Dear Jane
 Greetings from Malawi again.
This course sounds fascinating, and I thought appropriate for key MOHP
persons/health staff in places like Malawi.
Meanwhile, the human resources crisis rages on with attrition occuring for
multiple reasons, and many remaining  health staff are `chronically ill'.
HIV has hit this place so hard.
In repsonse to the acute shortage of midwives (some newly built health
centres cannot even be staffed), the MOHP, Nursing Department, is intending
to develop a ONE YEAR curriculum for nurses who choose to do midwifery as an
urgent response to the situation. This is obviously a long process, and one
which I am certain has already been done elsewhere. Could I put out a
request for  information on existing one year curricula through the
Midwifery Research email?
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you
Fran



----- Original Message -----
From: Jane Sandall <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 1:53 AM
Subject: Press Release: UK's first clinical postgrad course in women's
health


> UK'S FIRST CLINICAL POSTGRAD COURSE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
>
> An innovative postgraduate taught course in women's health is being
launched
> in March 2003 by King's College London.
>
> The course in Advancing Women's Health Care is the first of its kind,
> designed with a strong clinical focus to meet the needs of the UK's
rapidly
> changing health care environment.
>
> It will provide nurses and midwives with the skills to function
> independently at an advanced level in promoting, planning, implementing
and
> evaluating women's health
> care.
>
> Beverley Bogle, leader of the Advancing Women's Health Care course,
> explained:
> "The overall aim of the new course is to improve the health and well-being
> of women through developing and enhancing the professional role and
practice
> of experienced nurses and midwives."
>
> The family planning and sexually shared infections (SSI) elements of the
> course will be run in accordance with the National Strategy for Sexual
> Health and HIV (Department Of Health 2001/2002) to facilitate
> the development of specialist clinical skills, including advanced health
> assessment, screening, principles of prescribing, leadership and research.
>
> This will play a major role in the development of a one-stop easily
> accessible and comprehensive sexual health service, currently lacking in
> most communities in the UK, particularly in the southeast. For example,
> women visiting ante-natal clinics often have to attend different clinics
for
> some SSI tests and treatment and for post-natal
> family planning advice. The new course at King's will produce qualified
> practitioners able to offer and develop comprehensive sexual health care
and
> services for women and their partners and children. The presence of
nursing
> and midwifery professionals qualified to operate
> autonomously within the clinical setting will also limit the number of
> referrals to doctors and other specialists, who will only be consulted if
> there are complications.
>
> Other components of the course will explore the social and political
issues
> relating to women's health, for example the role of women in society and
the
> factors that influence the self-determination and empowerment of women.
The
> course is also designed to address the low
> level of public education and awareness regarding women's health in many
> areas, and to break some of the taboos that still surround many women's
> health issues.
>
> The new course, offered as a part-time postgraduate Diploma or MSc, is
aimed
> at experienced nurses and midwives from diverse practice settings who are
> seeking to further their professional status and be at the
> forefront of service development and research. It is part of the
> post-graduate Midwifery and Women's Health Studies provision at King's
> Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery. The course will be
open
> to nurses and midwives who currently work in a role that involves the
> provision of direct care to women.
>
> The Florence Nightingale School has a staff of 240,
> including ten professors. There are currently over 1,300 students
> undertaking undergraduate, postgraduate, and Dip HE courses each year
within
> the school.
>
> King's College London is one of the oldest and largest colleges of the
> University of London with some 12,400 undergraduate students and over
4,700
> postgraduates in ten schools of study. The College had 24 of its
> subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5* and 5 for research quality,
> demonstrating excellence at an international level. It is in the top group
> of five universities for research earnings and has an annual turnover of
> over £300 million and research income from grants and contracts in excess
of
> £90 million (2001-2002).
>
> FURTHER INFORMATION
>
> Beverley Bogle, PGDip/MSc in Advancing Women's Health Care Programme
> Leader. Available from 6 January 2003.
> Tel: 020 7848 3580  Email: [log in to unmask]
> Website: www.kcl.ac.uk/nursing/contents/contentspg.html
>
> For application details contact Margaret Nicholls, Florence Nightingale
> School of Nursing & Midwifery Post-graduate Administrator
> Tel: 020 7848 3368  Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> PR01/03