Strengthening integrated HIV management skills among private sector nursing students

The strength of nursing care in any health system depends upon nursing professionals who have the necessary knowledge, skills, and clinical judgement to carry-out basic and advanced interventions. In Tanzania, SHOPS Plus  is arming new graduate nurses with integrated skills to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by providing more hands-on training.

The case for more hands-on training 

As in many countries facing persisting HIV epidemics, pre-service nursing students in Tanzania are in need of increased practical skill development in the areas of HIV care, prescribing ART, and other advanced integrated disease management skills envisioned and allowed in the Scope of Practice for Nurses and Midwives in Tanzania (pictured here).     

Diversity of voices 

SHOPS Plus  is participating in the development of a nursing practicum led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare Directorate of Nursing Services. As part of a national dialogue, the project team will hold a workshop for private sector service providers. Including a broad range of private providers, training institutes, and umbrella bodies will help create a truly multi-sectoral pre-service practicum approach for nursing.

Taking guidance from the national curriculum, SHOPS Plus is planning to lead a multi-agency effort to design a private sector nursing practicum model for integrated HIV care, which will link public and private nursing students to practical facility-based learning opportunities in private sector health facilities. The goal is to expose pre-service students to a range of integrated services in urban and community-based antenatal care, primary health care, and infectious disease clinical settings.

This effort aims to actualize practical training opportunities for nursing students in Tanzania using a sustainable and collaborative approach with strong public-private partnership.