The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing has launched a free, three-part self-directed online course for nursing and midwifery educators to help with the growing need for well-trained and qualified nurses worldwide, especially in the region of the Americas, which existed well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Developed by the School’s Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Center for International Nursing and offered in English and Spanish, “Quality Improvement in Nursing and Midwifery Educational Programs” is available on the UAB School of Nursing’s website.
“Quality Improvement in Nursing and Midwifery Educational Programs” is available on the UAB School of Nursing’s website.
“There is growing evidence that empowered nurses and midwives can make a difference through the provision of high-impact and low-cost interventions, and this course addresses the needs of nursing and midwifery educators in Latin American and Caribbean Countries,” said Associate Professor and Co-Director of the School’s PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for International Nursing Ada Markaki, PhD, RN, CCNS, PHCNS-BC. “The course strengthens competencies on quality monitoring, evaluation and improvement plans; expands use of clinical simulation and virtual training; and promotes experiential learning for complex and systemic thinking and evidence-based decision making.”
UAB School of Nursing faculty, instructors and staff with expertise in clinical and global partnerships, simulation, and innovation and technology came together to develop the course, which was then pilot tested and evaluated in English and Spanish. Based on feedback, the course was adapted based on linguistics and cultural needs.
The School launched the course in November 2020 with an international webinar hosted by the UAB School of Nursing and the Pan American Health Organization and moderated by Silvia Cassiani, PhD, RN, Regional Advisor on Nursing and Allied Health Personnel, PAHO/WHO entitled “Quality Improvement in Nursing Education: Future perspectives in the post-pandemic era.”
The webinar, which drew in nearly 3,000 registrants and 1,000 viewers during its premiere, addressed the changes in nursing and midwifery education which have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the tools and resources available. It featured James Fitzgerald, PhD, Director, PAHO Health Systems and Services; UAB School of Nursing Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing Doreen Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN; Julian Varas Cohen, MD, Medical Coordinator, Clinical Simulation Center, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; UAB School of Nursing Professor & Associate Dean for Technology and Innovation Jacqueline Moss, PhD, RN, FAAN; UAB School of Nursing Associate Professor and Co-Director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for International Nursing, Ada Markaki, PhD, RN, CCNS, PHCNS-BC; and Lisa Theus, Program Manager, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for International Nursing, UAB School of Nursing.
“The goal of this webinar was to bring together a group of experts from the Americas region who could speak to how education has adjusted during this period and offer insights for the future,” Markaki said. “By hosting this live-streamed event whose viewers represented 35 different countries we not only were able to share valuable information with our colleagues to help support international nursing and midwifery education, the UAB School of Nursing gained enhanced visibility and recognition as a leader in the Americas region, opening opportunities to exchanging information and developing technical cooperation with other institutions, and mobilizing additional resources from potential future funding partners.”
The webinar is available to view on the School’s YouTube channel, and information about the course is available at go.uab.edu/songlobaledu.
