Washington DC, September 30, 2023 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Guyana and the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development at the Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing at the University of São Paulo – Brazil, organized a clinical nursing simulation training.
The training from September 15 to 30 aimed to enhance the nursing curriculum development, develop specific skills, and improve strategies for the use of clinical simulation. The program includes theoretical and practical activities of realistic clinical simulation, medium and high-fidelity mannequins, and technical visits to Hospital Institutions, Psychosocial Care Centers, Alcohol and Other Drugs Psychosocial Care Centers, and Primary Health Care facilities.
The training was attended by 21 nurses from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Representatives from PAHO, the University of São Paulo and the Ministries of Health of Brazil and Guyana attended the opening ceremony.
The importance of carrying out this training was highlighted by Silvia Cassiani, Advisor on Nursing and Health Technicians at PAHO/WHO: "In these places, there is a great shortage of human resources for health. There is also a large migration of nurses to Canada, the United States, and some European countries. With this training, the foundations are being laid for expanding of a new nursing workforce."
"This program aims to acquire skills through training in realistic clinical simulations. To this end, nurses from different locations have been selected. The idea is that when these professionals return to their countries, they can help people manage public health’s physical or clinical aspects," said Chandroutie Bahadur, a Guyana's Ministry of Health representative.
Pedro Palha, dean of Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, affirms that the training is part of a comprehensive cooperation project to redesign Guyana's nurse training curriculum and has been identified as one of the most promising activities carried out by PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centres. "Our maturity as an academic institution and as a Collaborating Centre has made it possible to respond with high quality to the demands made by PAHO/WHO. Our tradition of training excellent nursing professionals has spread to other countries. This confirms our commitment to nursing practice in Brazil, with prospects for resolving many of the demands on the local health system”, said the dean.
Finally, the Honorable Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Health of Guyana, in the opening ceremony of this training, highlights the importance of this South-South cooperation initiative facilitated by PAHO, which has allowed countries to share their technical expertise to improve access to health services and quality of care.
This training adds to PAHO's efforts to invest in and strengthen human resources for health, and specifically Nursing, in the Region of the Americas.
