JEDDAH, 6 March 2003 — A one-week intensive course accredited by the Saudi Council for Health Specialties has just finished at the King Faisal Medical Research Center. Designed by the university hospital, it brought together those specializing in advanced child-nursing techniques and the latest related developments in technology.
The students were pediatric nurses and interns from the university hospital, ministry of health hospitals and three private hospitals in Jeddah. The skills these participants acquired on the course will have an immediate application on the children’s wards, which it is hoped will raise the quality of care in hospitals across Jeddah.
“Feedback from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) course indicates that it was a success,” said Dr Adna Al-Marooza, Hospital Director at the King Abdulaziz University, in an address to students and staff at the closing awards ceremony.
“We hope that the enthusiasm of the participants and the new skills they learned will encourage others to come to future courses,” said Wendy Kirk, area manager for Maternity and Children’s services, who was instrumental in organizing the course.
“It’s part of our ongoing effort to increase the quality of medical and nursing care we are able to offer,” commented Bahjat Al-Awa, director of nursing.
“By training nurses from high-school entry through to staff nurse level, we are Saudizing the profession in the Kingdom by creating new jobs rather than just transferring people in a statistical exercise. This course adds a real dimension to their skills.”
Currently, the nursing school has about 200 Saudi nurses under training and 84 on internship — the post-graduate year when the new nurse acquires ward and practical skills.
“There is a lack of advanced PICU nursing training in Jeddah,” said Laraba Al-Hamdu, acting Director of Nursing Education. “We responded to this need and got tremendous support from the university faculties and other hospitals in the city.”
The course, on which nearly half of the 50 participants were Saudi nurses, covered the major concerns of pediatric nursing. Part academic and part “hands-on” practical instruction, the topics covered ranged from physical health assessment through management of acute bleeding to neuro-surgical intervention and monitoring.
