HVO’s nursing education project in Uganda seeks to improve the quality of nursing care by educating clinician-educators and strengthening the education of degree-seeking nurses. The goal is not only to improve nursing care in Uganda, but to build a foundation for ongoing teach and training, leading to more and better educated nurses for years to come.
The project continues toward this mission, with many successes. A volu
nteer who has traveled to the site regularly since 2001 reported on her most recent trip:
Nurses throughout Uganda can benefit from the expertise of HVO nurse volunteers, providing continuing education and clinical support at the bedside, helping health care workers put knowledge into practice. Nurses, midwives and students I have worked with believe that what we do is most valuable and though maybe not obvious to us, has made a positive impact on the care delivered to Ugandan babies …
Sarah, a former Mulago SCBU nurse that I have worked with since 2001, pursued a certificate in Pediatric Nursing at Jinja Hospital. Her level of knowledge in the care of sick newborns impressed her instructors. Sarah credits this to us, HVO volunteers, for the years of education we provided in the SCBU. She was offered a position as a tutor in the Jinja School of Nursing and Midwifery. This is the main reason I keep returning to Uganda: trained Ugandan healthcare workers training others and saving newborns.
The teaching and training of HVO volunteers creates opportunity for health workers. It empowers them and leads them to share their knowledge and skills, as seen in Sarah’s career. HVO’s nursing education projects are supported by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. To learn more about HVO’s nursing education projects, visit our program page.