SickKids-Ghana Paediatric Nursing Education Partnership expands education program to Tamale, Ghana

Posted on October 7, 2016

Summary:

As the first training site outside of Accra, the Paediatric Associate Membership Programme in Tamale will help build nursing capacity in the northern regions of Ghana.

On October 6, 2016, the SickKids-Ghana Paediatric Nursing Education Partnership (PNEP) celebrated a milestone in scaling up paediatric nursing in Ghana. Representatives from the Ghana Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, the High Commission of Canada in Ghana, Global Affairs Canada, Tamale Teaching Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) joined the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM) in Tamale to launch the Paediatric Associate Membership Programme, a one-year specialized paediatric nursing education program jointly developed and delivered by GCNM and the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health.

“Not only are we training paediatric nurses, we are creating future leaders for child health in Ghana,” says Pam Hubley, Chief of International Nursing at SickKids and PNEP Executive Sponsor. “The primary goal of this partnership is to train paediatric nurses and contribute to Ghana’s national target of 1,500 paediatric nurses as part of the next generation of experts in child health over the next 10 to 15 years.”

A woman holds a small flashlight up to another woman's eye — A paediatric associate resident learns how to examine pupils on Nurse Educator Mary Douglas in Accra, Ghana

As the first training site outside of Accra, the Paediatric Associate Membership Programme in Tamale will help build nursing capacity in the northern regions of Ghana. By increasing access to education, the clinically focused program will train a new cadre of graduates and contribute to increased coverage of specialized paediatric nurses in the country. Through the competency based curriculum and clinical practicums, Paediatric Associate Residents will gain skills to identify, treat and prevent various paediatric-related illnesses and emergencies.

“The start of classes for the second cohort of Associate Residents is a testament to this partnership’s efforts to scale up paediatric nursing education across Ghana,” says Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi, President, GCNM. "This program will have both an immediate and ongoing impact on child morbidity and mortality in Ghana. Nurses trained through this program will go on to become leaders in their communities and active advocates for child health."

Learn more about the SickKids-Ghana Paediatric Nursing Education Partnership (PNEP).