Haiti Takes Steps to Rebuild Its Nursing Workforce

The Ministry, in collaboration with the Health Finance and Governance (HFG) Project, has developed revised nursing education standards and an accreditation process to ensure the quality of nursing education in the country. The new accreditation process, known as reconnaissance, aims to evaluate the quality of nursing education provided by private nursing training institutions. Prior to the earthquake, the number of private nursing training institutions in Haiti increased significantly, but little was known about the quality of education provided or the technical skills of the graduates. The reconnaissance process involves an auto-evaluation form completed by nursing schools, followed by site visits by experienced Haitian nurses and nurse educators to validate the auto-evaluation forms. A jury organized by the Ministry's Department of Training reviewed the auto-evaluation forms and site visit reports, providing recommendations to the schools. The main recommendations included the need for well-equipped and spacious demonstration rooms, well-organized internships with defined training objectives, and a certified-licensed nurse as headmaster. Schools that respond to their evaluations and make the required changes will earn the official Ministry of Health logo. The Ministry has also announced changes to the nursing curriculum, which will now take four years and be equivalent to a university degree. Students will be required to pass a state exam before being allowed to practice. The Ministry aims to ensure that all nursing education meets Haiti's quality standards, particularly given the high cost of annual tuition, which can range from $4,000 to $5,000. To promote the new accreditation process and logo, the HFG Project will support the production of two radio spots, one for students and one for parents, to encourage them to verify that an institution is approved by the Ministry of Health. The logo will be displayed on the Ministry's website and Facebook page, and all accredited schools will be listed on the website. The success of the reconnaissance roll-out has led to the start of phase two, with an additional 52 schools beginning the process. The revised standards were developed by the Ministry's Department of Training in partnership with the HFG project and consultants from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing. The Health Finance and Governance (HFG) Project is a flagship project of USAID's Office of Health Systems, which supports its partners in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen the health finance and governance functions of their health systems, expanding access to life-saving health services.