Nursing knowledge transfer from partners in North Carolina, USA

During May 15-24, 2024, Assistant Professor Hilary Mendel, nursing specialist from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, United States of America, was on a working visit to Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in the Republic of Moldova.

The program of the visit started with a training activity entitled "Safe patient handling" organized for the first year students of the Bachelor's degree Nursing program of our university.

Another activity carried out by Hilary Mendel was the training workshop with the generic "Rolling patient in the hospital bed", which was attended by third-year students from the Nursing undergraduate study program. The students participated actively, noting that these activities are very necessary and contribute to the development of practical skills and to obtaining new knowledge in the field. At the 5th Congress of Family Doctors from the Republic of Moldova, organized on the 17th and 18th May 2024 by Nicolae Testemitanu University in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Association of Family Doctors from the Republic of Moldova, Hilary Mendel gave a lecture on the topic “A brief overview of the different types of nurses and their roles and responsibilities in primary health care in the United States”, in the section "Integrated care for patients with non-communicable diseases".

The American specialist also visited the University Center for Simulation in Medical Training, where she had a meeting with Iurie Saratila, deputy director for educational programs and evaluation, and with Virginia Salaru, Associate Professor at the Department of Family Medicine, in the context of taking the internship exam at the practical stage by fourth-year students from the Nursing study program. 

The program of the visit continued with the training workshop "Critical Thinking Development & Evaluation in Students" intended for teachers instructed in the training process at the Nursing undergraduate study program.

At the same time, the first-year students from the Nursing study program attended a practical lesson on the safe handling of bedridden patients, given by Hilary Mendel. The specialist mentioned that the practical activity offers future nurses with higher education the necessary skills to care for patients who cannot move on their own, or who need assistive objects for movement, such as wheelchairs or walking frames. Students learned correct techniques for lifting, moving and positioning patients, which would reduce the risk of injury to both patients and medical staff. The acquired skills are very important for the practical work of nurses, as they contribute to improving the quality of medical care and preventing complications associated with immobility. 

The program of the visit ended with the meeting of Assistant Professor Hilary Mendel with the First vice-rector Olga Cernetchi, vice-rector for didactic activity, who handed her a certificate of appreciation, as a sign of gratitude for her active participation as a trainer in the theoretical and practical nursing training of students and teaching staff of the University.

Hilary Mendel stated that the students and faculty she interacted with showed an interest in knowledge and observed an improvement in the instructional process: "In the US the process of change in the field has been an arduous one, with previous generations making essential changes in the system, slowly, but surely, so that the current generations can exercise the profession more easily and quickly". The American assistant professor also appreciated the development of the Advanced Nursing master's program, which will help graduates of the Nursing bachelor's program to delve deeper into scientific research, identify problems that patients face and come up with conclusive evidence and solutions for improving their quality of life. 

For her part, the First vice-rector Olga Cernetchi emphasized the fact that thanks to the Advanced Nursing master's program it will be possible to train teachers in the field of nursing, they will advance in their careers and teach at the Bachelor's and Master's General Nursing study programs. Finally, the vice-rector thanked the trainer for the support given to our university during her visit to Nicolae Testemitanu University and invited her to come back again. 

The specialist's visit took place under the "American Medical Speaker Program" project, funded by the US Department of State. The main objectives of the project are: knowledge transfer; improving the practical skills and strengthening the research and teaching capacities of scientific teaching staff and students.