School of Nursing and Allied Health

Welcome to the Excelsior Community College School of Nursing and Allied Health.

Mission

The School of Nursing & Allied Health -SONAH consistent with the ECC’s mission emphasizes that “We transform lives through quality education and training, applied research and partnerships with local and international communities.”

Vision

The School of Nursing and Allied Health- SONAH in keeping with the ECC ‘s vision emphasizes that “We are a transformative, agile higher education institution forging linkages and positively impacting our communities.”

The School of Nursing formerly the Nursing Department was one of the first four departments of the Excelsior Community College when it began it’s official sojourn in September 1974 . The idea was to offer an associate degree programme with a bias towards school nursing, this however was met with resistance from certain quarters. What eventually materialized was a programme offering a diploma in Nursing with a focus on school health. Incorporated in the curriculum was liberal arts and science and provisions for extensive training in community health.

Excelsior Community College School of Nursing (ECCSON) was the first of its kind in Jamaica, preparing prospective nurses in a community college setting. Enrollees had full students status unlike the traditional Nursing Schools that were operating under the apprenticeship system. The funding of EXED School of Nursing was managed under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education, while the others were prodigies of the Ministry of Health, except for Northern Caribbean University (formerly West Indies College School of Nursing) which was a private entrepreneurial activity. During the 1980s ECCSON collaborated with the University of Miami in offering a Bachelors of Science in Nursing, but concluded this arrangement because it was no longer viable.

In 1985 the school encountered a setback due to financial difficulty resulting in its closure transiently. The Ministry of Health was approached for assistance to ensure that the current batch of students graduated. In good faith and after a feasibility study by their task force to justify viability, the Ministry of Health came to the nursing school’s rescue.

The Nursing Program has grown tremendously over the the past twenty two years. The success rate of our our students in the Regional Examinations for Registered Nurses (RENR) has consistently exceeded the ninety fifth percentile standard. Many students have qualified for the Gertrude Swaby honour roll. They have also participated in the student nurse of the year competition, and awarded second place on numerous occasions.

In 2004, ECCSON embarked on establishing a generic baccalaureate degree program on a franchise with the University of the West Indies School of Nursing (UWISON). This programme has received a high volume of interested applicants both locally and from the wider Caribbean Region. The first group of successful students completed their bachelor degree in 2007, many of them graduating with honours, mainly first class honours. Among the students of nursing schools offering this generic Bachelor of Science affiliated with the UWISON, ECCSON students have achieved the highest GPA. Their performance scores at the top of the ladder in the RENR, is comparable to that of any other nursing school in the country. Of that batch, sixty one of our students sat the RENR, fifty were successful, and ten had to redo one paper. One successful graduate has even matriculated to medical school.

Programmes Offered:

Bachelor Degrees

Associate Degrees

Diploma

The Assistant Nurse Training Programme (ANTP).

* For Registered Nurses who wish to upgrade to the Bachelor’s Degree.
^{+ Franchised UWISON/ECC/CCCJ Programme.}

Directors of the Nursing School have been:

1974-1980 - Mrs. Marvel Freeman & Ms. Gertrude Swaby (Jamaican Nursing Pioneer)

1980-1983 - Mrs. Irene Hollar

1983-1985 - Mrs. Carmen Samuels

1985-1988 - Dr. Hermi Hewitt

1988-1990 - Ms. Barbara Dunn

1990-2004 - Mrs. Evadney Crooks

2004-2009 - Mrs. Donna-Marie Francis-Bignall

2009-2013 & 2014-2016 - Mrs. Maxine Lounds-Campbell

2013-2014 & 2016 - Acting Ms. Colleen Campbell

2016 to present - Dr. Mo'Nique Grant Coke

Testimonials

“Positive Purposeful Productivity”, are words which when combined can “create enormous power and this power can lead to people in organizations becoming consistently motivated and highly successful.” Dr. MòNique J. Grant Coke, 2021.

Words are critical to success and these three words creatively combined by Dr. MJ. Grant Coke in 2021, “Positive Purposeful Productivity” – for short, PPP has now become the Mantra for SONAH. The creation of these three words combined, has been an intentional move by Dr. MJ. Grant Coke to enable consistent motivation in leading the School of Nursing and Allied Health at Excelsior Community College. Dr. MJ Grant Coke since 2021 has strategically used these three words in operational meetings, decisively and consistently leading to greater empowerment for All.

As a result, “Positive, Purposeful, Productivity” – PPP is observed in teamwork, teaching and learning, and just about all aspects for students, lecturers and staff operations, with the team exhibiting higher motivation at all levels. This the SONAH believes has contributed to SONAH’s continued success and completion rates above 85%.

MJ. Grant Coke PhD, DNP, RN, RM, RNH.