Re-envisioning paediatric nurse training in a re-engineered health care system
Journal Article
2014-10
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Curationis
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Volume Title
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AOSIS OpenJournals
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
*Background: South African’s infant and child mortality rates remain high and at the current
rate of decline will not meet the Millennium Development Goals of a two thirds decrease by
2015. At the latest available count, there were fewer than 1500 qualified paediatric nurses on
the National South African Nursing Council register, with only about 100 nurses graduating
with this qualification from South African nursing schools annually. It is not clear, however, if
current paediatric nurse training programmes adequately equip nurses to make a real impact
on reducing the under-5 mortality rate. In their 2011 interim report, the Ministerial Committee
on Morbidity and Mortality in Children under 5 years recommended strengthening paediatric
nurses’ training as a strategy to reduce the under-5 mortality rate.
*Method: In response to the Committee on Morbidity and Mortality in Children
recommendation, a colloquium was convened as a national forum for schools of nursing,
departments of health, health care facilities, clinicians and regulatory bodies to advance
children’s nursing in South Africa.
*Objectives: The goals of the colloquium were to thoroughly investigate the situation in
South Africa’s paediatric nurse training, plot ways to strengthen and expand postgraduate
paediatric programmes to meet priority child health needs, and to build relationships between
the various schools and stakeholders.
*Results: Outcomes included the clarification and strengthening of a ‘stakeholder grid’ in
nurse training, recognition of the need for more active teaching and learning strategies in
curricula linked to national child health priorities, as well as the need to develop and support
clinical nursing practice in facilities.
Description
Reference:
Coetzee, M., 2014, ‘Reenvisioning paediatric nurse training in a re-engineered health care system’, Curationis 37(2), Art.#1261, 8 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/curationis.v37i2.1261