USask Nursing Visits the Philippines
Dean Richter and Deputy Provost McDougall join mission to Philippines to explore partnerships and recruit nurses.
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing has historical relationships with educational institutions in the Philippines.
College of Nursing Dean Dr. Solina Richter (DCur) and USask Deputy Provost Dr. Patti McDougall (PhD) recently travelled to Manila, Philippines to renew relationships and explore further partnerships with higher education institutions in the country.
The overall aim of the Government of Saskatchewan trip was to recruit nurses to Saskatchewan.
Drs. Richter and McDougall joined the Minister of Health Honorable Paul Merriman, and representatives from the Minister of Advanced Education, Trade and Export Development/Global Affairs Canada, Canada Immigration, the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan, and well as other representatives from Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SaskPoly) and the University of Regina (U of R).
“SaskPoly Dean of Nursing Christa MacLean, U of R Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Janine Brown (PhD) and I, were on the trip,” said Dr. Richter. “We came on behalf of the two Saskatchewan nursing programs to show our support of the Government of Saskatchewan’s plan to recruit nurses from the Philippines to address the nursing workforce shortage in Saskatchewan.”
Drs. Richter and McDougall attended various meetings including the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippines (DOST), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission of Higher Education, Philippines (CHED). The pair also visited several educational institutions - Far Eastern University, the University of Philippines Manila and Los Banos, St. Luke’s Medical Center, and UERM Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippines.
“We were able to meet with a lot of wonderful people, including a visit with nursing alumna Eva Fast (BSN’92) and her husband Michael Fast (BA’ 1992), and tour some amazing facilities while we were there,” said Dean Richter.
“The University of Saskatchewan is looking forward to renewing and expanding our relationships with educational institutions in the Philippines that will be mutually beneficial for both Saskatchewan, and our partners in the Philippines,” said Deputy Provost McDougall. “The post-pandemic environment opens up ready access to teaching and research collaborations on-line that will be mutually enriching.”
“The relationships that were developed on this trip will help us to renew our Memorandums of Understanding with the University of Philippines and UERM, and develop relations for collaborative research and faculty exchanges,” added Dr. Richter.
More information on the Saskatchewan targeted health care recruitment mission to the Philippines: