By Thorn Muli
One of my favourite stories growing up was ‘Florence Nightingale’ based on a lady by the same name.
This amazing woman is remembered for her tireless effort in tending to wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War. Worth noting is the fact that never before her in history had a woman been allowed to do this kind of work. Her performance was so exemplary that a new career called nursing developed.
Nurses today, unlike during Florence’s time, work closely with physicians as an integral part of the patient health care team. The doctor makes some key decisions about the diagnosis, treatment and medication, but it is the nurse’s role to administer that care on an ongoing basis to ensure successful recuperation of the patient.
Nurses tend to spend more face-to-face time with a patient than doctors, hence are critical in the overall wellbeing of the patient. For those keen on picking nursing as a career, two educational paths exist. One could enrol to an associate’s degree in an accredited nursing college or pursue a bachelor’s degree (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) programme.
This is a great step ahead unlike in the old days when only Kenyatta Hospital, which began as The King George Hospital, offered the Kenya Registered Nurse training programme. This course, still offered to date, was approved to run for three and a half years, with the Preliminary Training Service (PTS) to extend over three months, followed by a period of three months ward rotation and three years of theory and clinical training.
In time, however, as complex medical conditions such as HIV and AIDS, cancer and cardiac conditions continued to emerge, the Nursing Council of Kenya approved the preparation of nurses at bachelors level. This was because the effective management of such patients requires highly skilled and trained personnel.
The cut off mark for university admission in public universities for the programme is at least 45.5 depending on the institution. Upon successful completion of the degree programme, one hurdle remains to becoming a registered nurse, which is to take and pass the Kenya National Council Licensing Exam. Once this exam is passed, the student is officially being registered as a Kenya nurse.
The accredited nurse can work anywhere a doctor works, including but not limited to hospitals, doctor’s offices, clinics, hospice, emergency rooms, intensive care, government agencies, corporations, and more.
