Region Four has produced the largest number of graduates from the Ministry of Health’s Professional Nursing Hybrid Training Programme, with 186 nurses completing the three-year programme.
The graduates were among 669 nurses who received their qualifications on Thursday during a graduation ceremony at the National Cultural Centre (NCC).
Director of Training and Education at Health Sciences Education, Dr Chandroutie Persaud Bahadur, said the programme has expanded access to professional nursing education by allowing students to train within their respective regions.
She noted that the Region Four graduates came from communities across the region, while significant numbers also graduated from Regions Ten and Six, with 128 and 108 nurses respectively.
The programme was introduced in 2023 as a government scholarship initiative combining online theoretical instruction with practical training and supervised clinical rotations.
“We are gathered here not only to celebrate the graduation of the first cohort of the professional nursing hybrid training programme, but also to reflect on a transformation in the way our country prepares its nursing workforce,” Dr Persaud Bahadur said.
The programme attracted 1,913 applications, with 856 students enrolling. Of those, 669 successfully completed the programme, representing a 78.2 per cent completion rate.
Students completed 1,535 hours of online theoretical instruction, 230 hours of practical training at 12 skills and simulation laboratories and 1,995 hours of supervised clinical rotations.
Dr Persaud Bahadur said the programme has been particularly important for students in remote communities, many of whom were able to complete their studies without leaving their regions.
“Most importantly, it has strengthened our national capacity to develop the healthcare workforce required to meet the demands of a rapidly expanding health sector,” she said.
The graduating cohort includes 38 students who achieved distinctions, 439 with credit and 198 who successfully completed the programme with passes.