-Nkwain Joseph, Director FLENHIHBS
Mr Nkwain Joseph, Director of the Florence Nightingale Higher Institute of Health and Biomedical Sciences Bamenda has declared that National Competitive Entrance Examinations for Prospective candidates aspiring to become Nurse Assistants and State Registered Nurses have been launched. He was speaking recently in his Bamenda office in a press briefing.
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What grounds were covered by FLENHIHBS during the last Academic Year?
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Florence Nightingale Higher Institute of Health and Biomedical Sciences Bamenda has been there for the past 11 years. We have done a lot as far as Academics is concerned in Nursing and allied fields. Since it’s creation, this school has scored a hundred percent in all the Public Examinations. This includes Examinations organised by both the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Higher Education. This is because the school trains Programmes from both ministries. As concerns those from the Ministry of Public Health we have Nursing Assistant Programmes, for one year and then we have the State Registered Nurses Programme for three years. Students enter all these Programmes through a Competitive Entrance Examination. In each of these Programmes the school has always registered a hundred percent in the results.
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Considering that it is a private higher institution, you certainly have partnership agreements with some State Universities.
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Yes. As a Private Higher Institution of learning, we can only train Bachelor Programmes if we are affiliated with a State University and that was done last year when we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Bamenda and we also engaged in the signing of a Specific Partnership Agreement. We have started the Bachelors Programme in Nursing and a Bachelor Programme in Medical Laboratory Sciences. The partnership has really been concretized and we are doing well in the Bachelors Programme.
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Briefly speaking, what are some of the Programmes offered by the school and what are the new ones you plan to bring on board?
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As far as Higher Education is concerned, we do the Higher National Diploma HND in Nursing, Midwifery, Medical Laboratory Sciences and of recent, we added Nutrition and Dietetics and we already have Students taking the course. Other areas that are still pending is the Sanitary Technology, an area that can be very useful to the Councils. You know that Sanitary Technicians were trained in the past. We want to insert the Programme and train Sanitary Technicians who will work with the Communities and the councils. We are also going to start Health Care Management in the next Academic Year and students are free to enter for these Programmes but the ongoing Programmes are HND in Nursing, Midwifery, Medical Laboratory Sciences and Nutrition and Dietetics. For the Bachelor Programme we have Nursing and Medical Laboratory Sciences which we are doing in affiliation with the University of Bamenda as our mentor University. As concerns Infrastructure, we have nine lecture halls, a well equipped library and a good Laboratory. We also have a good classroom for practicals. Now we intend to build a fence around the school for security reasons and we intend to put up other structures like Amphitheaters and this will take off any moment from now in order to accommodate the ever increasing number of students.
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What is expected from prospective students as the new school year approaches?
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Concerning the Ministry of Public Health, what we expect from prospective candidates is for them to write a Competitive Entrance Examination. The Competitive Entrance Examinations have been launched and two Programmes have been approved for our institution. For the Nursing Assistant Programme which is a one year Programme, the prerequisite is at least four GCE O Levels. I Advice students to do this Competitive Entrance Examination rather than go through Direct Entry as is the case in some schools. Anybody who enters to do Nursing Assistance without doing the Competitive Entrance Examination will end up obtaining a certificate which is not authentic. For the State Registered Nurses Programme, you also write the Competitive Entrance Examination which has been launched. Prospective Candidates should go to the Regional Delegation of Public Health. Every necessary information is pasted there on the notice board. For the Ministry of Higher Education prospective candidates should have at least two GCE A levels preferably in the sciences but for Medical Laboratory Technology it must be all Sciences. For the other options like Nursing, Midwifery, Nutrition and Dietetics, Sanitary Technology, Health Care Management, you need any two GCE A level papers. When you come to the campus, we will study the file before admitting you. Students with a purely arts background are taught Anatomy and Physiognomy thoroughly so that they can be able to take care of the Human Body later on. Nursing is both arts and science and sometimes it maybe necessary to sing a good song for a patient.
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Any message for prospective candidates and the general public?
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I encourage our prospective candidates to come to Florence Nightingale Higher Institute of Health and Biomedical Sciences. We always say that sweet wine needs no advertisement. When you come here you will see it. We have the infrastructure, we have experienced teachers and every other thing that will facilitate learning as far as Health is concerned. If you come here you will never regret it.
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