The country’s three nursing schools are trying new ways to address a shortage of Emiratis in the profession, including seeking financial backing for new scholarship programmes.
Bassamat Omar, head of the health sciences department at the University of Sharjah, where Emiratis account for half of students in the nursing programme, said engaging funding agencies to sponsor students throughout their education may have a role in increasing the numbers of Emirati nurses.
Meanwhile, Pamela Cawley, the head of health sciences at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said the institution is looking for funding partners to offer stipends and scholarships to potential nursing students still in high school.
This year has seen an increased interest from foundation courses at the Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah campuses of HCT, with 40 students saying they would like to enrol in the nursing programme in Abu Dhabi, which currently has just 10 students and has graduated only 20.