Roxanne Diaz, Public Health’s program analyst, said seven have enrolled at Northern Marianas College, and one at the University of Guam.
“This is a good sign. Students were really motivated in pursuing nursing as a career,” she told Variety.
Since the establishment of the program in Feb. 2010, Diaz said 22 have joined it.
“This is a very critical project initiated by the department under the secretary of Public Health’s office and a very significant one as we work toward building our local health workforce capacity and addressing the shortage of local nurses here in the CNMI particularly here at the Department of Public Health,” Diaz said.
Students who join are determined to finish the two-year program, she added.
Diaz said the department’s goal is to have the students employed at the Commonwealth Health Center.
To ensure employment, she said they will try to develop a policy that will require the program participants to return to the CNMI for a certain period of time after completing their nursing course.
This September, Public Health will start accepting new applicants for the program, which is a collaboration among the Public School System, the Workforce Investment Agency, and Northern Marianas College’s Area Health Education Center.
Diaz said SSHS is the program’s pilot area but they may consider expanding it to another school.
