Online Reporter
The Herald, 25 June 1985
THE University of Zimbabwe is to offer a degree in nursing from 1987, the chairman of the Department of Nursing Science, Dr Rose Ndlovu. has said.
The three-year degree programme will be a post-basic degree and will be offered to nurses who have demonstrated ability and potential in nursing.
“Nurses are expected to do much more than they were before,” said Dr Ndlovu, “and the existing courses do not comprehensively prepare them for what is expected of them.”
Another reason for offering the degree was that many of the nurses had to obtain their degrees abroad. With an in country degree the nurses will be able to handle Zimbabwean situations much better”
Not all the nurses would be able to take the degree course only those with academic ability. For those who did not do the degree upgrading courses in subjects such as community nursing, nursing administration and nursing education would be offered.
“At the moment these courses are being offered but they are under the Ministry of Health and we hope eventually to run them as university courses,” said Dr Ndlovu.
The curriculum for the degree course in under discussion.
The Department of Nursing Science was established within the Faculty of Medicine in January.
The curriculum is expected to include primary health care and community nursing, management and administrative training, nursing education and nursing research.
“The nurses who will be undertaking these degrees will be senior nurses who not only have to educate the junior staff but also provide continuous in-service activities,” said Dr Ndlovu.
Lessons for today:
- The initiative to offer a nursing degree at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) from 1987 teaches us several valuable lessons about the importance of advancing education and adapting to evolving professional demands.
- The introduction of the nursing degree program highlighted the need for advanced training to meet the increasing demands and responsibilities of the nursing profession. This would ensure that nurses are better prepared to handle complex healthcare situations.
- By providing a nursing degree locally, nurses can be trained within the context of Zimbabwean healthcare needs and challenges. This ensures that they are better equipped to address specific local issues. Nurses educated in their home country are likely to have a better understanding of the cultural and social dynamics affecting healthcare delivery.
- The initiative made higher education more accessible to nurses who previously had to seek degrees abroad.
- The curriculum’s inclusion of primary health care, community nursing, management, administrative training, nursing education, and research ensured a well-rounded education that prepared nurses for various roles within the healthcare system.
