The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) of Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to excellence in nursing and midwifery education through the successful culmination of its 8th Credentialing Forum held at the Rev. Veronica Darko Conference Hall at the Council’s Head Office in Accra from March Monday 4th to Thursday 7th March, 2024.
The Credentialing Forum convened key stakeholders from fourteen (14) esteemed Nursing and Midwifery training institutions. It served as a pivotal public gathering, bringing together a distinguished Panel comprised of members of the 15th Governing Board of N&MC alongside Directors of Nursing and Midwifery and Senior Staff of N&MC. This forum was situated within the Council’s objective to “secure in the public interest the highest standards of training and practice of nursing and midwifery”. It stands as a cornerstone in the N&MC's accreditation process, underscoring the imperative for applicants to adhere unwaveringly to stringent criteria or standards.
Mrs. Agnes Oppong-Baah, Head of Accreditations and Supervision, representing the Acting Registrar (Mrs Philomina A.N. Woolley), underscored the pivotal role of accreditation in upholding standards of mission, administration, faculty, curriculum, and resources across participating institutions. "This Credentialing Forum, initiated in November 2020, stands as a testament to N&MC's unwavering dedication to bolster accreditation protocols, ensuring excellence in both established and emerging institutions," remarked Mrs. Oppong-Baah during her opening address.
The distinguished Panel for the forum comprised of DSP Kennedy Japion, Director of Nursing at the Ghana Police Hospital; Mrs. Judith Asiamah, Director of Nursing at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC); Mrs. Florence Animwaa Darko, Assistant Head of Department for Text Construction and Curriculum Development at N&MC; and Mrs. Netta
Forson Ackon, President of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA). "The Credentialing Forum is anchored on the criteria of quality (excellence), efficiency, and effectiveness," emphasized DSP Kennedy Japion, Chairman of the forum, underscoring the paramount importance of maintaining rigorous standards.
Among the institutions summoned to undergo rigorous assessment were the University for Development Studies (UDS); College of Health Sciences (COHS), Yendi; Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC), Bole; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST); Midwifery Training College (MTC), Bolgatanga; Nursing Training College (NTC), Bolgatanga; Midwifery Training College (MTC), Jirapa; Nursing Training College (NTC), Jirapa; New Life College, Tamale; Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC), Damango; Nursing Training College (NTC), Lawra; Technical University College, Tamale; Community Health Nurses Training College (CHNTC), Tamale; and Garden City University College, Kumasi.
Notably, UDS sought accreditation for a new programme, Registered Public Health Nurse (RPHN), alongside reaccreditation for existing programmes. The remaining thirteen (13) institutions sought reaccreditation to sustain programmes including RPHN, Registered General Nursing (RGN), Registered Midwifery (RM), Registered Mental Health Nursing (RMN), Nursing Assistant Clinical (NAC), and Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAP).
Preceding the forum, N&MC teams conducted meticulous assessments of each institution, identifying areas for enhancement and offering recommendations. Feedback from these assessments was meticulously presented during the forum, with institutional representatives engaging in constructive dialogue with the esteemed Panel. In response to identified challenges, recommendations were made, including the employment of part-time tutors to
optimize tutor-to-student ratios, and improvement in material resources, among others, aligning with established standards.
In expressing gratitude, management of the participating institutions extended appreciation to the N&MC team for their insightful assessments and invaluable recommendations.
