Specialised nursing care
Nursing care programmes for the Operating Theatre and for Neonatal units
Two specialised nursing care programmes have been developed by the MSF Academy: one for Operating Theatre nurses and one for Neonatal nurses.
The Operating Theatre Nursing Care programme
The Operating Theatre (OT) Nursing Care programme is designed to support the continuous professional development of scrub nurses and circulating nurses.
The curriculum is designed with supporting documents for facilitation and mentoring. The content is organised in four modules, complemented by skills to guide bedside mentoring sessions.
The OT programme has been implemented in Sierra Leone and is currently under implementation in Central African Republic.
Module 1: Preparing the OT for surgery
Module 2: Preparing the patient for surgery
Module 3: Performing OT nursing care
Module 4: Performing post operative nursing care
An OT-specific Competency Gap Assessment (CGA) was developed to establish a knowledge and skills baseline, through the completion of a knowledge questionnaire and specific techniques that learners need to perform for competencies-level to be assessed.
Participants in the OT Nursing Care programme during a caesarean section in Kenema, Sierra Leone. © Alicia Gonzalez/MSF
The clinical mentor and two participants during a training session on folding sterile, reusable surgical gowns.© Alicia Gonzalez/MSF
The Neonatal Nursing Care programme
The Neonatal nursing care programme started to be developed at the end of 2022, after a formal needs assessment was conducted as an initial step. The curriculum is based on MSF guidelines related to neonatology. It complements the existing trainings available for MSF staff, potentially adapting the level of the content to staff with less prior background in the field.
Module 1: The well neonate, term and premature
Module 2: Airway – disability in unstable neonates
Module 3: Exposure – infection in unstable neonates
Module 4: Discharge & end of life care