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Masters of Science in Nursing |27 June 2019

Masters of Science in Nursing

Minister Adam addressing the nurses and guests

12 Seychellois nurses to graduate

 

Twelve students who are soon to graduate from the Masters of Science in nursing programme offered by the National Institute of Health and Social Studies and Chamberlain University, presented their evidence-based projects to officials from the ministry and their colleagues at the Sheikh Khalifa Diagnostic Centre, yesterday.

The 12 students, comprising nursing professionals and educators at the National Institute of Health and Social Studies (NIHSS), form the first cohort to follow the programme which aims to improve the capacity of local nursing professionals and to improve service delivery.

Addressing the students and all present, including a panel from Chamberlain University, Health Minister Jean-Paul Adam asserted that the ministry’s main goal is to be able to deliver quality service and to be able to measure this quality through evidence-based approaches.

“I am pleased that all of those who are graduating under this programme are the apostles of quality service within our health service. Our focus is on each student being able to present projects which will contribute towards the goals that we have set ourselves within the health sector,” said Minister Adam.

“It is very important as well that we look at nursing as part of the wider health ecosystem and how the skills that have been acquired through this Masters programme and through the various presentations that we will hear today, how those contribute towards delivering goals for our health service,” Minister Adam stated.

Students following the course have been engaged in a practical component, allowing an opportunity for them to apply the knowledge that they are learning in a practice setting and also therefore deliver those skills in service. Furthermore, they have been undertaking the programme while performing their normal duties which Minister Adam noted is a mark of their determination and leadership.

“I would also like to thank the nurses who have participated in the programme and who have graduated with excellent results. We are very proud of you. We are very proud of the effort that you have undertaken,” he congratulated the students.

The programme is being offered under an agreement between NIHSS and Chamberlain University which permits for nursing professionals in Seychelles to obtain either a first degree (BSc) or a Masters degree in nursing. As Chamberlain University is based in the United States of America, some components of the course were delivered by professors and lecturers who travelled to Seychelles specifically to teach the modules.  

Speaking of the programme, Minister Adam emphasised the need to build the capacity of healthcare professionals and to make the programme accessible to as many local professionals in the long-term.

“Among the nurses who are doing the masters course, some of them are educators at NIHSS, and with the Masters qualification, they can offer more of such courses even at BSc level here in Seychelles. In the next phase, many of these modules can be taught by Seychellois who have received formation in the first phase of the programme…all nurses who have the capacity and who are performing their duties well, will have the opportunity to pursue nursing studies,” Minister Adam asserted.

Director of academic programme at Chamberlain University Janina Johnson explained the projects, stating that the programme offers several tracks from which students can choose. Ten students from the first cohort were following the nurse educator track while two were enrolled in the nurse executive track.

As is the norm for research projects, students were required to identify an issue and to formulate a research question based on the issue identified. This phase was followed by data-gathering, analysis, translation and finally, the dissemination of their findings, in the form of a presentation.

The students were then invited to present their projects to a panel. Among the research topics were active learning strategies to improve students’ academic performance, evidence-based standardised handover tools and protocols to improve nursing practice to monitor patients’ fluid intake and output on a male medical ward.

Other topics of evidence-based research include stress reduction in nursing education, discharge protocols and post-partum evidence-based educational programme.

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