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| Bill Euille with scissor, Mariatu to his left and Del Pepper to his right |
According to the school, “the new state-of-the-art facility offers spacious classrooms, comfortable student lounge with Wi-Fi, a comprehensive library of online nursing journals and books, fully equipped simulation labs and access to a computer laboratory and onsite technical expertise.”
As a health education institution, GHC offers several career tracks including: Nurse Aide Program, Practical Nurse Diploma Program, Registered Nurse Associate Degree Program, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) Program.
The mission of GHC according to its President and Founder, Mariatu Kargbo, is “to prepare nurses as critical thinkers and life–long learners in today’s changing healthcare environment to enable them function effectively in a most professional manner”.
Mariatu is a native of Sierra Leone in West Africa and a graduate of George Mason University in Virginia USA where she received several degrees including: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Bachelor’s Degree in Registered Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Family Practice Nursing. Additionally, Mariatu also holds a Law Degree from Concord Law School of Kaplan University in the USA.
GHC began as Global Health Nurse Training Services (GHNTS) in 2004 when Mariatu realized her primary interest was in teaching, something which led her to quit her job as a Family Nurse Practitioner after being employed for 6 months by the Northern Virginia Family Practice.
7 years after bringing to life her dream of founding a nursing training institution that became GHNTS, Mariatu realized in 2011 that the college’s name needed to change to Global Health College, to reflect the growth and diversity of the institution. She continued to acquire additional space on South Quaker Lane in Alexandria, Virginia to accommodate the growth of the student population and staff, and now in 2015 has expanded further to a brand new state-of-the-art facility and campus located at 6101 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA.In May 2012, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) granted GHC full accreditation. The ACICS is incorporated in Virginia and operates from offices in the Washington DC area of the USA. That same year, Mariatu reveals that “the college was also approved for Title IV funding; a USA Higher Education Act. This gave our RN students the opportunity to apply for financial aid” she says. And most recently in April 2015 the Department of Education granted GHC the approval to offer financial aid to our RN to BSN students who apply and qualify.
“We have always been welcomed by whatever community we find our school in. Today we are very excited about our new facilities and the new location we are at in Alexandria, VA. The reception within the community here has been very warm, which is why we are encouraging all to stop by and take a tour of our campus by calling +(1)866-440-3535 to schedule a time” Mariatu says.
The School’s Gateway to Nursing, a new program uniquely designed to provide individuals interested in a nursing career with the opportunity to do just that in a space of 18 months, aims to introduce dedicated students to a new career in nursing. “We do this by providing a detailed path which leads from Nurse Aide (NA) through Medication Aide (MA) to Practical Nurse (PN)” says a representative of the college.
Elaborating further on the Gateway to Nursing program, Kathleen Litschgi; Director of Marketing for the school tells this writer that financial assistance is also provided to students who apply and qualify, and because Global Health College is committed to the success of every student that is accepted into it, they also “provide a mentor to guide them through the journey”.
Find out more about Global Health College which turned a decade in 2015, from their website at http://www.global.edu, or directly call them on phone number +(1)866-440-3535.
By Oral Ofori of #TheAfricanDream
