursue a doctoral degree.

3) Establishment of new subjects in the Islands Health Nursing Course
New subjects will be established to produce advanced nursing leaders (masters’ course: Hereinafter referred to as M) and practical educational research leaders (doctor’s course: Hereinafter referred to as D) in the field of Islands Nursing. The following new subjects will be established: Special Theory of Health Nursing in islands  I (M) and  II (D); Islands Health Nursing Seminar・Practicum(M), Problem Research on Islands Health Nursing (M); and Islands Health Nursing Special Research  II (D). Community Culture and Nursing Theory (M) as a special subject (core subject), and Community Cooperation among various professions Theory (M) and International Islands Nursing Theory (D) will also be established as elective subjects.

4) Study venues and teaching methods in islands health nursing at home and abroad
Miyako Island will be the base for human resource development. At present, various professional collaborative activities are already taking place on Miyako Island. Joint research among professions and between islands and college are also in progress. We will educate our students on the island through these activities. It is also our objective to explore the possibilities of widening our research and training venues to Taiwan and other Pacific Islands, and Kauai Island of Hawaii. We are planning to set up meetings and workshops to study with nursing staff in these areas.
Lectures and practices will be held on Miyako Island. By using a video conference system and the Distance Education System of our college (FCS), our students will also be able to attend the lectures here at this college. As for Problem Research (M)・Special Research II (D), the principle is that teachers will go to Miyako Island to educate students while involving in joint research activities there. Moreover, masters’ students will have an opportunity to experience educational activities as a TA (Teaching Assistance). Doctoral student will have an opportunity to experience working as both TA and RA (Research Assistance) in order to develop his/her competence to become practical educational research leaders in the future.

Okinawa Prefectural College of Nursing: 　Development of Advanced Nursing Specialists in islands nursing

＜Rationale＞
　　The Okinawa Prefectural College of Nursing boasts of a highly capable faculty. It is especially proud of its ongoing Nursing Leadership Conferences aimed at promoting the advancement of nursing education with the help of leaders in nursing profession in Okinawa. In addition, the program aims to offer employed students the opportunity to acquire a post-graduate degree by offering classes in the evenings, on weekends and holidays.
　　The aim of this program, which is the training of advanced nurses who will be able to work closely with those in other related professions, is in line with the College’s mission of promoting leaders in the field of nursing. It can also be highly appreciated as an approach rooting in the island culture. As close cooperation with nurses on islands is already in place for this program, students will be able to conduct research and, with the help of those of related professions, will be able to devise practical solutions to actual problems encountered in the situation. Since admissible graduate students are rather limited, we hope that there will be increased interest in specialization as a whole with this program.

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