Nursing, midwifery education and practice boosted by Regional Nursing Body Meeting
The Region’s health sector was boosted following the 50th Annual General Meeting of the Regional Nursing Body, 18-20 July 2023, which focused on addressing policies to improve nursing and midwifery education and practice in the Region.
Facilitated by the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana, the event is a statutory meeting of the Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs). In attendance were CNOs, representatives of the Nursing Councils of Member States, universities including The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine and Cave Hill Campuses and the University of Guyana, Presidents of the Caribbean Nursing Organization and the Caribbean Regional Midwives Association.
Highlights included an update on the pilot of the Regional Examination for Nurse Registration Standardized Clinical Assessment Tool and an update on the assessment of the CXC-managed Regional Examination for Nurse Registration, among other matters concerning the Region’s health sector.
Participants also discussed harmonising midwifery training in the Region, which encompassed a progress report on revising the Caribbean Standards for Nursing Education and Nursing and Midwifery Practice.
In addition, participants discussed the World Health Organization (WHO) State of the World Nursing 2020 Report and the 2021 Midwifery Report.
The Meeting also acknowledged the declaration by Heads of Government to treat crime as a public health issue and other public health sector concerns emanating from the “Regional Symposium on Crime and Violence as a Public Health Issue in the Caribbean”, April 2023; participants considered the role of the regional nursing body in contributing to the development of a framework to address crime as a public health issue.
Additional highlights included educational sessions on Nursing Regulations and Mental Health for Health Care Workers by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
Of significance was a discussion on training and funding support opportunities for nurses in the Region. A robust discourse on human resources for health was also an item that generated significant dialogue, especially in the context of the migration of nurses.
During the opening ceremony, Ms Helen Royer, Director, Human and Social Development, CCS, acknowledged the daunting task of the CNOs and other participants and their commitment to the goals of the Region, “I anticipate that as the Regional Nursing Body continues to support and complement the wider strategic goals for health, it remains focused on the promotion and implementation of policies, legislation, strategies and guidelines to improve nursing leadership, practice and education in the Region”.
Source: CARICOM TODAY