An evaluation of the impact of human and material resource shortages on student nurses' traning programme in Zimbabwe: A case of the Registered General Nurse Traning Programme (January 2009 - December2012)

Abstract

This research was an evaluation of the impact of human and material resource shortages on the nurses training programmes in Zimbabwe within the period January 2009 to December 2012. The study was based on a case study of the three year diploma in general nursing which is the major and basic training programme in the Zimbabwe nursing profession. It was carried out at the country’s two central hospitals and at one provincial hospital. The role of human and material resources in any training programme, let alone nurses’ training, cannot be underestimated in an environment where globalization has made society more knowledgeable and expect high quality care when citizens seek health care services. The study adopted both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. Primary data was collected using questionnaire and interview guides and secondary data on pass rates was collected using interview guides. A sample size of 60 student nurses who were still undergoing training, 30 newly qualified nurses, 3 Principal Nursing Officers, 3 Principal Tutors and 1 Director was used to generalize the findings of the study to all nurses trained in Zimbabwe’s public health institutions. The study findings indicated that shortage of human and material resources had a negative impact in that student nurses do not get adequate supervision on some procedures which they are not yet competent to perform on their own. The results also showed that there are nurses who continue to get to the next level of training or even qualify without receiving comprehensive training in some conditions or using certain machinery or equipment, for example all students in the study said they never received computer training during training. The study recommended that the MoHCW needs to have flexible policies that allow training institutions to make their own strategic planning to suit their capacities. There is need for improved staffing levels so that the student mentor ratios improve. The need for specialist doctors has been shown by the evidence of the high numbers of students who qualified without having nursed quite a number of conditions because there were no specialist doctors to perform the major operations. The study recommends further research in the area of effectiveness of the nursing training strategies in Zimbabwe.