Govt to lower entry requirements for paediatric, mental health nurses
What you need to know:
- Initially, only students with diplomas were admitted for an advanced diploma in paediatrics and child and mental health nursing.
- Ms Mukakarisa said these will now be enrolled with certificates to attract more students into these programmes.
The Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB) has revealed that the government is set to lower the entry requirements to attract more nurses and midwives to paediatrics and mental health programmes whose numbers are shrinking.
According to UNMEB data, out of the 53,575 nurses and midwives students who started their examinations yesterday, only 13 are sitting for examinations in paediatrics and 18 for mental health, which has worried government officials.
With the big number of children being born in the hospitals and an increase in the number of patients with mental health after the Covid-19-induced lockdown, the executive secretary of UNMEB, Ms Helen Mukakarisa, said the enrollment in these programmes should increase.
“There is a demand for nurses who deal with children in hospitals but the enrollment levels at certificate and diploma level are low compared to other courses where the numbers have doubled,” Ms Mukakarisa said yesterday while releasing the examinations roadmap.
She added: “In courses like certificates in Nursing and Midwifery, the requirements are a bit favourable compared to the paediatrics and mental health where the requirements are high for one to enrol.”
Issue
Initially, only students with diplomas were admitted for an advanced diploma in paediatrics and child and mental health nursing.
Ms Mukakarisa said these will now be enrolled with certificates to attract more students into these programmes.
“Government and other stakeholders have concluded that such courses with low enrollment, the government is going to review criteria for such courses at both levels to register an increment,” Ms Mukakarisa noted.
She added: “The Ministry of Education has plans to give scholarships to students doing those courses given their demand in hospitals and given the big number of children being produced on a daily basis.”
Meanwhile, UNMEB revealed that this year, they have registered an increase in the number of students enrolled for the exams.
“There is an increase in the number of nurses and midwives from 53,169 to 53,575 nurses and midwives who will be sitting their exams today. But some courses like diploma in paediatrics and child health nursing, the number of enrollment is small,” Ms Mukakarisa said
Ms Juliet Nassiwa, the principal examinations officers, said a total of 2,055 invigilators, scouts, drivers and police officers are slated to be deployed in 201 examination centres across the country.
