By James Wakahiu
Ten nurses have graduated in the first cohort of training in a
partnership between Thika-based Mount Kenya University (MKU) and
the 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 being
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 the programme
leads 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 pioneer class of students graduated on Monday September 5. “The
last twelve 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. The students shared their experiences with the Bradford
District Care Foundation Trust cohort and learnt from each other,” Ms
Ndung’u and Ms Cromack said during the graduation ceremony.
“Together via a virtual platform we have shared our differences,
discussed our similarities and above all embraced our passion for the
nursing profession,” said Cromack, who is also Learning, Education and
Nursing Development Manager at Bradford District Care NHS
Foundation Trust.
“We have witnessed our learners grow in confidence over the
fellowship period and have watched as they have flourished with their
newly acquired toolkit of knowledge. A key focal point of this fellowship
is the identification of a research topic and subsequent development of
a qualitative research proposal,” added Ndung’u, a Nurse Educator and
a Researcher.
The two leaders called on both MKU and the Trust to continue to
support the learners post fellowship to enable them to take forward
their proposals to implementation stage and onward to potential
academic journal submission.
“Our alumni will continue to enable our
fellows access to ongoing mentorship and continued professional
development via the global Nursing Now portal,” said Cromack.
In 2018/2019, the German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD selected
Mount Kenya University (MKU) to offer graduate Scholarships in the
field of Master of Science Nursing (Medical Surgical Nursing) and
Master of Public Health (Epidemiology & 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 across the region
over a four year period (2019-2022) and caters for:
1. Tuition fees
2. Research allowance
3. Monthly stipend
4. Travel allowance
5. Health insurance where applicable
6. Possibility of a study visit of up to 6 months to Germany within the
period of the Scholarship
The first group of scholarship holders was admitted in 2019 and are
now ready to proceed to the field for data collection having successfully
completed their coursework and developed their research proposals.
The cohort admitted in 2020 are developing their proposals.
These scholarships will go a long way in ensuring timely completion of
students which is most of the times hampered by lack of funds. It will
also enhance the commitment of the University to offer competitive
quality postgraduate programmes. Dr. Samuel Karenga, Director,
Graduate Studies said
The third cohort is expected in September 2021. This intake will have
the highest number of students ever since the start of the scholarships.
In addition to the 8 awarded scholarships for 2021, the eighteen
reserve candidates were also awarded the scholarships bringing the
total number of awarded scholarships to 26. In the past intake years, a
reserve candidate would benefit for a scholarship if the awarded
scholarship holder failed to take up the opportunity.
The scholarships beneficiaries are from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda,
Uganda, Burundi & Ethiopia
“These scholarships have attracted very many applicants annually since
2019. As a matter of fact, Mount Kenya University beat other
Universities in the number of applications received for this year’s intake
2021, which is a testament of the quality graduate programmes
offered. We hope to apply for more scholarships in other disciplines
when a call for applications is made later this year” added Dr. Karenga
The proposal development team for the DAAD funding was led by the
Director, Graduate Studies & Principal, College of Graduate Studies &
Research. Prospective students are invited to apply for the scholarships
once the call for the 2022 intake is made later this year.
International
Junior Nurse Fellowship
2021/22 Cohort 1
Graduation Event
Monday 5th September 2022
As a partnership initiative Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
and Mount
Kenya University are proud to welcome you all to the graduation event
for our
first cohort of International Junior Nurse Fellows.
As a partnership initiative Bradford District
Care NHS Foundation Trust and Mount Kenya
University are proud to welcome you all to
the graduation event for our first cohort of
International Junior Nurse Fellows.
www.themountinajouranal.co.ke
