nursing courses zimbabwe 2024-2025

nursing courses zimbabwe 2024-2025

In the context of primary healthcare in Zimbabwe, this article discusses the various levels of nursing practice delivery, educational preparation, and practice implications. The aim of this image is to demonstrate the standard of nursing care that satisfies patients’ needs as well as the changing needs of Zimbabwean society. Various levels of nursing education include topics like health assessment, the nursing process, and nursing research. Clinical specialization receives more attention at the master’s level and includes functional majors like nursing education, nursing administration, and health economics and budgeting. To improve health promotion, the nursing profession enables individuals, groups, and communities to practice self-care.

Conceptualization of Nursing in Zimbabwe (Mapanga, 1990)

• The concept of nursing in Zimbabwe is placed within the framework of primary health care, which was established when Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980 (World Health Organization, 1978). Utilizing appropriate technology, ensuring equitable distribution, encouraging a multisectoral approach, and utilizing community participation strategies with an overall emphasis on health promotion are all important aspects of the nursing contribution to the health care delivery system. As a result, nursing care activities focus on long-term prevention, promotion, treatment, and rehabilitation for individuals, groups, and communities.
• The practice of nursing is seen as one that places the individual, their health, and the environment at the center of its philosophical foundations. The individual is thought to be a bio-psycho-social, cultural, and spiritual being whose health and illness spectrum interact with the conditions in their family and environment. Self-care orientation is reflected in nursing practice, which complements the primary healthcare approach (Orem, 1991). In addition, (Henderson, 1966) and (Roper, Logan, & Tierney, 1996), nursing practice embraces the orientation of assisting individuals, groups, or communities through activities of daily living to actively participate in decision-making processes regarding their health and well-being. As a result, the practice of nursing helps individuals, groups, and communities develop the capacity for self-care. The following topics are covered in this article concerning nursing: the national health strategy, nursing practice, and educational programs for nurses.

The National Health Strategy

• The overall framework for the health care delivery system is the ten-year National Health Strategy for Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health & Child Welfare, 1999) and the Zimbabwe Patients Charter (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health & Child Welfare and Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, 1996). The approach for the health care delivery system remains primary health care. According to Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health and Child Welfare (1999), primary health care is viewed as a people-centered approach that encourages patients to actively participate in health promotion decisions regarding their own health. The most important aspects of health promotion are clean environments, good housing, education, and healthy lifestyles It is anticipated that individuals, communities, and healthcare providers can work together to promote health. Additionally, the primary health care approach is regarded as an essential component of collaboration with other government ministries like agriculture, water development, rural and urban development, and community development (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health & Child Welfare, 1999). Additionally, nursing is regarded as an essential component of the primary health care approach, particularly at the district hospital and primary health care center levels (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health & Child Welfare, 1999).
• The Patient’s Charter paves the way for a relationship between patients and healthcare providers in order to increase active client participation in health. The Patient’s Charter aims to promote self-care by providing clients with the information they need to make educated decisions about their health care. (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health & Child Welfare and Consumer Council of Zimbabwe, 1996) It is emphasized that health is a responsibility of individuals, families, groups, and communities and that healthcare providers facilitate the execution of that responsibility. In order to achieve health for all in the 21st century, the national health strategy and the patient charter must be strengthened indefinitely.

Nursing Education Programs

• Participation in higher education is one method that can be used to empower women. Women make up the majority of nurses in Zimbabwe and the rest of East, Central, and Southern Africa. Men are more likely to go to college because of regional cultural tendencies, especially when one member of the family must leave home to study. The introduction of the basic nursing degree, post-basic nursing degree, and master’s degree in nursing at the University of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Open University, as well as the post-basic nursing degree at the Zimbabwe Open University, has significantly increased the number of opportunities for nurses to attend universities. It is anticipated that additional national universities will soon offer nursing degrees.
• According to Mapanga (1996), nursing education programs take place in the context of changes in Zimbabwean society. Particularly, society’s level of education continues to rise, and healthcare requirements are becoming more complicated. Because of this, there are high standards for the quality of nursing care, and the nursing profession must respond by creating programs with social relevance.

Conversion Program Certificate to Diploma in Nursing

• The ceased long-term endorsement program for state-ensured medical caretakers has required the arrangement for a one-year transformation program to certificate level, subsequently taking care of medical caretakers holding this expert capability (see Fig 1). The transformation program declaration to Enlisted General Medical caretaker Recognition is planned as a consummation course. Applicants attempt the third year of the Enrolled General Medical attendant Recognition program educational plan. On finishing the program, graduates are granted the Enrolled General Medical caretaker capability (Zimbabwe Wellbeing Callings Chamber, 1999). This program has brought together the primary level section of nursing practice.

Basic Diploma in Nursing

• The diploma program for registered general nurses has evolved into the first level of nursing practice (see Fig. 1). The Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education examinations at the Ordinary level, taken at the end of the eleventh year of schooling, with grades of A to C in at least five subjects, including English Language and science, are the minimum entry requirements for the program (Zimbabwe Health Professions Council, 1999). The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare offers the program at national central and provincial hospitals. The program for the manpower development of nurses is being planned to be offered by private and non-governmental health institutions in collaboration with the government. The diploma program for registered general nurses lasts for three years. The themes for the program include: The human biopsychosocial sciences, nursing as an art and science, and the fundamentals of illness, including treatment, prevention, promotion, and rehabilitation strategies, are all included. The program introduces appreciation for research through a brief descriptive project.
• Primary health care, adaptation, and assisting individuals, families, groups, and communities to acquire self-care for the maintenance and restoration of health are all included in the program’s conception of nursing (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health & Child Welfare, 1997). The Roy Adaptation model (Roy & Andrews, 1991), the Model of Living (Roper, Logan, & Tierney, 1996), and the Self-care model (Orem, 1991) are all reflected in the concept that has been described. The Zimbabwe Health Professions Council has granted the program its accreditation. After the Nursing Council of Zimbabwe is established, it is anticipated that that professional body will assume accreditation of the program. The program is currently slated to be affiliated with the University of Zimbabwe. All institutions that offer the program will have associate status, which will make it easier for nurses who have completed the diploma to progress to the undergraduate degree level. The majority of program graduates find employment in rural and urban ministries of health and child welfare. These establishments include: district, provincial, and central hospitals, as well as primary healthcare centers

Basic BSc Nursing

• The applicant for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Science degree program must have passed the United Kingdom Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced exam with at least two passes in science subjects out of a maximum of four taken after thirteen years of education. The Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at the Advanced level is currently being localized from the Cambridge General Certificate of Education at the Advanced level in the United Kingdom. The University of Zimbabwe offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Science degree program. It is anticipated that the program will soon be offered by additional Zimbabwean universities. The program has a four-year duration. Pre-clinical courses in the biological, physical, and psychosocial sciences comprise the program’s first year. The art and science of nursing, the health-illness continuum, biomedical sciences, medical-surgical nursing, community health nursing, mental health/psychiatry nursing, maternal child health/midwifery, nursing education, nursing administration, and nursing research are the primary areas of focus in the second through fourth years. The fourth year of the program also includes a descriptive-level research project (University of Zimbabwe, 1998). The primary healthcare approach serves as the foundation for the program, which makes use of the Model of Living conceptual framework and the nursing process (Roper, Logan, & Tierney, 1996). Clinical practice is integrated with the theory. Activities of Living (Henderson, 1966), Adaptation (Roy, 1991), and Self-care (Orem, 1991) are among the other nursing models covered in this section. The Zimbabwe Health Professions Council grants accreditation to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Science degree program, as it does to other nursing programs. Graduates are employed in both the public and private health sectors, as with other nursing programs. Additionally, the program has been developed to complement the Registered General Nurse (RGN) designation for first-level nurse practitioners (see Fig. 1).

Post Basic Diploma in Nursing

• The Registered General Nurse qualification is the minimum requirement for the Post-Basic Diploma in Nursing programs. The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare’s institutions offer twelve-month specialization programs in the following areas: Nursing administration, community health nursing, and midwifery. Six-month specialization is one of the additional programs offered by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. Nurse Anaesthetist, Theatre Nursing, and Intensive Care Nursing at major hospitals. Additional nursing programs in pediatrics and ophthalmology are currently being considered. Additionally, a 12-month full-time and 12-month part-time Nursing Education program is offered by the University of Zimbabwe (University of Zimbabwe, 1998). After earning the Registered General Nurse Diploma, post-basic programs offer a wide range of clinical specialization options. The Zimbabwe Health Professions Council has granted accreditation to the programs’ content themes, which specifically address the relevant clinical specialization areas and prepare graduates to function effectively in corresponding nursing environments. The public and private health sectors employ post-basic diploma graduates as second-level nurse practitioners (see Fig. 1).

Post Basic BSc Nursing

• Registration as a general nurse and two United Kingdom Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced level passes in two subjects, one of which must be a science, are the minimum entry requirements for the Post-Basic Bachelor of Nursing Science Degree. The University of Zimbabwe offers a program, which requires full-time study for three years. Pre-clinical courses in biological, physical, and psychosocial sciences, as well as maternal child health and midwifery, make up the first year of the program. Biomedical sciences, medical-surgical nursing, community health nursing, health planning, and ethics, mental health/psychiatry nursing, nursing education, nursing administration, and nursing research are all covered in the second and third years. In the third year, a descriptive research project is carried out. Additionally, this program offers an optional specialization in nursing administration, nursing education, or community health nursing (University of Zimbabwe, 1998). An appreciation of nursing conceptual frameworks that are appropriate for implementation in the areas of specialization is emphasized, and nursing is conceptualized within the context of primary health care. The program is accredited by the Zimbabwe Health Professions Council, and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, which is the main sponsor, employs the majority of graduates as third-level nurse practitioners (see Figure 1). Additionally, the Post-Basic Bachelor of Nursing Science Degree can now be offered to Registered General Nurses via distance learning modules through the newly established Open University of Zimbabwe. The program requires part-time study for four years. The curriculum of the program is identical to that of the three-year, full-time University of Zimbabwe Post-Basic Bachelor of Nursing Science Degree.

MSc Nursing

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing Science degree or its equivalent is required for admission to the Master of Science in Nursing Science program. The University of Zimbabwe runs the program, which has so far accepted students from Zambia, Lesotho, and Swaziland. The program requires full-time study for eighteen months. The core courses, clinical major supporting courses, clinical major courses, and functional major courses make up the structure of the Masters of Science in Nursing Science program. The following are core courses: health economics and budgeting, advanced health assessment, statistics, informatics, and epidemiology, as well as nursing research and a dissertation. Pathophysiology for medical/surgical nursing, community health nursing, and anticipated child health/pediatric nursing, as well as embryology and neonatology for maternal child health/midwifery, are among the clinical major supporting courses. The dissertation is part of the major in clinical medicine. Finally, nursing administration or nursing education is among the functional major courses (University of Zimbabwe, 1998).

Correlational statistics are used in the dissertations written by master’s degree students. In order to serve as the foundation for evidence-based practice, correlational research at the Masters’s level enables students to investigate the connection between health outcomes and nursing variables in their clinical majors. Orem’s self-care model (Orem, 1991), Roy’s adaptation model (Roy & Andrews, 1991), Pender’s health promotion model (Pender, 1987), King’s theory of goal attainment (King, 1991), and Roper, Logan, and Tierney’s model of living (Roper, Logan, & Tierney, 1996) are examples of conceptual frameworks that are frequently used in the designs of the studies. The following are examples of topics for dissertations: a) schizophrenic patients’ activities of daily living and rehospitalization; b) primigravida adolescents’ perceived family communication and health promotion-seeking behaviors; c) adolescents’ peer support and alcohol use; d) hospitalized adults with a fractured tibia and fibula’s participation in mobilization and length of stay; and e) adults with epilepsy’s perceived family reactions, beliefs, and coping on quality of life Even though these themes focus on specific clinical specialties, they are examined in relation to the primary components of health care, which are:

• Health education – prevailing health problems
• Promotion of food supply and proper nutrition
• Provision of safe water and basic sanitation – environmental health
• Maternal & child health care including family planning
• Immunization against the major infectious diseases
• Prevention and control of locally endemic diseases – eg. malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS
• Appropriate community-based curative services
• Provision of essential drugs at the community level
• Oral Health
• Prevention of blindness
• Mental Health
• Care of the physically disabled
• Provision of occupational health
• Care of the elderly

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