EDITORIAL: RATIONALE FOR EMPLOYMENT OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING GRADUATES IN KENYA

Abstract

Introduction: Training nurses at degree level globally started upon realization that employment of highly trained nurses had a direct relationship with quality of care, improved patient health outcomes and decreased patient mortality rate at reduced health care delivery costs.

Purpose: The purpose of this treatise is to provide a background of the BScN program in Kenya, justify the need for employment of BScN graduates upon completion of the internship and appeal for national action.

Context and Justification: Despite the recommendations by the International Council of Nurses and WHO to governments to ensure employment of highly trained nurses, majority of BScN nurses are not employed in Kenya. Even at this time of COVID-19 pandemic when the need of quality nursing care is dire, the employment of BScNs compared to other cadres of nursing is at a negligible < 1 %. Employment of graduate nurses is justified to improve nurse-patient ratios, add value to patient outcomes, make economic sense, mitigate the shortage of nursing faculty and support universal health coverage.

Conclusion and Petition: The revised scheme of service for nursing personnel (2014) provides for employment of nursing officers with degree qualification. However, six years since then, there is lack of clarity on implementation of the scheme in regard to the Nursing Officers’ positions beyond internship position, and no policy has been enacted to provide for continuous offer of employment to a significant number of nurses with degree qualification. The Ministry of Health should therefore anchor continuous employment of degree level nursing graduates in health human resource policy that provides for inclusion of graduate nurses in advertised nursing vacancies at all levels of health care delivery system, in line with 2014 revised scheme of service of nursing personnel.