Definition:
The various definitions given are as follows;
Definition: The various definitions given are as follows;
It is a science that deals with looking after ill or injured people, especially in a hospital. Nursing is a practical job, both a science and an art. As an academic course, it covers basic concepts in nursing. It trains students to nurse suffering and sick people back to good health. Students also help other health professionals like doctors and specialists. They help treat patients and carry out specialist duties like surgeries, eye care, and dental care.
Professional nurses have acquired knowledge, skills, and attitudes in many different disciplines. These include aspects of biology and psychology. They aim to promote the restoration and maintenance of health in their clients. They also recognize the total health needs of individuals and families. Moreover, they communicate and engage effectively and efficiently to meet those needs. The Pathway to Nursing and Career Opportunities
Objectives:
We aim to improve upon the care we give to patients. Our goal is to give the nurse a deeper understanding of everything concerning patient care. We also seek to equip the student with the basics of medication.
Course Content:
Anatomy and Physiology. Social Sciences like Psychology. “Fifty (50) Colony Nursing” subjects. Theory involves classroom lectures, demonstrations, and clinical attachment to the hospital ward. Others include various fields. These are Medical/Surgical Nursing, Maternal and Child Health, and Mental Health. Also, Community Health and Curriculum Development and Management Studies are covered. Fundamental Nursing Procedures, Anatomy, and Pathology are also important. Microbiology and Public Health are included as well. Gynecology, Micro-Biology, and Historical Perspective of Nursing are taught. The curriculum includes Theories of Nursing and Family Health Crisis Intervention I, II, III, and IV. Obstetrics is also included. The trainee nurse at the University of Cape Coast covers the following courses:
Mental Health Nursing. They also cover Community Health Nursing. Additionally, they learn Theater Emergency and Disaster Nursing. Obstetric Nursing, Patient Nursing, and Family Care Study are also included. Crisis intervention, Pediatrics, and Communicable Disease Control and Management are covered as well. Biostatics, Epidemiology, and Approach are important courses. Medicine, Gerontology, and Home Nursing, along with Nutrition and Dietetics, are part of the curriculum. Assessment of Psychiatric Disorders, Antenatal to Postnatal Care, and Human Anatomy and Physiology are taught. Food Science and Nutrition, Public Health, Law and Administration are included. Guidance and Counseling is an essential part of the training, etc.
Programs Required for Admission:
Students must obtain an aggregate of 10 or better in several programs. These include General Arts, Home Economics, Sciences, and General Agriculture with Physics and Chemistry. The applicant is also expected to pass all three core subjects.
Subject Combinations Required for Admission:
The subject combinations required are:
- Science Option: Elective Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
- Gen. Arts Option: Literature in English, French, and Ghanaian Languages. Subjects include Christian/Islamic Religious Studies, Economics, Geography, and History. Government and Elective Mathematics are also offered. Students explore General Knowledge in Art.
- Agricultural Program Option: General Agriculture, Chemistry, Physics, Elective Mathematics, French.
- Home Economics Option: Management in Living, Food & Nutrition, Economics, Chemistry, French, General Knowledge in Art
Cut Off Aggregate (2024/25):
UCC – 11, KNUST – 9, Legon – 9, Diploma Programs at National Nursing Colleges: 24.
Duration:
Degree: 4 years, Diploma: 3 years, Certificate: 2 years.
Special Skills Required:
It is hands on, the more you work the better you become. One also needs counseling and communication skills.
Institutions Offering Program:
University of Ghana
Valley View University (Ghana)
Central University (Ghana)
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) (Ghana)
University of Cape Coast (Ghana)
University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ghana)
University for Development Studies (Ghana)
Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (Ghana)
Presbyterian University College (Ghana)
Catholic University College of Ghana
All Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges in Ghana
Wisconsin International University College (Ghana)
Garden City University College (Ghana)
Ho Technical University (Ghana)
Nursing and Midwifery Training School at Korle-Bu (Ghana)
Ophthalmic Nursing School at Korle-Bu (Ghana)
University of Cape Town (South Africa)
University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)
University of Stellenbosch (South Africa)
Makerere University (Uganda)
University of Ibadan (Nigeria)
University of Nairobi (Kenya)
University of Pretoria (South Africa)
Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia)
University of Botswana (Botswana)
University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania)
University of Zambia (Zambia)
University of Namibia (Namibia)
King’s College London (UK)
Harvard University (USA)
University of Toronto (Canada)
University of Sydney (Oceania)
University of Oxford (UK)
Johns Hopkins University (USA)
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (USA)
University of Washington – Seattle (USA)
University College London (UK)
University of Manchester (UK)
Karolinska Institute (UK)
University of Melbourne (Oceania)
Monash University (Oceania)
University of São Paulo (Latin America), etc
Formal Employment Opportunities:
Nurses can work as professionals in many disciplines. These include Midwives, Community Health Nurses, Eye Nursing, Ear, Nose, and Throat Nursing, and Critical Care. They can also work in Surgery, Orthopedic, Pediatric, Surgical, Peri-Operative, etc. after acquiring the requisite training. The Ministry of Health employs all the graduates. Still, some graduates are granted study leave by specific organizations. For example, those in the Police service go back to their employers. Graduates can work in mobile clinics, family health consultancy, disaster control offices, homes for the aged, and exceptional children’s homes. Most graduates find employment in the nurses’ training colleges as lecturers.
Employers:
These include: the World Health Organization, Ministry of Health, UNESCO, and NGOs. Universities, Korle Bu, and the Military hospital are also included. Other facilities are Polyclinics, SSNIT Hospitals, Health Centers, and Clinics. This encompasses all other health facilities, both public and private. Some companies also have private medical facilities and hire many nurses. These include the VRA, the Banks, SSNIT, the Cocoa Board, etc.
Self-Employment Opportunities:
Graduates can put up their own clinics or manage someone else’s private clinic or a chemical shop.
Opportunities for Further Academic and Professional Development:
The four-year degree course does not necessarily make one a nurse. After the degree program, one must take a license examination that gives graduates the go-ahead to practice as a nurse. One must also be registered with the Nursing and Midwives Council. From then on you can be a nursing officer, gain experience, and rise in the ranks. There are various areas of specialization. These include Public Nursing, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Nurse Anesthetist. Others are Ambulatory Care Nurse, Surgical Nurse, and Infection Control Nurse. Extra areas include Ophthalmic, Midwife, and Trauma Nurse, among others. You also take on the academic aspect by lecturing.
The first degree trains students as polyvalent nurses. They become general nurses. Students can pursue further academic qualifications. Options include a Master in Public Health, a Master in Medicine, and Community Health Nursing. They can pursue a Master of Science in Nursing. They also consider a Master of Philosophy in Nursing. Another choice is a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. These higher laurels can be pursued at the University of Ghana, Legon, and also abroad. Post-basic courses in Theater and Emergency, Psychiatric, Anesthetic, Midwifery, Ophthalmic, Ear, Nose, and Throat Nursing are also available.
Annual Total Application and Admission:
At the University of Cape Coast, there were 100 recent applications for this course. Only 35 students were admitted to the program. KNUST admits about 50 students. In the Nursing training colleges, about 2,500 students are admitted. At the University of Ghana, an average of 100 students are picked at level 100. The same number is picked at level 200.
Annual Graduate Output:
All the admitted students are expected to graduate. That is to say that the total number of students admitted in an institution invariably turn out annually. About 100 graduates are produced annually at the University of Ghana, Legon. Additionally, 50 graduates are produced at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
Special Advice to Students Who Intend To Offer This Course:
They must have the requisite qualifications and an interest in the job because nursing is a difficult job. They must be prepared to do nursing. They should have the willingness to do it. They should not take it as a last resort. They must study hard and get good grades as the cut-off point keeps reducing (numerically) every year.
Special advice to graduates from this course who are looking for employment:
Graduates almost always gain ready employment. This is especially true for those from the National Nursing Training Colleges. They are bonded to work for the Ministry of Health for a specific duration. There are many private health institutions. It will be remarkable if a nurse does not get a job. It is always an advantage to go for further studies and specialize. They are advised to write the council’s examinations, the RGN (Registered General Nurse).
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