Seminar overview

Nurses and midwives are a formidable group of health professionals that form over 50 percent of the health workforce in every country. Academic preparation of these workforces has evolved over the years from apprenticeship levels through assistance to a current cohort of highly educated workforce with diploma, first, second and third degrees from many public and private educational institutions. Graduation from institutions of learning becomes the initial step as nurses and midwives into career development and serves as the springboard for fulfilling career diversification into what is commonly set into clinical, education and research and administration and management. Practically, there exist congruencies in these areas of career opportunities as each area may require application of competencies in general nursing or midwifery along with a range of specialist areas.

The situation described above is not different in the Ghanaian context where most nurses and midwives remain within their scope of practice in clinical, education and research and management throughout their career: whilst engaging in continual professional education to keep competent and to remain professionally licensed to practice by regulation. Much as these career pathways exists, there are other pathways that open the midwife or nurse into the doors of global careers. Unfortunately, these pathways have least been explored by Ghanaian midwives and nurses. Global nursing and midwifery careers are potential opportunities for diversification for Ghanaian nurses and midwives. The current relatively young and growing population with the requisite academic and professional background stand a chance if they can prepare and position themselves early enough in their career trajectory.

Informal discussions with this growing population reflect a thirst for interactions with senior colleagues who have had global careers to provide pathways for success. This course is presented as a webinar to provide such a platform. It seeks to expose especially the young and growing population of professional nurses and midwives to consider fulfilling, challenging and exciting global careers.