The SWB Nursing Program, now in its fourth year, has established itself as an integral part of the team. 2015 saw the demand for the nursing program increase dramatically, with over 80 nurses attending in Zimbabwe. This year again saw large numbers of participants attending nursing programs in Blantyre, Malawi and Harare, Zimbabwe.
The content of the nursing program is a reflection of the needs of nurses in Malawi and Zimbabwe, where patient to nurse rations are much higher than in Australian hospitals and where access to resources are often limited. Areas covered include identification and management of the deteriorating patient, ISBAR processes and basic life support.
The success of this program is due to the dedicated nurses who join the SWB team, the majority of whom have returned for their second and third SWB trips.Our Nursing Team is comprised of nurses with backgrounds in maternal and child health, anaesthetics and recovery, neurosurgery, and intensive care nursing.
Feedback from the first nursing programs held in 2014 included a need for greater focus on maternal and infant health. This need was met by the inclusion of Kate Thorson in 2015, who successfully contributed her significant midwifery skills to the nursing program. In 2016, Kirsty Blair and Wendy Hurley joined the team to share their skills in midwifery and nursing with their Malawian and Zimbabwean colleagues.
Our nursing team work in close collaboration with staff from the nursing school at the University of Zimbabwe to develop a teaching program that is appropriate for nursing students.
If you are a nurse who would like to find out more about the SWB Nursing Program or would like to get involved, please email info@specialistswithoutborders.org
The 2016 Nursing Team L-R Wendy Hurley, Lauren Emmet, Kate McCarthy, Kirsty Blair and Emily Shultz