UAE, July 22, 2017- The Ministry of Health and Prevention has announced that it is hiring seven nursing students who got their  Bachelor’s degrees and completed their four-year studies under the “enhancing the attractiveness of  nursing as a profession  initiative”. Also 17 nurses who were part of the Nursing Bridging Program and another eight from the Master's Program in Nursing will be joining back from their educational leave.

Additionally, the Ministry will grant 45 scholarships to qualified female and male secondary students in general and advanced branches planning to take up a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. Interested students must have a 70 per cent average in the advanced section and 75 per cent in the general branch. In addition to monthly stipends of AED 4,500, the scholars will be assigned to a Ministry-run hospital after graduation.

H.E. Dr. Yousef Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary for the Hospitals Sector, said “The Ministry is committed towards achieving the national initiative of enhancing the attractiveness of the nursing profession, which is one of the initiatives from the ministerial retreat aimed at attracting national human resources at the national level. The Ministry is keen on increasing the number of nursing professionals to improve the quality and efficiency of health care services and meet the needs of the health sector in the country.”

H.E. added that the MOHAP is encouraging citizens to enter the profession of nursing and join the health sector through providing many incentives and advantages that contribute to strengthening the health institutions to be active and provide an important addition to the country’s health sector.

Dr. Sumaya Mohammad Abbas, Director, Ministry of Health and Prevention’s Nursing Department, said: “The Ministry of Health and Prevention seeks to develop the skills of all citizens who aspire to become nurses. It seeks to attract both male and female students to the profession to increase the number of qualified nursing staff in the country. One of our most important achievements so far is to raise the interest of male students in this particular field. In fact, our program has five additional male students this year to reach a total of seven with the Ministry aiming to increase the number further along with their female counterparts.”

Dr. Abbas pointed out that the Ministry also provides scholarships to nurses working in the Ministry-run facilities to encourage them to join the Nursing Bridging and Master’s Programs as part of their continuous training and development, in addition to providing them with the best educational opportunities that will enrich their scientific knowledge based on evidence-driven practices. 

“About 13 female nursing students, 22 nurses in the Nursing Bridging Program, and eight nurses in the Master’s Program are expected to graduate next year and will be assigned in various Ministry-run hospitals located across the country,” she concluded.

According to the Ministry, all applicants should contact the MOH Training & Development Center in Sharjah to submit the requirements and facilitate their registration in select UAE universities, including Sharjah University, the Ras Al Khaimah University, Higher Colleges of Technology in Sharjah and Fujairah, and the Fatima College of Health Sciences.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention allocated AED 100 million in 2015 to promote the nursing profession and increase the number of Emiratis in the field in the next five years or until 2020.