Improving Nursing & Midwifery Care in Liberia

Friends of Liberia—Liberia Health Team Monrovia Liberia

Notes from December 28, 2020 Meeting.

Members of the Friends of Liberia-Liberia Health Team met on Monday, 28-December 2020 in Phebe, Bong County to discuss issues relative to the January 2021 faculty and practicing nurses and midwives professional development workshops sponsored by FOL-US and GlobalGiving. Each continuing professional development has its own primary objective. The major objective of the continuing faculty development workshop is to enhance the teaching competency of Liberian nurse/midwife educators in delivering an evidence-based and quality teaching learning strategies and evaluations. . As Pelletreau et al. (2018) have noted, helping faculty develop high-quality instructions can positively affect student learning outcomes. There is also evidence that keeping health care workers up-to-date and competent is a continuous challenge in today’s dynamic healthcare environment. Based on this evidence, the aim of the clinician professional development workshop is to improve the skills of practicing nurses and midwives to better meet the needs of their patients.

During the meeting, the following were discussed and concluded

1. Based on data from the needs assessment, topics to be covered during the faculty workshop will include:
   1. Curriculum Development & Designs
   2. Course objectives using backward design
   3. Test item analysis/test banking
   4. Evaluating educational program
   5. Writing research proposal
2. Similarly, topics to be covered during the clinician workshop will include:
   1. Documentation
   2. Nursing process especially for critical patients
   3. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines
   4. Customer service
   5. Performing emergency procedures (CPR, Heimlich maneuver)
3. For each topic, there will be one lead-facilitator and one co-facilitator
4. The Team will invite at least one practicing nurse/midwife as guest presenter
5. Bosh Bosh, a local NGO based in Salala, will be hired to prepare 52 pieces of nose covers for each workshop
6. The faculty workshop will be conducted during the week of 11-January 2021, while the clinician workshop will be held during the week of 18-January 2021 
7. Mr. Clinton Zeantoe will begin the distribution of invitation letters to Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery accredited training institutions as of 29-December 2020 (already in circulation)
8. Letters of invitation to hospitals/health centers will be sent out during the week of 4 January 2021.
9. Flag Pole cafeteria (based on Phebe Compound) has been engaged to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for participants and facilitators including any FOL guest.
10. Flag Pole hall be used as training hall for the two workshops
11. Facilitators and participants will pre-finance their own lodging but will be informed at the start of the workshop as to how much is budgeted for lodging.

We are excited to begin this important instruction in the upcoming weeks. We thank all the donors who have supported our work. At the conclusion of the two workshops we will issue final reports and share photos as well as evaluations. Thank you for helping us to help ourselves i.e. our healthcare system. Edwin Beyan

Reference

Pelletreau, K. N., Knight, J. K., Lemons, P. P., McCourt, J. S., Merril, J. E., Nehm, R. H.,

            Prevost, L. B., Urban-Luran, M., & Smith, M. K. (2018). A faculty professional

            development model that improves student learning, encourages active learning

            instructional practices and works for faculty at multiple institutions. Life Sciences

            Education, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.17-12-0260

Links:

• 2020 Liberian Health Team's First Workshop

• Liberian Health Team Needs Assessment (PDF)