Bachelor of Nursing contribution to Māori health

Bachelor of Nursing Māori set to provide major contribution to Māori health

The Bachelor of Nursing Māori has jumped through the last hoop of its approval and is set to begin in July 2009. Whitireia Community Polytechnic will become one of only two providers of a nursing programme for Māori in the country and already offers a Bachelor of Nursing and a Bachelor of Nursing (Pacific) and postgraduate qualifications to seven district health boards.

Approval from the Nursing Council and the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality was granted last week and enrolments are now open.

Graduates from the programme are set to provide a major contribution to the Māori health workforce and will be able to influence health outcomes in Aotearoa with specific reference to making significant positive changes in Māori communities.

“Māori life expectancy at birth was more than eight years less than non-Māori in 2001, for both genders.” (http://www.maorihealth.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexma/life-expectancy)
Of all the current registered nurses in the country only 6% of those are Māori nurses. There is a huge need from the industry for graduates with a specific skill set to target these issues.

The curriculum is focused around a nursing programme from a kaupapa Māori perspective. This curriculum will encompass scientific health practices in a Māori context.

The need for the qualification was not only recognised by Whitireia staff but by stakeholders in the community. “This programme has been developed as a response to health disparity, says Willis Katene, Director Te Kupenga at Whitireia. The need arose and we want to make a difference and know that we can with this programme.”

District health boards, community health providers and the Ministry of Health have all been involved in the development of the programme.

“I think Whitireia is continuing to show outstanding leadership in developing qualifications such as the Bachelor of Nursing Māori borne out of a local context, delivering to a national need, and modelling internationally what is possible, says National MP List Hekia Parata. Maori health needs are well documented and this course is a practical and professional response to that. In addition, the graduates of this programme will lift the capability of the health workforce and its capacity to respond to an increasingly diverse health needs community. I congratulate Whitireia and I for the work they are doing to bring this vision to reality”

The Bachelor of Nursing (Pacific) has been running at Whitireia since 2004 and its 50 graduates have all been snapped up by District Health Boards. They now have jobs as Registered Nurses. Students have gained employment in various areas from Coronary care units, Medical units, Rehabilitation units, Brain injury units and with Community Pacific Health providers and Primary health organisations. There is a strong demand for employee diversity within the health system.

“We are really thankful for the support provided to the health system by Pacific students that come through Whitireia, said Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga Chief Advisor Pacific, Ministry of Health at an award ceremony for five Whitireia Bachelor of Nursing (Pacific) students who were awarded Pacific Health Scholarships earlier in 2009. It’s great to have graduates that can attend to Pacific people with the knowledge and skill set that they need.”

Ngāti Toa has been a strong advocate for the Bachelor. For Ngāti Toa it is important to be providing the best and most effective health care for its people and to see Māori students graduating and succeeding in the industry.

Currently many of the nurses employed by the iwi health provider are non-Māori and Ngāti Toa is interested in closing the disparity by having more Māori in the health force. Many of the graduates from this programme will be employed by Ngāti Toa and other Māori Health service providers in the local area.

“Ngati Toa was very pleased to be a part of the development of the Bachelor of Nursing Māori and would like to congratulate Whitireia on receiving approval from the Nursing Council and ITPQ. We see these graduates filling a much needed gap in Māori health for both Māori health providers and the general public health sector.” Matiu Rei, Executive Director, Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira.

ENDS

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