VIRGINIA BEACH — People who are sick or injured want to feel better, but usually they also want to be on the receiving end of at least a little bit of compassion.
Gerson Moreno-Riaño, executive vice president of Regent University’s Office of Academic Affairs thinks the school’s new College of Healthcare Sciences and its faith-based approach to health care can help.
“It is critical, at this time, for our world to have exceptional Christian leaders serving and working in the field of health care,” Moreno-Riaño said. “Students who graduate from this program will be equipped to succeed in the highly competitive field of medicine while also serving others with the love of Christ.”
The program will emphasize a holistic approach that includes body, mind, and spirit as necessary components of total health.
Of note within the industry, the importance of spirituality and its positive influence has been affirmed at the American Medical Association’s 2016 Interim Meeting, where delegates encouraged giving patients access to spiritual care services, Moreno-Riaño said.
“Christians created the first hospitals as part of a tradition of helping others, while some of today’s leading hospitals are faith-based,” he said. “Therefore, offering a faith-based approach to training a high quality health care and nursing workforce is in line with a long tradition of a faith-based approaches that seek the highest good for patients.”
Moreno-Riaño said at Regent, a faith-based approach begins with the highest level of skilled care training, supported by compassion and hope for the best possible outcomes.
“Because we are passionate about best-in-class training, we have already partnered with area hospitals so that we can serve them with future nurses and health care professionals,” he said.
Additionally, the program is seeking nursing accreditation through the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education, and the university has learned from its existing health care partners that leadership decision making is important at every level of care and in particular, on the frontlines of nursing.
“Our aim is to surpass industry expectations and develop training that will produce health care leaders who are making critical decisions on the frontline every day,” Moreno-Riaño said. “Leadership training is a central component of every Regent program outcome and is a distinctive for all of our programs.”
The College of Healthcare Sciences and School of Nursing officially launched on Aug. 1 and classes will begin Monday. The program consists of both undergraduate and graduate level classes and a wide variety of degrees.
