The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) of Ghana is delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs. Philomina Adjoa Nyarkoa Woolley as the sixth Registrar of the Council, effective July 31, 2024. This appointment was made by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana, based on the advice of N&MC’s 15th Governing Board and in consultation with the Public Services Commission.
A journey of excellence in nursing and midwifery
Mrs. Philomina A. N. Woolley brings to her new role a wealth of experience, having served the Council in different capacities including the Head of Examination Unit (2009-2016), Deputy Registrar in-charge of Operations (27th October, 2016 – 11th August, 2022), and Acting Registrar (12th August, 2022- 30th July, 2024). Her distinguished career of about 32 years is marked by dedicated service, exemplary leadership, and significant contributions to the nursing and midwifery professions both locally and internationally.
Known for her strategic and visionary leadership, she is a person of integrity who values flexibility and embraces challenges with resilience. Her dedication to the profession, ability to endure and accept criticisms have earned her great respect and admiration from her colleagues and peers. She has been a participant and facilitator of numerous workshops, seminars, and conferences across the globe. To this end, her global perspective and insights have greatly enriched the practices and policies of the N&MC.
Educational and professional backgrounds
Mrs. Philomina Woolley started her formal education in Amanfrom GCD LA Primary and Middle School at Akwatia in the Eastern Region, Ghana. She continued her education at Oda Secondary School, Akim Oda as a General Art student at the Ordinary Level (September 1983-June 1988) and further obtained her State Registered Nursing Certificate at the Nurses’ Training College, Koforidua (February 1989-August 1992).
From 1992 to 1995, Mrs. Woolley worked as a Staff Nurse and a Senior Staff Nurse at the Regional Hospital, Koforidua in almost all the hospital’s departments, exhibited the ‘Florence Nightingale’ caring spirit, and became a role model to her colleagues. In November 1995, she pursued a Midwifery programme at the Midwifery Training School, Korle-Bu, Accra and qualified with a Registered Midwifery Certificate in November 1996. Following this, Philomina was promoted to the Senior Staff Nurse-Midwife grade while at the Regional Hospital in Koforidua and ended up working at the Maternity Block.
Due to her strong desire for personal and professional development, she pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing with Psychology at the University of Ghana (August 1999 - June 2002). Subsequently, she was posted to the Midwifery Training School, Atibie in the Eastern Region where she taught and trained student midwives in Obstetric and Paediatric Anatomy and Physiology, Community Midwifery, and Nutrition. In August 2007, she pursued a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Nursing at the University of Ghana and graduated in June 2010. While pursuing the MPhil, specifically in August 2009, she joined the N&MC Ghana where she worked at the Publication Unit and later appointed as the Head of the Examinations Unit in that same year.
In June 2012, she embarked on a journey to achieving a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast, graduating in June 2014. Additionally, she holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), pursuing this from February to May 2017. Further enriching her expertise, she has obtained Certificate in Project Management in Global Health from the University of Washington (USA), Certificate in Qualitative Research from the University of Alberta (Canada), and a Certificate in Cyber Security from the Galilee International Management Institute (Israel).
She is a Fellow of both the West African Postgraduate College of Nursing and Midwifery (FWAPCNM) and Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (FGCNM). She is also a Member of Ghana Registered Nurses’ and Midwives’ Association (GRNMA), Ghana Registered Midwives’ Association (GRMA), and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Furthermore, Mrs. Woolley’s exceptional competence has enabled her to chair and serve on several Committees of the Council and other national agencies. Currently, she is a Governing Board Member of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM).
Professional achievements (focus on N&MC leadership roles)
As the Head of the Examination Unit (2009-2016), Mrs. Woolley took part in developing policy documents including incident report format for the conduct of licensing examination, review of practical tools, and development of rules and regulations for dealing with examination irregularities, and curriculum for student nurse assistants, nurses and midwives. Also, she actively participated in the introduction of edumetric scannable machine to assess objective questions in the conduct of licensing examinations, among others.
As a Deputy Registrar in-charge of Operations (27th October, 2016- 11th August, 2022), she was part of the team that implemented the Online Licensing Examinations of the Council from 2018 to date.
In the Acting Registrar role (12th August, 2022 – 30th July, 2024), she provided strategic leadership as well as technical and administrative direction for the achievement of the Council’s mandate. Through the support of the Council’s 15th Governing Boord, she led the N&MC’s Management to establish a provident fund for staff of the Council, initiated the premium services, reviewed and developed schedule books for the various nursing and midwifery disciplines, and developed a career pathway for nurses and midwives. Others include the initiation of the development of fitness to practice documents, and development of tools to enhance supervision and accreditation of health training institutions and health facilities. Furthermore, she led the Council to collaborate with external partners to write proposals and won the following grants:
1) Global Health Workforce Programme aimed at “strengthening the ability of the N&MC Ghana to oversee and regulate the professional register of nurses and midwives to ensure high-quality care”. This ongoing project (1st February, 2024 – 31st January, 2025) is being jointly executed between the N&MC Ghana; University of Huddersfield, UK; University of Liverpool, UK; and TechnoFerry International Limited, UK. This is a large grant funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, via the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET).
2) Global Health Workforce Programme aimed at “developing specialist and advance practice nursing roles in Kenya”. This project is also ongoing (1st February, 2024 – 31st January, 2025) and jointly executed between the N&MC Ghana and the Nursing Council of Kenya. Similarly, this is a large grant funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, via THET.
3) Global Health Workforce Programme aimed at “building and strengthening relationship with Ghanaian nurses and midwives working in the UK health sector, understanding the structural needs and laying the foundations to improve the support they can provide to Ghana’s health system”. This is also an ongoing project (1st February, 2024 – 31st January, 2025) and jointly executed between the N&MC Ghana and the Ghana Nurses Association, UK. This is a small grant funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, via THET.
4) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation project aimed "assessing the impact of the expanded total facility approach (TFA) on HlV-related stigma and discrimination and HIV testing, treatment and prevention outcomes across three sub-Saharan African countries (Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia) with different HIV contexts".
5) African Leaders Malaria Alliance fund for the enhancement of the review of Public Health Nursing aspect of the curriculum review.
Personal
Mrs. Philomina Woolley, affectionately called Adjoa Nyarkoa in her native land Akyim Awisa in the Eastern Region of Ghana, is the 5th child of her parents and she is married to Mr. Emmanuel Woolley, a Telecom Engineer. She has three children: two girls and a boy. She is a devoted Christian who fellowships with the Maranatha Society of the Methodist Church of Ghana at Nmai-Djorn in Accra, where she served as the immediate past Society Steward. Also, she is the current Vice President of the Methodist Women’s Fellowship and Secretary of the Coordinating Office for Social Services and an usher at where she fellowships. Mrs. Woolley loves cooking, listening to music and dancing. She speaks Twi, Ga and English.
Congratulatory Message
On behalf of the Council’s staff as well as nurses, midwives and nurse assistants across Ghana and beyond, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Philomina A. N. Woolley on her well-deserved appointment as the sixth Registrar of N&MC Ghana. Her journey from a dedicated nurse-midwife to a distinguished leader is a testament to her commitment, hard work, and passion for both professions. We are confident that under her leadership, the Council will continue to achieve new heights and set benchmarks in the field of nursing and midwifery.
Please join us in saying a big 'Ayekoo' to Mrs. Woolley and wishing her every success in her new role.