14th October, 2009
AMREF’s ground breaking VIRTUAL NURSING SCHOOL (AVNS) has done it again. The Class of 2009 attained a 100% pass rate in the State Registration Examination, with 2 students attaining Distinctions, 20 getting Credits and 13 with Passes. Though still in its second year, AVNS has emerged as one of the top Nursing schools in Kenya according to the Nursing Council of Kenya Examination council ahead of other older training facilities.
Grappling with the Health crisis
A majority of Kenya's nurses are trained at the lowest ‘enrolled’ status. Yet with less than 10 per cent of Kenya’s health workers being doctors, nurses are the backbone of the health system. In 2001, the Nursing Council of Kenya approached AMREF to develop a solution on how to upgrade all 22,000 enrolled nurses to registered level. Kenya, like most developing countries has limited training facilities; only 100 nurses can be upgraded each year using traditional classroom methods, so the Council and AMREF decided on distance learning which with the support of Accenture, a global management consulting and technology service company, to evolved into the globally acclaimed eLearning programme. But eLearning as a new discipline has posed many challenges to the implementers, partners and students, hence the AMREF’s Virtual Nursing School was established to research into and test innovative eLearning methods for nursing education in Kenya.
Technology saves the day
“The AVNS is documenting the implementation process, the successes, the challenges and the lessons learnt and will share them with the implementing partners and stakeholders and recommend best practices in Registered Nurses’ training” says to Dr Peter Ngatia, AMREF’s Director of Capacity Building, “In this way the students and faculty are participating in generating knowledge about eLearning in the context of a resource-constrained country like Kenya, where connectivity, human resources and skills are still a challenge.”
To address the need for clinical practicum for the students, the school entered into an MOU with various private, public and faith based institutions to enable its students acquire the required clinical practice. These include the Aga Khan University Hospital, Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Mathare Mental Hospital, Mater Hospital and all government district and provincial hospitals. This way, the students are able to do their clinical practicum without any difficulty. Early 2009, the AMREF Virtual Nursing School also entered into an MOU with the biggest referral hospital in Kenya, the Kenyatta National Hospital, to upgrade over 500 enrolled community health nurses to diploma level.
“I would like to congratulate all the Newly Registered nurses and faculty for this excellent performance once again. They are proving that technology and innovative modes of learning are surely one of the key ways to address Africa’s Human Resource challenge,” added Dr Ngatia.
About the eLearning Programme
In 2005, AMREF and the Nursing Council of Kenya partnered with Accenture, a global management consulting and technology service company, to convert the printed course materials into electronic versions. So far computers, eLearning courseware and printers have been installed in 105 hospital- and school-based training centers across the country. In the wake of a successful pilot project, 135 nurses enrolled for the first diploma course in September 2005. This number has grown to close to 6,000 students to date. Following the Programme’s success in Kenya, it will be replicated in Uganda in 2010.
For further information please contact:
• Bob Kioko – AMREF Acting Communications Director, on +254 20 6993111 or Cell: +254 735 546440, email: bob.kioko@amref.org
