MIAMI
DADE COLLEGE AND THE ROBERT ROSS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF NURSING IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS CREATE PARTNERSHIP TO ADDRESS
THE CRITICAL NURSING SHORTAGE
MIAMI, August 8, 2007 – The U. S. Department of Labor predicts that in just seven short years, the state of nursing in America could be on the critical list with a shortage of one million nurses. To address this problem, Miami Dade College and the Robert Ross International University of Nursing (IUON) in St. Kitts and Nevis in the Leeward Islands have joined forces and signed an articulation agreement aimed at training more nurses.
Before a large crowd at the Wolfson Campus on Tuesday, Aug. 7, MDC President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón said, “We are all about creating opportunities for people. What we are here for today is a good example of that. We are two institutions interested in coming together to expand opportunities for students.”
Warren Ross, Esq., IUON’s president, further echoed those sentiments: “We both share a similar vision to address the nursing shortage,” Ross said. “MDC is a leader in nursing education. It represents the best. “
Under the agreement, students enrolled in the two-year program will attend IUON in the Caribbean during the first year, and then transfer to MDC’s nursing program at the Medical Center Campus for the second year. After successful completion of the program, students will receive an Associate in Science degree. The agreement will allow for 20 nursing students from IUON to attend MDC yearly. Baptist Health South Florida also announced that it will award 10 scholarships of $20,000 each to students in the program.
IUON opened its doors in 2005 in an effort to help with the nursing shortage in the United States.
“We are very pleased to partner with MDC because we see great hope for the future,” said Dr. Robert Ross, founder of IUON.
MDC has consistently done its part to meet the growing demands in the nursing field. For many years, MDC has been a national leader in producing the most associate degrees in nursing. During the 2005-2006 academic year, MDC awarded 449 nursing degrees.
Jessica Rodriguez, 21, hopes to join that group. She is starting an on-site nursing program at Baptist Hospital in conjunction with MDC this fall.
“I always wanted to be a nurse,” Rodriguez said. “I want to help alleviate the nursing shortage. Being a nurse is my dream. It’s what I’ve wanted to be since I was a little kid. It’s rewarding to be getting closer to that dream.”
In the spring of 2008, the College will begin offering a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Media contacts: Manolo Barco (305) 237-3081; Beverly C. Rodrigues, MDC director of media relations (305) 237-3949 or Juan Mendieta, MDC director of communications (305) 237-7611. Other MDC news releases are available on the web at <www.mdc.edu>.