Africa-Press – Uganda. It’s March, the last month of the first quarter of this year and we are still in times full of challenges and uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There is little to cling on as the world keeps moving and waits for no man.
Unplanned eventualities such as pandemics, political tensions, financial hardships are worsening the already worrying situation.
Like everyone else, nurses and midwives are also in this struggle. So how do we keep up? What do we have to do to stay relevant, to keep up with the times and serve to the best of our abilities. The State of the World’s Nursing Report 2020 cites nursing work force as the world’s largest single occupation in the health sector and a foundation of the inter-professional health teams that deliver on the promise of health for all.
According to the World Health Organisation, ‘Health for All’ does not mean an end to disease and disability, or that doctors and nurses will care for everyone. It means that resources for health are evenly distributed and that essential healthcare is accessible to everyone.
A lot of factors such as resources, leadership, policy need to align for this to be a reality, but as nurses and midwives, we can do our bit by keeping up with the trends in the profession and abreast with the changing needs in health.
Below are some of the trends to look out for that would enable us to maximise our potential amid the challenging times we live in.
There is an increased need for specialised nurses globally. Specialisation is not only beneficial for career growth of an individual but also shaping the future of healthcare industry.
Cliff Aliga, a lecturer at Agha Khan University and Critical Care Nurse, says specialisation provides a nurse with an opportunity to become an expert in a specific area and they can ably influence practice, education, and health outcomes from a knowledgeable standpoint.
A specialised nurse has increased clinical confidence, great decision-making ability, and increased job satisfaction, Cliff adds, drawing from his experiences as a critical care nurse having trained from Europe. We should embrace online nursing education. The education system has been flexible enough to cater for this with all sorts of programmes to enable learners achieve both study and work with ease.
The modular, evening and weekend have always been handy and of late, the online education offered by some institutions like Makerere University School of Public Health has bridged this critical gap. Several nurses have already benefitted from these. Take advantage of the online programmes both national and international to further your education.
There is increasing need for doctoral education. Uganda had its first PhD nurses more pronounced in 2007 and they had been trained from abroad. Today, there are about 10 nurses with PhDs in Uganda, but this number will hopefully continue to grow bigger.
Nurses have realised that they partake in decision-making through higher education because with more knowledge comes empowerment, refined skills, and confidence to discuss issues pertinent to nursing with colleagues, partners and governments, says Dr Rose Kyalo Nabirye. She is one of the few PhD nurses and former Dean, School of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Makerere.
Dr Nabirye adds that Uganda benefits from PhD nurses through their work in different institutions such as universities, government departments, research institutions, etc. She, however, notes a challenge that PHD nurses in Uganda have not yet managed to win big grants to set up research programmes.
Let’s familiarise ourselves with telehealth: This is where technology meets medicine, also termed as telemedicine. Happy International Year of Health and Care workers.
Ms Judith Hope Kiconco is a nurse and public health specialist. [email protected]
