The Vietnam Nurse Project is part of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco. The Project has the full support of Dr. Stephen Privett, S.J., President of the University, Dr. Judith Karshmer, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, Dr. Jennifer Turpin, Provost and Academic Vice President, and Dr. Geraldo Marín, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.
The Vietnam Nurse Project (VNP) at the School of Nursing and Health Professions was established in 2007 by Dr. Gregory Crow. However, Dr. Crow, faculty and students from USF/SONHP, and nurse volunteers have been traveling to Hanoi to work in hospitals and nursing schools since 2005. 
The VNP has been operating in Hanoi, Vietnam for 5 years and USF/SONHP hopes to establish a branch of our masters program in nursing at the Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine (VATM) in Hanoi.
In our 5 years of working in health care in Hanoi we have come to realized that often physicians are trained to do western style procedures and then the patient does not have a qualified nurse to care for them post-surgery, or in follow-up appointments. in clinics or in community health centers. We are trying to build capacity in the Vietnamese health care system, yet without building capacity within nursing to do more, the system continues to under-utilize both nurses and physicians.
In January 2010, USF signed a letter of agreement with VATM. We hosted a delegation from VATM in June 2009, and in September 2009 we hosted Dr. Le Ba Thuc, Vice-director of the Bach Mai Nursing School of Hanoi. Bach Mai is our principal contact school in Hanoi. The USF/SON, and the Vietnam Nurse Project, is making a long-term commitment to this project.
The Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ministry of Health, and nurse and physician leaders with whom we are working have identified that without nurses being able to do more and practice in an expanded capacity, the Vietnamese health care system cannot adequately meet the health care needs of its citizens. We have approval for this project from the Ministry of Education and Training; additionally the US Embassy and the United States Agency for International Development (USFAID) in Hanoi have been very helpful.
We are currently working on several nurse education and practice projects in Hanoi, Vietnam. Our Vietnam partners include:
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Bach Mai Nursing School, Bach Mai Medical Center
Project emphasis: Teacher and curriculum development, student and faculty exchanges
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Vietnam Academy of Traditional Medicine School of Nursing
Project emphasis: Establish masters and baccalaureate programs
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Thanh Nhan Medical Center
Project emphasis: Improve the practice and leadership of nursing
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An Khanh School of Nursing
Project emphasis: Teacher and curriculum development
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