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 ongoing 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 48 skills to guide bedside mentorship sessions.
The OT programme has been implemented in Sierra Leone.
Module A: Preparation for surgery
Module B: OT specific IPC
Module C: OT nursing care
Module D: Diagnostic process in the OT
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.
A learner adjusts her face mask during a skills lab session. ©Alicia Gonzalez/MSF
A learner talking to her colleague in the operating theatre. ©Thomas Cytrynowicz/Jugaad
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.
1: The well neonate, term and premature
2: Airway – disability in unstable neonates
3: Exposure – infection in unstable neonates
4: Discharge & end of life care