More than 85% of Kenya’s 20,000 nurses are trained at certificate level and do not have registered nurses’ diploma, leaving them inadequately qualified to treat major diseases, such as HIV, TB and malaria. Classroom-based training for the registered nurses’ diploma was limited, meaning only 100 of the 20,000 nurses could qualify each year. This has left Kenya with just one registered nurse per 27,000 people.
To speed the process, AMREF and the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) have shifted the emphasis from traditional classroom based teaching to ‘paper-based’ distance learning and then to ‘eLearning’. In partnership with the Kenyan Ministry of Health, Accenture (a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company), the Kenya Medical Training Colleges and several private and faith-based nursing schools, AMREF and NCK are:
- using eLearning to register nearly 20,000 Kenyan nurses by 2011
- training AMREF and NCK staff to run and monitor the eLearning programme
- advocating for the eLearning programme to be replicated in other African countries.
Project aims
NCK, AMREF and Accenture have developed four computer-based training modules being delivered through more than 100 eLearning centres – reaching nurses in the most remote areas of Kenya. Twenty-five nursing schools are also taking part in the programme. To date, more than 4,500 nurses have enrolled in the programme, using both print and eLearning modules.
Unlike traditional training, the eLearning programme is flexible, enabling students to learn anytime and anywhere, and without the need to stop working while they upgrade their skills.
AMREF staff and local partners are fully trained to manage and further expand the programme regionally. AMREF will use the programme as a model for other African countries struggling with critical nursing shortages.
According to Dr. Peter Ngatia, Director of Capacity Building for AMREF, “This programme is not only going to drastically improve the health care of Kenya, it is also going to be emulated by other countries – and the impact on Africa’s health system will be enormous.”
The Registrar of the Nursing Council of Kenya states, “We are proud of the eLearning program as nurse managers are reporting an improvement in the quality of nursing care. With improved nursing care, we are confident of our contribution in steering our country towards meeting the health related MDGs.”
Key achievements
AMREF and local partners are:
- Working closely together to achieve the desired results.
- Fully equipped (by Accenture) with the IT and management skills needed to expand and run the programme long-term.
- Revolutionising the education process by harnessing computer-based learning to boost Kenya’s medical training capacity.
- Using a Virtual Nursing School set up at AMREF to test and document the implementation of an eLearning solution in strengthening the human resource for health in a low-income, resource constrained environment.
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