The Harry Crossley Children's Nursing Development Unit has over the years made many visits to colleagues in clinical sites. See below for details of some of these visits.
Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania May-June 2022
A core outcome of the professional UCT Master of Nursing in Child Nursing Programme, is for students to understand and apply knowledge and skills acquired in theoretical and clinical situations to a particular clinical practice setting.
In their final year they undertake a 2 week clinical placement in a tertiary setting that gives them the opportunity to consider and better understand:
- Patient flow and delivery of care to critically ill children;
- How a particular health system works;
- What the specialist area needs to fit into and function well within the existing service;
- The role and contribution of an advanced clinical nurse in this setting.
In May – June 2022 Lucy Dapaah, Chisomo Kasitomu and Beatrice Shikongo visited Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. This visit was hosted and facilitated by Dr Namala Mkopi, African Paediatric Fellowship Programme Alumna, who completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Intensive Care at UCT in 2022.
Reaching out to work with nurses in neonatal and paediatric services at Rundu State Hospital in northern Namibia - June 2019
In June 2019, four Master of Nursing in Child Nursing students from UCT travelled to Namibia on an outreach programme to the paediatric and neonatal service at Rundu State Hospital. The group, Akua Dwomoh Boateng (from Ghana), Ireen Muleya (from Zambia), Winnie Njuguna (from Kenya) and Jabulani Kgasapane (from South Africa), brought the knowledge and skills acquired in this clinical master’s programme as well as their combined experience from four African countries. In Namibia the nursing team was led by Beatrix Callard a programme graduate who now heads the neonatal nursing service at Windhoek Central, Namibia’s largest referral hospital.
Visit to Mpilo Hospital, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - June 2018
A group of four second year Master students (Thobeka Duma from South Africa; Everlyne Mvungu and Virginia Ngugi, both from Kenya; and Beatrix Callard from Namibia) was invited to Mpilo Hospital to work alongside Dr Thabani Thatha to support systems and aspects of care delivery at Mpilo Hospital. Dr Thatha is an an African Paediatric Fellowship Programme (APFP) Alumnus and the four senior nurses were completing their final year of training to become Paediatric Advanced Practice Nurses.
Visit to CURE Hospital, Uganda - May 2015
In May 2015, Minette Coetzee and Angela Leonard spent a few days at CURE Hospital, Mbale, offering training on the fundamentals of nursing children, and recognition of the deteriorating child. They also spent time tracking pathways of care and organisational and communication norms. They were hosted by UCT children's Nursing graduate, Lydia Ssenyonga.
Visit to Windhoek Central Hospital, Namibia - June 2014
CNDU was asked to facilitate a three day collaborative multidisciplinary workshop by programme graduate Beatrix Callard (right in the picture), Acting Matron of Windhoek Central Hospital Maternity Ward, using graphic facilitation, to identify the care pathway of an ill child to and from home, and through peripheral care facilities to the Windhoek Hospital Complex. The elements that pose and decrease risk along the care pathway were identified; the complexity of the pathway became apparent and led to discussions to improve communication in and between departments; networking in the paediatric community was achieved, and the ministry of health was briefed on the outcomes of the workshop.