One reason for the increased need is due to the fact that larger private hospitals in Thailand are increasingly seeking ‘Joint Commission International’ (JCI) accreditation, which requires a minimum number of Registered Nurses (RNs) in order to meet the criteria. This minimum number ensures that patient safety standards, as set out by international codes, are met.
The world’s aging trend, or ‘Silver Tsunami” of WWII baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) continues to increase medical care demand as well.
Today’s nursing shortage is a result of the inadequate production of nurses over the past 30 years, combined with a high number of qualified and experienced nurses leaving the profession.
Thailand is not alone. According to Hospital Management Asia (HMA), “The nursing shortage is a worsening problem in most countries, as demand for care rises amidst growing populations, increasing chronic disease rates, and a rising middle class.”
As reported across multiple media agencies, the Thai Public Health Ministry is launching an urgent program to train 2,500 more nurses per year for the next two years, for a total of 5,000 additional nurses.
Prince of Songkla University (PSU) is working hard to address the nursing shortage crisis. PSU was the first university in Southern Thailand and was established in 1967. The name of the university was granted by the King Bhumibol Adulyadej in honour of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla, the King’s father. Six years later, in 1973, the Faculty of Nursing at Prince of Songkla University was established to form the first school for nursing education in Southern Thailand.
The School of Nursing specifically aims to offer university level nursing education throughout Southern Thailand. In 1988, the nursing program was revised from a Bachelor of Science (Nursing) program to become a Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNS). PSU’s nursing program currently has partnerships with nursing programs in Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Nepal, Indonesia, China and Japan.
Admission to the PSU nursing program is very competitive and only a limited number of students are accepted each year. Today there are 220 nursing students enrolled. While most of these students (95%) are from the southern provinces, students from all over the country attend. Since its inception, 6,304 nurses have successfully completed PSU’s nurse education program.
Two of the students who were admitted to PSU’s nursing program this year were Longlee Permhansa of Krabi and Pluem Radpradit of Phuket. They both worked hard in secondary school and graduated earlier this year.
Both Miss Longlee and Miss Pluem have been awarded four-year scholarships to the Prince of Songkla University School of Nursing through a new scholarship program.
Phuket couple Libby Heath and David Boucher recently partnered with Prince of Songkla University in Songkhla province to establish four scholarships for women from the south of Thailand seeking nursing careers.
The scholarships cover all tuitions and academic fees for the duration of the four-year program. The recipients were chosen by the PSU Nursing faculty and are based on academic achievement and financial need.
“Our intention is to support local women who dream of careers in nursing. We want them to follow their passion for nursing and to be free from education debt,” said David Boucher.
“After they finish their education, they are free to practise wherever they choose. It’s a small step toward alleviating the nursing shortage and we hope that others may be inspired to do the same,” he added.