Providing more practical education opportunities for nursing and midwifery students

Nursing and midwifery students and instructors at private medical training institutions will be among the first to participate in a practical training program that will expose students to patients in integrated primary health care settings. The program will emphasize antenatal care, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, and antiretroviral therapy for adults and children.

SHOPS Plus is collaborating with a broad range of organizations in Tanzania’s private health sector—including the Association of Private Health Colleges of Tanzania and the Private Nurses and Midwives Association of Tanzania— to develop a harmonized approach to improving practical training and clinical mentorship opportunities for nursing and midwifery students at private medical training institutions. 

Providing opportunities for Tanzania’s nursing and midwifery students to practice their skills in a real-world clinical setting is essential to improve the quality of health care services.

SHOPS Plus will link private medical training institutions in the Dar es Salaam region to private sector nursing and midwifery facilities, hospitals, and other integrated points of care that can serve as training sites for senior-level students. The program will work to strengthen coordination between academic tutors, clinical instructors, facility management, and students in promoting affordable, quality, clinical mentorship opportunities.

The SHOPS Plus practicum program planned for 2017 is a response to the expanded role and authority of nurses and midwives laid out in a 2014 national scope of practice for nurses and midwives. The USAID-funded SHOPS Plus predecessor project worked with the Tanzanian Nursing and Midwifery Council to develop the scope and promote the expanded involvement of nurses and midwives in HIV, malaria, and other essential public health efforts.