Dear Colleagues,
As we debate the CCK report its also important
to reflect on other successful initiative in the country. On such initiative is
a partnership between AMREF, the Nursing Council of Kenya and Accenture, a global management consultancy, technology
services, and outsourcing company, where 22,000 nurses will have an opportunity
of continuous professional development through ICT or if you like eLearning. I wonder how many such initiatives are taking
root albeit quietly in the country. Congratulations are in order to both AMREF
and the Nursing Council of Kenya for this effort.
Kindest Regards
Harry
http://www.checkpoint-elearning.com/article/3925.html
How to Upgrade 22,000 Nurses in Kenya 
Nairobi
(KEN), May 2007 - In a public-private partnership, Accenture
and the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) have developed the
How did the cooperation with Accenture come to be?
Adesuwa Akinboro: AMREF and the
Nursing Council of Kenya have been involved in the training of nurses for over
five years now. Initially, this was through the distance education print-based
mode. However, due to the chronic nurse shortage, the need to accelerate the
training of health workers arose.
AMREF approached Accenture, a global management
consultancy, technology services, and outsourcing company with many years of
experience in eLearning for a solution. Together,
AMREF, Accenture, and the Nursing Council of Kenya
designed a solution to address the chronic shortage of registered nurses in the
country.
Could you please describe the outline of the
program?
Adesuwa Akinboro: Twenty-seven
nursing schools are currently implementing the program. Their role is to enrol the students, who are drawn from hospitals, health
centers, non-governmental organisations, and from the
general population. The students must meet the following requirements:
- A community health
nurse certificate (ECHN);
- Furthermore,
government employees should have more than three years of service.
Once enrolled, the
students take the course at their places of work on computers that are
installed and maintained by AMREF. The program currently has 100 of these
centers equipped with a total of 340 computers. These include hospitals and
medical training colleges. The eLearning centers have
an AMREF trained mentor whose responsibility is to assist the students during
their clinical placements and to serve as the first level of computer help-desk
support.
The upgrading program is structured into four modules. Every module consists of
several units with two self-tests in each module. In addition to the self-tests, the schools administer a written exam at the
end of each module and a final exam at the end of the course. The school also
monitors student progress on an ongoing basis.
The need for practical experience cannot be over emphasised.
The program requires that all students receive practical experience at approved
hospitals, and this is one of its strengths since it allows students to put
into practice the knowledge they will have acquired almost immediately.
What has been the most important experience?
Which obstacles did you have to overcome?
Adesuwa Akinboro: This has been a
very exciting program. It has motivated the nurses enrolled in their provision
of health services across the country. The nurse managers have also noted and
commented on the improved service delivery as a result of the eLearning programme. In addition,
it has enabled many nurses who previously did not have the opportunity to take
the course to do so.
Such multi-faceted national level programs will encounter obstacles in
implementation, particularly when they contain such innovative components. The
program has a strong risk management strategy in place and thus mitigates the
following risks and challenges:
- The need for
internet access, connectivity, and IT infrastructure in the hospitals
where the nurses work. AMREF has provided computers but is currently
looking into the connectivity issue.
- The release of
students from hospitals to take up the training, since nurse managers
initially did not quite grasp the benefits that eLearning
can bring.
- The fees charged by
schools. As you might expect, the cost of taking the course should be less
than that of a residential course. This has not always been the case.
Through stakeholder sensitisation, this is
gradually being achieved.
- Policy issues: there
is the need to integrate eLearning into the
training policy for health workers.
- Stakeholder
identification and involvement is crucial to ensuring their participation
support and continued buy-in.
So far over 2,000 student nurses have
been enrolled for the eLearning courses. Can you tell
us any success stories?
Adesuwa Akinboro: Through our
monitoring and evaluation exercises, we have received feedback from nurse
managers regarding improvement in the quality of care provided by the trainee
nurses. The managers have attributed this to the eLearning
course. In addition, nurses have broadened their managerial and technical
knowledge and acquired IT skills.
This has enhanced their confidence and motivation. The program has enabled more
nurses to enroll than was previously possible with the residential programme. Some nurses who previously could not get
admitted to the course due to the limited number of places available and who
have tried for over ten years have finally been able to enroll. The uptake of the
program by students, schools, and hospitals has been overwhelming.
Many more nurses need to be trained. What are
the next steps that need to be taken?
Adesuwa Akinboro: A core component
of this program is skills transfer and as such, the partnership has built up
the capabilities of AMREF, the Nursing Council of Kenya, and the schools,
including through a bespoke training programme
delivered by Accenture Learning. The eLearning model can be used to train other cadres of health
workers even to the degree level.
We now cover all of the country’s eight provinces. This infrastructure is
capable of training the remaining nurses. We also intend to hook up the centers
to the Internet so that we can improve communication and access to information,
encourage collaboration among students, improve data management, and get the
most out of our Learning Management System.
Will the cooperation between AMREF and Accenture continue?
Adesuwa Akinboro: Yes, the
cooperation will continue. As a result of this program, AMREF and Accenture have extended the partnership to include other
organizational areas such as strategic support. Furthermore, discussions are
also underway that will allow replication of the program in other African
nations. This is indeed just the beginning and an excellent example of
North-to-South cooperation and of a public-private partnership.