Distance Education An Opportunity to Support Nursing in Southeast Asia

Abstract

This discursive paper aims to discuss the potential creation of a bridging BNS program in selected Southeast Asian countries to increase the number of nurse educators for the goal of having local educators to increase the number of nurses in their respective countries. Background: Nursing in Thailand has evolved from its original support by the past King and Queen of Thailand. Now, most nurses have a BNS degree for entry into practice. The Chiang Mai University has succeeded in delivering nursing and training programs in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Design: A discursive article is describing a distance educational model. Methods: Literature from nursing education in Thailand, World Health Organization (WHO) projected shortage of nurses, nursing education reform, and distance education nursing programs informed this article's opinions. The use of distance education bridging BNS programs has the potential to build faculty capacity quickly. Conclusions: Thailand can educate, to some extent, through distance education, international nurses within the ASEAN region. Providing baccalaureate education will increase the capacity of many of these countries to educate their nurses. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Creating opportunities for preparing baccalaureate nurse educators for low-income countries within South East Asia supports improving health outcomes.