The Role of Nursing Guidelines on Successful License Renewal for Nurses and Midwives in Ubungo District Public Hospitals in Tanzania

Abstract

In the recent years, nurses and mid wives are struggling to keep their knowledge current knowledge and skills current and relevant through to changing requirements and situations. Through engaging in continuing professional development (CPD), care givers become updated knowledge and practice to provide quality care to patients. This study sought to unveil the role of CPD on license renewal of midwives and nurses with a special focus on Ubungo district as Ubungo has more health Centres as compared to other districts in Dar es Salaam. Specifically, the study sought to determine the role of nursing guidelines on successful license renewal for Nurses and Midwives in Ubungo District Public Hospitals, The study was guided by the Kirkpatrick Model as the theoretical framework. The study used descriptive research design while simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select members of sample size who were 99 respondents. The target population of the study included all public hospitals, dispensaries and health centres located in the Ubungo district. The data was collected using documents review, in-depth interview, and structured interviews, and then analyzed using content analysis, narrative analysis, and descriptive analysis. Findings revealed that the CPD acquisition and license renewal guidelines are available at the Tanzania nursing and midwifery council(TNMC) website, however, they require registration and login to access them. The license acquisition process was through paper document submission at the TNMC office and later on changed to online in 2022. Apart from insufficient computers and limited internet access, some challenges result from nurses and midwives negative attitude towards license renewal as they tend to not renew them until there is a tactical advantage such as a promotion. Management staff at the hospitals also does not focus on license renewal as they focus more on accomplishment of daily tasks, and only care when a malpractice occurs. CPD points determine the eligibility of the license renewal applicant. The study concludes that the online availability of CPD guidelines is a good way of reaching all stakeholders. The study recommends awareness raising activities regarding access to the guidelines, raise more awareness regarding the online license renewal system, and design more effective and efficient means of stakeholder outreach.