Department of Nursing and Midwifery

Midwifery

Garden City University College was accredited to run B.Sc Midwifery programme from the beginning of the 2013/ 2014 academic year. It is a new department of the School of Health Science with a mission to train highly skilled and knowledgeable professional midwives who will promote the health and wellbeing of childbearing women and their families.

It is a four-year programme where the first two years is devoted to the acquisition of basic Nursing skills. Students from the departments of Midwifery and Nursing have lectures together during this period using the same curriculum. This is to enable the midwives' defect abnormal conditions in mother and child, to know when to obtain medical assistance and to take emergency measures in the absence of medical help.

In the first year, basic nursing courses taken include Anatomy and Physiology, Perspectives of Nursing, Health Promotion, Foundations of Nursing and Microbiology among others. Courses offered in the second year are Medical / Surgical Nursing, First Aid, Pathology, Pharmacology, Nutrition and Dietetics and Advanced Emergency and Disaster Nursing. Students have practice at the medical/ surgical units at various hospitals. It is hoped that by the end of the second year the midwife will possess a strong background in basic nursing procedures.

During the last two years students take the core course in midwifery such as Normal and Abnormal Pregnancy, Normal and Abnormal Labour, Puerperium, Neonatal and pediatric Nursing. Other relevant courses are Reproductive Health, Domiciliary Midwifery and Midwifery Research.

Students are introduced to Psychiatric and Public Health Nursing to help them cope with the emergence of new health problems in the society. The student at the end of the four years should be competent enough to provide preconceptional care, diagnose and monitor pregnancy, conduct deliveries on her own responsibilities and offer postpartum care including family planning.

The Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana is responsible for licensing the students at the end of their programme to practice as professional midwives. Students are therefore mandated to take the licensing examination conducted by the NMC before they could practice. The midwifery programme at the University College is run according to the statutes and policies of the Nurses and Midwives council of Ghana.

Professional midwives with Diploma Certificates from recognized institutions could enter the programme at level 300. This programme is run during the weekends but covers the requirements as for the regular students.

Admission

The programme started this academic year with twenty-six (26) students in Level 100 and eight (8) students in Level 200. Females form twenty-three and a half percent (23.5%) of the total number of students admitted, which is not very encouraging, as the programme is not the preserve of men. We, therefore, entreat more females with the requisite science qualification to apply and be trained.

Practical Work

There were a few challenges in the conduct of practicals as the laboratories were gradually being equipped. However, these challenges were overcome when supplies of reagents and equipment were received in time. A large consignment of additional equipment was also shipped by the Founder in the middle of the second semester which will go a long way to provide the platform for more practical work on campus.

Vacation Practicum

To complement practical work on campus, 3^rd year students will be required to undergo a minimum of four (4)-weeks mandatory practicum during the 2^nd semester break at a clinical laboratory in a healthcare facility. It is intended to expose students to the workplace environment to experience hands-on learning under supervision, interacting with patients, peers, qualified laboratory personnel, and other health care providers.

Successful completion of vacation practical attachment shall equip students to demonstrate some level of practical competence and confidence. Students will be required to write a report of the vacation practical attachment- to be endorsed/authenticated by the Laboratory supervisor.

The report shall cover knowledge, skills and competences acquired during the period of attachment and turned in at beginning of the following semester, preferably in a binder or notebook, for validation by the Head of Department.

Each student will be responsible for his/her own work (no sharing results-even if more than one person were placed in the same health facility and worked in the same laboratory environment). Marks will be awarded for the report and shall constitute 50% of the Continuous Assessment.

Nursing

Nursing is a vibrant interpersonal process which seeks to promote, maintain and restore health. It is a unique profession whose practitioners have competencies in assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of health care. Nursing requires innovation to offer creative responses whilst working within the ethical and legal framework in order to meet the changing patterns of health care. The School of Nursing commenced its BSc/Diploma programmes in June 2007, and plays a leading role in nursing education in Ghana, using science and art to train generics and practicing nurses to provide quality nursing care to all, irrespective of race, sex, religion, creed and beliefs.

The Department of Nursing strives for excellence in its teaching and research programmes and its focus is on the promotion of the intellectual, cultural and personal development of all students. The school aims to integrate teaching, research and community services into its programmes with basic/applied sciences, medical-surgical nursing, community health nursing, maternal and child health, mental health nursing, research, nursing education and administration forming the core components of the courses. Theory and practice are the main areas of evaluation and are continuous throughout the training period.

The Licensing Assessment conducted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana (NMCG), the ultimate examination by which the student attains a professional license to practice. All nursing programmes at the University College are run strictly according to the statutes and policies of the Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana – the statutory body that sees to the running of Nursing and Midwifery Education in the country. Failure to adhere to these statutes and policies will prevent students from attaining their dreams of becoming Professional Nurses.

The Department of Nursing is a member of the Association of University Nursing Programmes, Ghana (ASUNP).