ISLAMABAD, AUG 6 /DNA/ – The representatives of the Canada-based National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) and Pakistan Nursing & Midwifery Council (PNMC) visited the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Headquarters on Monday. NNAS is a not-for-profit, pan-Canadian credentialing service provider for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENS) pursuing licensure in Canada.

NNAS team is visiting  Pakistan to review and assess nursing educational standards in Pakistan, including the nursing curriculum, its teaching and delivery in nursing schools and function of regulator. The aim is to reduce the processing cycle of evaluating the nursing credentials of Pakistani registered nurses who apply to NNAS in Canada.

The delegation was welcomed by Executive Director HEC, Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, and Director General HEC Academics Division, Dr. Amjad Hussain. Dr. Raisa Gul, Professor and Dean at Shifa College of Nursing, Islamabad, and Ms. Rubina Qasim, at Dow Institute of Nursing and Midwifery, Karachi, were also virtually present at the meeting. Representatives of Canadian High Commission were also part of the delegation. The PNMC was represented by Mr. Asif Khattak, Director MIS PNMC.

Ms. Cinnamon Stacey, Director of Research & Assessment at NNAS, along with Dr. Ramesh Venkatesa Perumal and Ms. Dilshad Pirani, Consultants at NNAS, briefed the attendees on NNAS’s role in collecting and verifying credentials of Internationally Educated Nurses to assist Canadian nursing regulatory bodies in making licensing decisions.

Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum assured the full support of HEC for NNAS’s collaboration with PNMC and Pakistani HEIs. He stated that HEC is committed to work with international partners to bridge curriculum gaps and push for structural improvements to meet global standards in healthcare industry especially related to nursing profession. He also informed the delegation about HEC’s recent efforts on recent policies related to transnational education, Institutional affiliation policy, undergraduate and graduate policies and briefed about national qualifications framework, curriculum development process in alignment with international standards.

The delegation appreciated HEC’s unwavering support for HEIs in achieving international excellence in nursing education through a standardised curriculum and by encouraging avenues for international collaborations and partnerships.