Nancy Hoffart, Founding Dean, Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing
Dr. Nancy Hoffart, Founding Dean, Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing
Nancy Hoffart joined LAU last October as the founding dean of of the university’s nursing school which will open its doors to students later this year. She arrived at LAU after serving as dean of Northeastern University’s School of Nursing in Boston. We asked her a few questions about the new school and the role of nursing in Lebanon:
Now that LAU’s nursing school is getting up to speed, tell us about what students will experience.
LAU’s new School is committed to helping address the critical shortage of professional nurses in Lebanon and around the world. The students who enter to end this problem will receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), after a three-year program. In the process, they can spend part of their time at LAU studying in the capital, Beirut, as well as Byblos in the north.
What will make the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing unique and worthwhile for people thinking about studying in the Middle East?
Students who join the School can take advantage of co-operative education internships. In addition, students who go to our School have the benefit of learning in a real-world setting. LAU’s newly-acquired hospital, the University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital, as well as community health organizations, will help our students see what their degrees can do for them. Students who finish their studies at the School are in a great position to take licensing examinations, which are essential to become a registered nurse in many countries. Whoever passes through our doors will be trained to become patient-centered nurses with a strong grasp of interdisciplinary care.
Why is it so important for LAU to open a nursing school in the first place?
Lebanon is almost unique in the world for being a country with more doctors than nurses. When there are too few professional nurses to help care for patients, the quality of care suffers. Patients get less attention when they need it the most, and nurses can become overwhelmed by the pressures being placed on them. More nurses in Lebanon respond to this pressure by leaving for other countries, like the U.S. Having more well-trained professional nurses in hospitals can help patients get the care they deserve, while helping them enjoy their profession in the country that needs them so much.
On a personal level, what drew you to Lebanon?
LAU’s opening of a new nursing school at the same time as the medical school is being started was very appealing to me. I am a strong advocate for interdisciplinary education for nursing and other health professionals. With the new medical school and a strong pharmacy school, we are joining forces to create an innovative and leading interdisciplinary educational program. When I learned that LAU had acquired UMC-RH it was icing on the cake, because I also believe that nursing schools must be closely linked with nursing departments in hospitals to advance our profession. Finally, my husband and I felt that living in Lebanon would be an enriching experience personally, and we have already found that to be true! Mazboot!
For more information, email the School of Nursing at nursing.school@lau.edu.lb or call +961 1 786456
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