In 2017, MSF started to build a new hospital specialising in paediatric and maternity care in Kenema, one of the regions hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic of 2014. The MSF Academy has been involved in training for the hospital staff from the start, be it by providing nursing scholarships, by dispensing the Basic Clinical Nursing Care programme for all the nursing staff and the Midwifery programme for the maternity ward staff, or by implementing the Outpatient Care initiative.
The MSF Academy in Sierra Leone
0
in-person programmes
implemented
+
0
learners
outpatient care
0
learners
online programmes
+
0
healthcare workers
graduated
Clinical mentoring session during an outpatient care consultation at Kpandebu Community Health Centre
The Outpatient Care programme in Sierra Leone
The implementation of the Outpatient care initiative started in 2020 in Sierra Leone, and it has been completed in seven community health centres in Kenema district (Hangha, Largo, Nekabo, Boadjibu, Dodo, Kpandebu and Weima) and at the Kenema MSF staff health clinic.
Over 65 participants, including community health officers, community health assistants, state-enrolled community health nurses and maternal and child health aides, have successfully completed the programme.
The results obtained demonstrate a clear improvement: the participants have increased the number of skills and competencies they perform in their routine activities, as well as their level of autonomy.
The OPD curriculum obtained recognition as CPD by the Sierra Leonean government’s Nurses and Midwives Board.
The Nursing & Midwifery Initiative in Sierra Leone
Basic Clinical Nursing Care programme
Since the beginning of the programme implementation in 2020, 172 learners have already graduated from the Basic Clinical Nursing Care programme and received competence certificates. Three groups of learners went through the programme: paediatric nurses, NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurses, and nurse-aides, for whom an adaptation of the programme and assessments was developed.
Midwifery Clinical care programme
The first MSF Academy roll-out of the Midwifery Clinical Care programme started in Kenema in October 2022, with over 45 learners enrolled, including midwives, maternity nurses and supervisors. Some sessions have been open to other hospital staff, such as community health officers and health promotion and psychology staff, whenever relevant for them.
From October 2022 until July 2023, more than 800 deliveries took place in Kenema’s maternity ward, where all the midwives and nurses working there are enrolled in the Midwifery Care programme.
Thirty-two learners completed the programme in December 2024.
Operating Theatre nursing care programme
The first roll-out of the Operating Theatre programme started in Kenema in April 2023 with 16 learners. Some of them had already completed the full BCNC programme, while some others went through the identified BCNC prerequisite units and skills. Fourteen learners finished the programme and graduated in February 2024.
Training programme for Community Health Officers in Kenema
As Community Health Officers (CHOs) take care of much of the clinical work in Sierra Leone, a CHO programme was developed following requests from the MSF mission. In Sierra Leone, CHOs receive three years of basic clinical training and are traditionally the providers of frontline primary healthcare in the communities.
The programme started in 2020 with around 30 CHOs, and experienced some delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between 2023 and 2025, 56 participants fully completed the programme.
Final MSF Academy graduation in Sierra Leone marks the training of 345 national healthcare staff
Clinical mentoring session during an outpatient care consultation at Kpandebu Community Health Centre
A simulation exercise during the training of learning companions in Kenema, Sierra Leone. ©Ragnhild Sørheim/MSF
A clinical mentor completes the learning journal of a mentee following a bedside observation in Kenema, Sierra Leone. ©Mohammed Sanabani
