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Change to English language requirements for nurses and midwives get green light

Proposals to change the requirements for overseas nurses and midwives taking the International English Language Test System (IELTS) were given the go-ahead by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) today.

Following the change nurses and midwives will still be required to achieve a minimum overall level of 7 in the test. However, a level 6.5 in writing will be accepted alongside a level 7 in reading, listening and speaking.

The decision follows widespread engagement with key stakeholders, who told the NMC that, despite being able to communicate to a high level in English, many nurses and midwives taking the IELTS test were just missing out on achieving a level 7.

The moderate and proportionate change is in line with the NMC’s commitment to better, safer care and will ensure that only those nurses and midwives with the right skills, knowledge and command of English are able to work in the UK.

The change will take effect from 5 December 2018. IELTS results under two years old that meet the new requirements will be considered by the regulator.

The change is just one part of an extensive review the regulator is undertaking of its international registration processes.

COMMENCEMENT OF POST NAC/NAP DIPLOMA IN MIDWIFERY PROGRAMME
The Nursing and Midwifery Council wishes to inform its cherished stakeholders and the entire public that following the completion of the access course for the Diploma in Midwifery (Top-Up for Post Nurse Assistant Clinical /Nurse Assistant Preventive), the programme has begun.
The 8-week programme is expected to end on January 18th, 2019.
Thank you.

Effective communication is one of the foundations of good nursing care. The honest forms of nurse-patient communication include verbal and non-verbal communication (e.g., body language, facial expression, gestures, and distance between you and your patients). Effective nurse-patient communication can improve quality of care and clinical outcomes, and lead to a relationship that enhances patient satisfaction. However, effective nurse-patient communication is the biggest challenge for nurses and requires much more than experience and skills.

Here are three principles you should follow to help improve your communication skills with patients.

1. Always Put the Patient First

Putting patients first takes a shift of mind. Start your conversation by taking the time to introduce yourself and tell them how you are going to take care of them. Smile and use a calm and welcoming voice. Provide comfort when patients need to be comforted. Always show respect to your patients. Understanding who the patients are as individuals will help the nurse connect with them and will make them feel more comfortable while receiving care and treatment. These approaches can make the patients feel really cared for and can improve relationships.

2. Practice Active Listening

Active listening is an important part of communication and requires listening for the content, intent, and feeling of the speaker. Active listening involves paying attention to what the patients say and allowing them to finish without judgment and interruption. Paraphrasing or echoing back to them what they have just said, and maintaining eye contact are also key elements of active listening. Lastly, pay attention to non-verbal clues, such as the patient’s facial expression, gestures, and eye contact. These skills can improve patient satisfaction and build trust over time.

3. Talk with Heart

Communicating with patients requires ample time. Honesty and frankness are important parts of effective communication between nurses and patients. To achieve effective nurse-patient communication, nurses need to have a sincere intention to understand what concerns their patients have and show them kindness and courtesy. Acknowledge the patients’ attitudes and tune into their feelings. Always ask open-ended questions, speak slowly, and use simpler, non-medical language. If the patient has difficulty understanding the information, you need to clarify or modify the information or instructions until the patient gets it. You may consider using written materials such as handouts, notes, or pictures to demonstrate what you are saying.

Nuananong Seal, PhD, RN, is a nurse researcher and a consultant for health promotion and health prevention research. Mary Wiske, RN, is a retired community health nurse. This story was originally published by Minority Nurse, a trusted source for nursing news and information and a portal for the latest jobs, scholarships, and books from Springer Publishing Company.

The Men in Nursing report was led by researchers at the University of Dundee and produced in conjunction with colleagues from Edinburgh, West of Scotland and Robert Gordon Universities. The report was commissioned by NHS Education for Scotland through the Scottish Collaboration for the Enhancement of Pre‐Registration Nursing (SCEPRN), and explores the causes of under-representation of men in nursing roles and sets out a series of recommendations designed to help encourage more males to join the profession.

Report co-author Dr. Heather Whitford, from Dundee’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said, “Attracting more men into nursing is a huge challenge, but this report provides us with key insights as to how we can increase the numbers of males entering the profession. By introducing more gender-neutral narratives we can show the potential of nursing as a worthwhile and rewarding career, regardless of gender.”

Researchers found that less than 10 percent of Scottish nursing students are male, a figure that has hardly changed in the past 10 years. Many of those interviewed in the study said that the perception of nursing as a ‘female job’ was one of the biggest factors deterring males from choosing nursing as a career. Others cited a lack of male role models in the profession, or a lack of male figures in recruitment material, as barriers to entry.

The report also highlighted a number of positives. The perception of nursing as a worthwhile and positive career was cited by many men as a motivating factor in their career choice. The profession was also viewed favourably in terms of stability, and opportunity for development.

To encourage more men to become nurses, the report recommends a gender-neutral rebranding of nursing and a renewed focus on the skills and caring values that underpin the profession. The authors also highlighted the need for gender-neutral education on health and care topics to begin earlier, ideally at pre-school or primary school levels. In addition, more narratives showcasing positive male nursing role models should be developed and marketed.

Dr. Whitford said: “Last year, the University of Dundee launched its ‘#MenDoCare’ campaign, aimed at increasing the number of male applicants to our nursing courses. We remain committed to encouraging more men to enter the profession and this report will help assist us in achieving that aim.”

A military veteran is paying tribute to the nurses with whom he worked alongside during the Korean War through $1 million in gift commitments to the WSU College of Nursing.

His most recent gift of $500,000 establishes the Waldron O. and Janet S. Lindblad Professorship in Geriatrics — the first distinguished professorship at the WSU College of Nursing. He has also committed an additional gift of $400,000 through his estate plan.

The professorship will help shape gerontological nursing research at WSU and aims to influence how the college trains nurses across Washington state to care for an aging population. The number of Americans over age 65 is projected to more than double by 2060, making geriatrics and gerontology a dynamic and growing field for nursing research and practice.

In 2016, Lindblad made a gift of $100,000 to create the Janet S. Lindblad Excellence Fund in honor of his late wife, who died in 2011. That fund supports graduate students, faculty, and programs with a preference for work in the field of geriatrics and gerontology.

“The WSU College of Nursing is privileged to help Mr. Lindblad fulfill his dual wishes of honoring the nursing profession and advancing the field of gerontology,” said Dr. Joyce Griffin‑Sobel, dean of the College of Nursing. “Students and faculty are already benefiting from the Janet S. Lindblad Excellence Fund. I’m confident the new Lindblad Professorship in Geriatrics will bring distinction in research and scholarship in the field of aging at Washington State University.”

Lindblad flew medical evac during Korean War

A veteran of the United States Navy and U.S. Air Force, Lindblad, 92, flew medical evacuations during the Korean War with five nurses on board the aircraft. “I saw how hard they worked,” he noted recently. “They were just 21 or 22 years old, but we never lost a patient. That’s how I fell in love with nursing.”

His interest in geriatrics is prompted by his experiences and those of his wife as they aged, he said.

Lindblad has been in an assisted living facility in Pullman since shortly after his wife died. He moved there after living for many years in Vancouver, Washington, to be closer to a daughter who is a longtime employee in WSU’s Department of Plant Pathology. Lindblad has two other children.

Retired from Air Force, he found success in securities and real estate

Lindblad left the family farm in Fahlun Township, Minnesota, at 17 and enlisted in the Navy during World War II. He attended pilot training and was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force in 1950, flying about 1,000 hours ferrying service members wounded in the Korean conflict out of Tokyo. Lindblad retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1978 and followed up his military career with success in securities and real estate investing. He said his longtime involvement in Masonic organizations has been important in his life.

In describing the motivation behind his generous gifts to the WSU College of Nursing, Lindblad recalled one occasion during the Korean War when he had 28 injured people on board his plane when one of its four engines failed. “We flew 1,700 miles on three engines,” he said. “Every one of those guys lived – again, nursing did it for us.”

Contact:

• Brooke Ledeboer, WSU College of Nursing Development Director, 509-786-9280, brooke.ledeboer@wsu.edu