JCT to offer new courses in nursing, pharmacy amid coronavirus
The new majors will be focused on training practitioners to assist with the influx of intensive care patients, and pharmacists to address Israel's shortage at the moment.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA NURSE WEARS a mask in the Coronavirus Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.(photo credit: NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90)
New academic tracks in internal medicine and pharmacy will be offered by the Jerusalem College of Technology, in an effort to meet Israel's needs amid the coronavirus pandemic.The new majors will be focused on training practitioners to assist with the influx of intensive care patients, and pharmacists to address Israel's shortage at the moment.The JCT’s MA in Nursing internal medicine track is designed for nurses with a bachelor's degree who currently work in cardiology, infectious diseases, pulmonology, intensive care, and other departments.The internal medicine program is expected to open up opportunities to be promoted to management, as well as salary increases overall. Students can focus on disciplines such as genetics, pain management, rehabilitation, patient- and family-centered communication, etc.“Studying internal medicine as part of a master’s degree in nursing provides in-depth clinical knowledge of a wide range of diseases and treatment methods at a high academic level,” said the Dean of JCT’s Faculty of Life and Health Sciences Prof. Freda Ganz.Patients who arrive at hospitals with coronavirus infections typically have other illnesses as well, and nurses are needed who possess a varied knowledge of internal medicine to take care of ICU patients before their condition rapidly deteriorates.“Even after the condition of a coronavirus patient stabilizes and the patient is discharged from the hospital, further treatment and rehabilitation is needed offsite,” said Dr. Anat Romem, head of the MA in Nursing at JCT. “Therefore, in-depth knowledge of internal medicine is essential for nurses throughout the community, not only in the hospital setting.”Meanwhile, the JCT's Pharmacy track is meant to address the needs of one of Israel's fastest growing health professions.Israel currently has a shortage of around 600 pharmacists, in a deficit that grows daily. Only Hebrew University and Ben-Gurion University currently offer courses in pharmacy licensed by the Health Ministry.“In the past, we would meet the pharmacist only behind the counter,” explained Dr. Sara Genut, head of JCT’s Pharmacy track. “In recent years, the profession has expanded significantly and has penetrated other realms. In hospitals, pharmacists have become key players in determining the drug treatment of patients. In the pharmaceutical industry, important roles have been set up for pharmacists, both as partners in drug development that will result in drug approval, and as quality controllers and supervisors of drug manufacturing and registration.”“As a leading academic institution that trains professionals in the field of health, we have identified a significant opportunity to give the national-religious and Haredi populations a pathway towards entering the vital and evolving profession of pharmacy,” Ganz said.
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