The ‘sleeping elephant’: The role of mentorship of critical care nurses in Zambia

Abstract

Aim To develop and evaluate a Zambian context‐specific mentorship model that supports registered nurses completing emergency, trauma and critical care programmes in Zambia. Background In Zambia, emergency and trauma and critical care nursing are relatively new specialties, with education and training programmes less than a decade old. A train the trainer mentorship programme was developed and delivered at two colleges of nursing. Ethics approval was gained in both Zambia and the UK. Sources of evidence Documentary data analysis and focus groups were used. Focus groups included stakeholders and nurses in practice who had completed the train the trainer programme and were using the mentorship model. Discussion The critical review of the literature revealed there was a paucity of evidence on the role of mentors in critical care. However, national documentation identified that most post basic education programmes are at Diploma Level with limited content that focuses on bedside teaching, mentorship and assessment content. Conclusion Feedback from representatives attending the stakeholder workshops and focus groups which included participants who had completed the training programme enabled the mentorship model and workshop to be developed and evaluated. Implications for nursing practice Nurses are the backbone of healthcare systems in Africa and the world. Mentorship and assessment in practice enables nurses to develop the competence and skills to lead practice, support peers and junior colleagues. Implications for nursing policy This paper has identified the need for a context‐specific formalised mentorship model to support specialist practice and this project has provided the foundations for mentorship of emergency, trauma and critical care nurses in Zambia.

Evaluation of an international health partnership to capacity build emergency, trauma and critical care nurse education and practice in Zambia: An experience from the field

“…Instead, they chose to propose to the MOH and NMCZ the need to develop these specialities as independent programmes. They acknowledged that there is an overlap between these two areas of practice, but believed, in the light of advancing medical care in Zambia, that combining the two programmes in the long term would constrain the effectiveness of advanced nursing practice (Carter et al., 2021).…”

“…This proved to be a crucial decision, as when the COVID‐19 pandemic hit Zambia, it was possible to add in COVID‐19 content to the programme without triggering another review and revalidation. Changes also included a review of clinical placements and the introduction of an attachment to a rural district hospital, as many of the students will return to such settings (Carter et al., 2021). Therefore, they needed to see not only the facilities of tertiary referral hospitals but also the reality they would face once qualified.…”

“…In consequence, a train‐the‐trainer approach was used, as this approach is seen as the best practice for sustainability (Mormina & Pinder, 2018). Topics covered in the train‐the‐trainer programme had to include staff education development such as curriculum design, mentorship and assessment of students and the use of simulation (Carter et al., 2021). In addition, faculty on the train‐the‐trainer programme together with sakeholders participated in all curriculum design workshops.…”

“…The importance and value of such partnerships have also been recognised by the joint report by the WHO and the International Council of Nurses [ICN] (2020) as a model for good practice for capacity building in nursing. The partnership described in this paper used a participatory approach to knowledge exchange and sharing, with key strategic stakeholders in Zambia and Birmingham City University (BCU), a UK Higher Education (HE) provider (Carter et al., 2021). The partnership was initiated in 2015 and began with a scoping visit, which identified the urgent need to capacity build critical care and emergency and trauma nursing.…”

“…Phase III utilised templates from phases I and II to develop emergency and trauma nursing. At the same time, it was recognised that to retain these qualified staff, the Zambian critical care nursing definition, scope of practice, a mentorship model and programme were developed which encompassed a recognised and approved nursing career structure as essential elements (Carter et al., 2021).…”