Dr. Jeannine Gangress, the chair of the nursing dept. at Bemidji State University (BSU), recently spent time in Samoa helping set up an online teaching program for nurses looking to further their education.
The South Pacific island of Samoa has a population of 182,000 people, of which the majority look to local practicing nurses for most of their medical care.
Many of these nurses have no chance of furthering their education past a university level and can be thrust into situations they are not adequately prepared for, sometimes in remote villages and areas where they may not understand the language.
Along with members of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Minneapolis-based Seward Inc. and the BSU nursing dept., Gangress traveled to Samoa in March and June of 2009 to aid in the development and implementation of an online nursing program. The program taught 21 students, who will go on to teach others.
“Nurses in Samoa have no access to continuing their education once they have their initial university education, and are employed in the villages of Western Samoa,” Dr. Gangress said in her presentation Feb. 4.
The online courses they worked to develop allowed people to learn from anywhere in the country and then be able to teach “in their own countries, [and] in their own languages.”
The group’s plan was flexible and highly interpersonal, which came in handy because of the difficulties they faced on the ground in Samoa, such as a lack of computers, no internet access and slow connections. These plagued the early days of the project, as did students' lack of computer skills.
These slight setbacks caused the group to “adjust their sales” and rethink their approach to their goal. Was it realistic to have an online course if the people taking the course had no online access? Over 95% of the people in Samoa have no internet access, and even in places such as university libraries, there was no guarantee that the computers present were available for use.
In one case, library employees had brand-new computers quarantined under plastic sheeting, off-limits to students and staff in the fear that they might be broken.
This problem led to an ingenious solution: the WHO provided a few computers. And for people without internet access, a program was devised that could be downloaded onto CDs and be used sans internet.
Now, after multiple trips and many adjustments to the original plan, the group is supplied with almost two dozen Dell PCs, Microsoft Office software and a broadband connection. The program officially launched in January of this year, but was unfortunately disrupted by a devastating countrywide H1N1 outbreak, followed by a crippling tsunami that wiped out the south side of the island and claimed many lives.
Gangress’ involvement with the project was unplanned and a bit last-minute; in December of 2008, she received a call from Seward Inc. regarding the need for a nurse educator with online experience. Gangress was given 24 hours to make a decision and agreed, not thinking she would get the position. A few months later, she discovered she would be flying out to Samoa.
Because of her willingness to agree to a call out of the blue, Gangress and her team were able to provide an opportunity for Samoan nurses to gain experience and reference materials. By extension, she has helped the people of a developing nation gain access to better, more comprehensive medical care.
As for the students, about half of the participants of the original program completed it successfully and will be able to pass their knowledge on to others. There is a wide spectrum of possibility before them that wasn’t available before.
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