Background: Employers and educators of nurses expect that, upon graduation, they will have acquired a basic set of scientific knowledge, clinical skills and professional attitudes. In Swaziland, however, these expectations remain unmet. Methods:We explored the perceptions of stakeholders in nursing education of how new graduates cope and perform at service entry and the factors influencing their clinical competence. From 31 purposively recruited participants, audio-recorded focus group discussions were held with registered nurses and semi-structured interviews with lecturers and nurse managers. Data were analyzed thematically. Results:Results showed that although the graduates indicated their willingness to learn and become autonomous in their practice, stakeholders felt that most new graduates were not ready for practice upon graduation. Factors contributing to this discrepancy were associated with inadequate preparation and lack of support upon service entry. Conclusions:Stakeholders' perceptions of the new graduates not being ready for practice call for the collaboration of academia, service and the regulatory body in establishing quality assurance mechanisms for clinical education and in providing structured support for new graduates at service entry to enhance easier and safer transition.

Introduction: Eswatini, a small, largely rural country in Southern Africa, has a high burden of morbidity/mortality in the setting of a critical shortage of human resources for health. To help achieve universal access to healthcare across the lifespan, the advanced practice family nurse practitioner (FNP) role was proposed and is in the process of being implemented. Methods/Approach: The PEPPA framework (Participatory, Evidence-based, Patient focused Process for Advanced practice nursing) illustrates the steps in the process of developing and implementing the FNP role in a country. These steps include: determining the need for the role, deciding on a model of care, developing/implementing the curriculum, relevant policies, and scope of practice (SOP), and integrating the role into relevant nursing regulations and Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines and documents. Outcomes: The assessment has been completed, a locally tailored competency-based FNP curriculum has been developed, revised, and implemented, the FNP SOP has been approved and MOH guidelines are being updated to reflect current evidence-based practice and to integrate the FNP role. Continuous cycles of improvement/revision were needed to adapt the curriculum and SOP to meet local needs. Clinical placements were challenging since this is a new health cadre, but most challenges were overcome and many resulted in important opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Summary: Outcomes from this quality improvement initiative demonstrate that it is feasible to develop and implement a locally responsive, competency-based FNP program in a low resource setting and enroll students, despite time and financial constraints. Adapting the curriculum and SOP from western countries can provide a foundation for program development but revision to assure that the program is responsive to local context is then needed. There is general acceptance of the role among Eswatini communities and professional stakeholders with emphasis on the need for FNP graduates to be clinically competent and able to function independently. Policy work related to deploying new graduates is ongoing.

BackgroundNursing education has evolved over time to fit societies’ increasing care needs. Innovations in nursing education draw thorny debates on potential jeopardy in the quality, safety, and efficacy of nurse graduates. Accelerated nursing education programs have been among landmark strategic changes to address the persistent bedside nurse shortage. Despite the dearth of empirical studies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the National School of Public Health of Burkina Faso has developed a State Diploma Nursing (SDN) fast-track program. With innovative features, the program is nested into the traditional SDN program. This study investigates preliminary outcomes of the implemented policy using the initial cohort that went through the program. Comparison of the traditional generic program and the fast-track one is drawn to inform nursing education policy.MethodsThe study was conducted in the three campuses delivering the SDN program. Data collected from a representative sample included 255 students from the 2006–2009 cohort, after concluding the program. Surveyed students were assessed according to the program entry status. Outcomes were measured using students’ academic performance. Besides descriptive analysis, bivariate t-test, F-test, and multivariate ordinary least square regression (OLSR) were employed to determine the comparative pattern between the traditional generic and the newly nested fast-track program. Students’ varied statuses (private pre-registration, state pre-registration, private post-registration, and state post-registration) were kept to better outline the findings trend.ResultsA fifth (19.6 %) of surveyed students were enrolled in the fast-track stream from which, one third (33.7 %) consisted of post-registered students. Fast-track students comparatively achieved the best academic performance (mean: 73.68/100, SD: 5.52). Multivariate OLSR confirmed that fast-track students performed better (β: 5.559, p < 0.001), and further informed differences between campuses. Students entry status also displayed significant differences, yet the academic performance of post-registered students from traditional generic versus fast-track was similar (p = 0.409).ConclusionFindings suggest that fast-track program students performed better than the ones from the traditional generic program. The uniqueness and success of this mixed nursing program experience sheds light for nursing educators engaged in policy making. The study results can serve as a crucial foundation for policymakers to alleviate the nurse shortage in SSA.

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