Lessons learned when adapting the evidence-based global family planning training resource package included the need to: (1) engage key nursing and midwifery educators for buy-in; (2) update the technical skills of educators in contraceptive technology and competency-based training methods; and (3) adapt to the local context including condensing the global content for the time-limited preservice education context.

Background: In Tanzania, the competency based curriculum was introduced in 2008. Despite the government efforts to ensure its effective implementation, there has been a public concern on graduate nurse's and midwives' competencies in providing quality nursing care in the country. This concern has influenced people to question the process of the implementation of competency based curriculum for nursing and midwifery programmes. This study describes experience of the nurse educators in implementing the competency based curriculum for nursing and midwifery programmes in Tanzania.Methods: Convergent parallel mixed method approach was used to explore the experience of nurse educators implementing competency based curriculum. To enhance the validity of the findings, 240 nurse educators, out of 264, answered a questionnaire while the remaining 24 were interviewed. Further, a retrospective observation was done to triangulate the information obtained from the questionnaire and interviews. Results: The study found out that nurse educators struggle implementing the competency based curriculum and 92% of the participants could not clearly explain the concept of the approach itself. 234 of them used lecture discussion (97%) while simulation was used by 128 (53%). Challenges associated with employing participatory teaching and learning methods reported by most participants included time constraints (61; 25%), some method require special skills to teach(33; 13% and tutors needed training on the competency based curriculum to implement it (13; 5%).Conclusion: The results conclude that an understanding of the competency based curriculum is limited among educators. Furthermore, they revealed challenges in employing the participatory teaching and learning methods, hence, underscoring the need to put in place a sustainable strategy for continuous personal development and mentorship. Keywords: Competency based curriculum, implementation fidelity, nurse educators' experience, nursing and midwifery training programmes.

Background: In Tanzania, the competency-based curriculum was introduced in 2008. Despite the government’s efforts to ensure its effective implementation, there has been a public concern on graduate nurses’ and midwives’ competencies in providing quality nursing care in the country. This concern has influenced people to question the process of the implementation of competency-based curriculum for nursing and midwifery programmes. This study describes experiences of the nurse educators in implementing the competency-based curriculum for nursing and midwifery programmes in Tanzania. Methods: Cross section study design using convergent parallel mixed methods approach was used to describe the experience of nurse educators implementing competency-based curriculum. To enhance the validity of the findings, 240 nurse educators, out of 264, answered a questionnaire while the remaining 24 were interviewed. Results: The study found out that nurse educators had difficulties implementing the competency-based curriculum. Nighty-seven percent of participants used lecture discussions, 53% simulation and were not using participatory methods of teaching and learning because of time constraints (25%) and lack of special skills (13%). Qualitative findings revealed inability of the participants to understand concepts and interpret the competency based curriculum. Conclusion: The Nursing and Midwifery CBET curriculum was not implemented as it was intended. Nurse educators lacked understanding of the competency-based curriculum. Further, they reported that they were unable to apply various participatory methods of teaching and learning because of lack of time, equipment and larger number of students. There is need to put in place sustainable strategies for continuous professional development, provision of adequate teaching and learning resources and mentorship. Keywords: Competency-based curriculum, nurse educators’ experience, nursing and midwifery training programmes.

Background Health professionals are in short supply worldwide, with nurses and midwives accounting for more than 50% of the current shortage. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, there will be a shortage of 10 million health workers primarily in low- and lower-middle income nations including South East Asia and Africa having the greatest needs-based shortages of nurses and midwives.[1] . eLearning for nurses and midwives is an alternative and innovative mechanism of reducing their reported shortage. eLearning programs increase the knowledge transfer, knowledge retention, upgrade in skills and competencies among nurses and midwives. Despite of the benefits of eLearning programs, there is still inadequate information on the extent to which such programs have influenced the parameters since eLearning programs were introduced in Tanzania. This study aimed to determine the extent to which eLearning has affected the knowledge transfer, retention, upgrading skills, and competencies among nurses and midwives in Tanzania. Methods The cross-sectional study design where by quantitative methods approach was used . Quantitative data were collected through a structured questionnaire and Likert scaled, with a sample size of 189 respondents[2]. Descriptive results were generated and multivariable logistic regressed whereby odds ratio was used as measure of effects, 95% confidence interval and 5% significance level. SPSS was used in conducting analysis. Results Majority of participants were female (60.4%, n=64) and 97.2% of all respondents aged less than 40 years old. About half of participants (48.1%, n=51) were working in hospitals. The majority of the nurses and midwives (95.3%, n=101) were students in the eLearning. There was strong consensus on knowledge transfer with eLearning being an accurate source (sCns>79.8%) except on entertainment (sCns=65.8%). The degree of consensus ranged between 65.8% and 79.8% as well as in the system quality (sCns=71.6% to 74.9%). The overall rate score on knowledge transfer was 79.7%. The knowledge retention was high with score marks from 64% to 99% except in diagnostic (28%) and problems of new babies (48%). The rate of skills and competencies was high (sCns=82.6% to 88.8%), but with insignificant higher odds of consensus that “eLearning helps knowledge transfer, increases skills and competencies” across exposures and demographic characteristics except gender variable. Conclusions eLearning has succeeded to transfer and retain knowledge, skills, and competencies to eLearning-trained nurses and midwives. Peer students’ support and use of multimedia emerged with insignificant higher consensus of odds in explaining knowledge transfer in the eLearning program. Retention of knowledge, skills and competencies have great effects on the health services quality. There was low retention in diagnostic and recognition of new-born babies’ problems. Henceforth, efforts are needed to change negative perceptions among nurses and midwives. [1] World Health Organization, information available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-workforce#tab=tab_1 [2]Respondents are Nurses/Midwives, Principals/Coordinators, Mentor /Health Facility In charge and Tutors

Background: Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) curriculum has been successfully implemented globally.