Introduction
Midwifery is defined as “skilled knowledgeable end compassionate care for child bearing women, newborns, infants and families across the continuum from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, after birth and early weeks of life. Midwifery plays a vital role and when provided by educated trained midwives, is associated with improved quality of care and rapid and sustained reduction in maternal and new-born morbidity and mortality.
The scope of nursing practice and care of individuals with fertility challenges in Nigeria is continuously expanding as a result of increasing demand from individuals with fertility challenges, fast paced technological and scientific advancements in reproductive science accompanied with societal pressures and expectations. The modern management of individuals with fertility challenges is an essential component to the training of every healthcare professional working in this specialist area. This training programme, devised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (N&MCN) is designed to assist professionals in establishing a level of expertise in the area appropriate to the status of a practitioner with a stated “special interest” in the field.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the fertility nursing programme is based on the following:
- The family is the basic unit of human existence with the basic role of procreation thus fertility nursing is essential in meeting this need.
- Failure to achieve conception affects the quality of family life leading to disharmony in some homes.
- Family should be assisted to enjoy optimal reproductive health by having children when they desire.
- Fertility nursing education enables the fertility nurse to develop specialized skills in assisting individuals with fertility challenges.
- Continuing professional development program will keep the fertility nurse abreast of professional practice and the dynamic issues challenging reproductive health services in the society.
- Fertility nurses should develop competencies to work within the appropriate standards of clinical practice.
- Fertility nursing education will prepare fertility nurses to provide holistic approach to fertility nursing care, through compassionate, informed and evidence-based practice.
- The hallmark of fertility nursing practice is to deliver high quality care while ensuring patient safety
Vision
To be a programme that would produce in a sustainable manner a critical mass of trained experts in fertility nursing education for the region.
Mission
The goal of the PGD programme is to increase the number of public health and fertility nursing education practitioners that can supplement the services provided by other public health practitioners in health promotion and disease prevention.
Rationale
To establish the postgraduate diploma in fertility nursing specialist education Masters and bridge the current and obvious non-trained certified nurse specialist in Nigeria.
The programme is designed to prepare registered nurses and midwives to assume a nurse fertility specialist role in fertility clinics and fertility unit of hospitals. ACE-PUTOR is going to be the first to offer the fertility nurse education in Nigeria.
Aims & Objectives of the Program
To introduce the students to the basic tenets of fertility education and provide them theoretical and practical training in these areas.
Objectives of the PGD in fertility nursing education
This programme will provide graduate students with the knowledge and competence to:
- Assess the health needs of individuals with fertility challenges giving special reference to the basic needs of the individuals/couple. Function dependently, independently and inter-dependently to provide comprehensive reproductive health care services as a certified specialist.
- Use awareness of cultural diversity of clients in relation to fertility issues and preparation of different investigation and treatments.
- Use the basic principles of ultrasound scanning to deliver appropriate care