Cambodia
[Remarks as Prepared]
- Your Excellency, Professor Yit Sunnara, Secretary of State, Chairman of Steering Committee, Ministry of Health (MOH)
- Associate Professor Dr. Touch Sokneang, Director of the Human Resource Development Department, MoH
- Mr. Un San, President of Cambodia Council of Nurses
- Directors of Regional Training Centers, Deans from University of Health Sciences
- Ms. Lisa Dolan-Branton, Chief of Party, EQHA
- BSN Technical Working Group members
- Distinguished guests and representatives of partners, ladies and gentlemen!
Chumreap sour!
It is my pleasure to join the second Steering Committee meeting today to review and finalize the Revision of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Curriculum. It has been a year since we met to review the Associate Degree of Nursing curriculum revision, and now it is wonderful to move forward with the revision of the BSN curriculum.
As you know, the revision of both curricula was carried out with MOH leadership and technical support from the USAID Enhancing Quality of Healthcare Activity, or EQHA. EQHA is USAID’s flagship health systems strengthening project that works across the health system to improve the quality of public and private health service delivery.
Over the past four years, USAID/EQHA has partnered with the Department of Human Resource Development (HRDD) from the Ministry of Health to transition pre-service education for health professionals from a traditional knowledge-based education to a competency-based education. To date, the Associate Degree of Nursing curriculum has been finalized and will be implemented in the new academic year. Along with the revision of the bachelor program, EQHA has been assisting the Ministry of Health to develop a National Curriculum for Health Professionals on Competency Based Education which is close to finalization as well as revision of the Nursing preceptor curriculum.
Congratulations to the HRDD of MOH, the BSN Technical Working Group, steering committee members, who have led and participated actively in the review and development process of the new curriculum. With the assistance from USAID/EQHA, you have made significant milestones in this process, which include:
- Revision of Core Competency Framework for Professional Nurse Graduates which is aligned with ASEAN core competencies for nurses.
- The Foundation Year courses have been revised following the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport guidelines.
- Finalization of 71 course syllabi which includes new courses such as Quality Improvement and Gender Integration in the Health Sector.
- Revision of the BSN program Minimum Standards
- Conducting an external audit to ensure alignment of the core competencies, program, and course learning outcomes as well as teaching and assessment methods,
Based on these achievements, the steering committee meets today to review the curriculum and submit to MOH for approval.
Finally, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Your Excellency, Professor Yit Sunnara for your leadership, and appreciations MoH-Human Resource Development Department, BSN Steering committee, and BSN TWG for your active participation and contribution to improve and strengthen the quality of preservice nursing education in Cambodia.
We wish you all a fruitful discussion today and Happy New Year 2023!
Thank you