It is the wish of any student to pass their exams and not only to pass but to excel. And AMREF did just that with the AMREF Virtual Training School students receiving top grades. Not only did AMREF sit 32 students but to crown this, they excelled in the national exam for upgrading of nurses from certificate to diploma level registering a pass rate of 81.25% against the national rate of 73.94%.
The 32 students, who registered in 2010, had exceptional grades: general nursing-84%; midwifery-100%; community health nursing-100%; and specialised areas in nursing and paediatrics-97%. Through, the two year e-learning course, the nurses have been upgraded from Enrolled Community Health Nurses (ECHN) to Kenya Registered Community Health Nurses (KRCHN).
The AMREF Virtual Training School (AVTS) formerly known as AMREF Virtual Nursing School (AVNS) began its operations in March 2007 as a laboratory for researching into and testing eLearning best practices as a methodology for scaling up the numbers and capacity of health workers, and in particular certificate nurses. The school has now grown from being a test lab to a centre of excellence for nursing education with the aim of increasing health professionals’ access to affordable and quality continuous education using innovative methodologies.
AVTS has grown from offering one course in 2007 to the current six courses at certificate, diploma and degree levels. From a population of 50 students in 2007, AVTS currently has a population of 390 virtual learners across Kenya and close to 300 nurses have successfully completed the program.
The overarching goal of the School is to increase health professionals’ access to affordable and quality continuous education using innovative methodologies.
All the courses are delivered via blended elearning model that utilizes information technology complemented by classroom and clinical learning. This mode of learning delivery addresses the needs of multiple audiences and also helps to bridge the education access gap as well as ensure that minimal interruption to service provision is attained to avoid worsening the health workforce crisis in most African nations including Kenya.
AMREF is a transparent organisation distributing funds of up to $85 million per year.
