Embrace philosophy of lifelong learning - Prof Stella Appiah urge nurses, midwives

The Associate Professor of Nursing Administration, School of Nursing and Midwifery at Valley View University, Prof Stella Appiah has charged nurses and midwives to continuously enhance their knowledge after obtaining a nursing/midwifery license.

She stated that continuous education puts one at a competitive edge when it comes to employment.

Professor Appiah said this on Tuesday during the Induction Ceremony of Associate Members of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives in Accra.

She said for nurses and midwives to provide contemporary, relevant, evidence-based care, they needed to be supported in their workplaces to undertake multiple forms of learning.

According to her, the commitment to excellence in nursing and midwifery education was intrinsically linked to Continuous Professional Development (CPD), a central aspect of nurses’ and midwives’ lifelong learning.

She added that CPD was vital for maintaining up-to-date knowledge and skills essential in an ever-evolving healthcare sector. This life-long process of active participation in learning activities assists in developing and maintaining competencies, enhancing professional practice and supporting the achievement of career goals.

“This is very important in the healthcare ecosystem where patient care is evolving and becoming complex. This complexity demands that nurses and midwives are lifelong learners who update their knowledge and skills at all times to be fit for practice,” she added.

Professor Appiah indicated that the more knowledge and skills one possesses in the industry, the more confident that individual will be in the workplace. For this reason, continued education can help an individual master new skills and concepts and give that person’s confidence a boost.

“Confidence in the workplace can help one to communicate better, take feedback well, deal with conflict and become a leader or a manager, regardless of how continued nursing and midwifery education would be obtained, all nurses and midwives should be encouraged to embrace the philosophy of lifelong learning,” she stated.