Local nurses are currently in Boston receiving specialized training at the Newton Wellesley Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Centre. These include the Chief Nursing Managers from both Karin Grech Hospital and Gozo General Hospital as well as 4 other nurses from these facilities.

Throughout their stay in Boston the nurses will become familiar with methods used within the Partners Healthcare network of hospitals, paying special attention to the nursing evaluation process. They will also be given insights on how credentialing is done there, on communication strategies between staff as well as with patients and their carers, on staff to patient ratios, and on quality and patient safety reporting.

Through the nurse evaluation process training, the chief and senior nurses will obtain further knowledge into how to assess and identify the need for further training of their junior colleagues.

VGH-Karin Grech/SLH CEO Dr. Stephen Zammit explained that these training sessions were indispensable for local professionals. "It is very important for members of our staff to continue to interact and observe how other highly rated institutions not only provide their care, but work to improve quality and patient safety as well as to monitor critical issues related to credentialing and staffing ratios. It is important that staff in the various hospital departments have such opportunities to improve their professional skills".

Throughout coming months, additional training sessions will be organized for staff members from both hospitals, ensuring that as many as possible benefit from the close clinical collaboration which VGH has established with Partners Healthcare International.