Ten nurses have graduated in the first cohort of training in a partnership between Mount Kenya University and Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust of Britain.
Last year, MKU and the Trust partnered to develop an International Junior Nurse Fellowship (IJNF) in response to the Nursing Now Challenge.
The fellowship is a 12-month programme that is delivered virtually, with 10 early career nurses in Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust of UK and 10 senior student nurses at MKU.
The fellowship was launched virtually in July 2021 by programme leaders Elizabeth Ndung’u of MKU and Debbie Cromack of the Bradford Trust.
It targets to benefit students in research skills, academic writing competency and leadership skills.
“The last 12 months have seen our learners engage in modules around the self as a leader, managing organisational change/resilience, facilitating learning in others, the research process and writing for publication," Cromack said during the graduation ceremony.
"The students shared their experiences with the Bradford District Care Foundation Trust cohort and learnt from each other. Together via a virtual platform we have shared our differences, discussed our similarities and above all embraced our passion for the nursing profession.”
The two urged MKU and the Trust to continue supporting learners post-fellowship.
“Our alumni will continue to enable our fellows access to ongoing mentorship and continued professional development via the global Nursing Now portal,” Cromack, who is also the learning, education and nursing development manager at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said.
In 2018-19, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) selected MKU to offer graduate scholarships in the field of Master of Science Nursing (Medical Surgical Nursing) and Master of Public Health (Epidemiology and Disease Control).
This followed a thorough vetting of applications by an independent international committee which shortlisted 15 proposals out of 88 submitted by various universities and institutions in the Eastern African region.
The annual scholarships were awarded to students in the region over a four-year period (2019-2022). The scholarship caters to tuition fees, research allowance, monthly stipend, travel allowance, health insurance where applicable and the possibility of a study visit of up to six months to Germany.
The first group of scholarship holders was admitted in 2019 and are now ready to proceed to the field for data collection after completing coursework and developing their research proposals.
The cohort admitted in 2020 is developing their proposals.
“These scholarships will go a long way in ensuring timely completion of students which is most of the time hampered by lack of funds. It will also enhance the commitment of the university to offer competitive quality postgraduate programmes,” Dr Samuel Karenga, the director of graduate studies, said.
In past intake years, a reserve candidate would benefit from a scholarship if the awarded scholarship holder failed to take up the opportunity.
The scholarship beneficiaries are from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Ethiopia.
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