Eswatini Nursing Council Regulatory Reforms: Process towards Entry to Practice Examination

OBJECTIVE: To identify and to measure entry level competencies (knowledge, skills, attitudes, judgements) for nurses to practice safely and effectively in the Kingdom of Eswatini. INTRODUCTION: Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a small sub-Saharan country between South Africa and Mozambique. There are four nursing programs approved by the Eswatini Nursing Council (ENC) that provide nursing education in the areas of general nursing, midwifery, mental health and community health. The mandate of the ENC is to protect the public and to this end licensed nurses must be able to meet standardized entry level requirements. METHODS: We identified gaps in expected competencies of new nurses led to comprehensive strategies by many stakeholders to close the gaps. Nursing competencies were categorized into seven learning domains with specific, measurable indicators included in each domain. Specific clinical skills essential for entry to practice were identified. RESULTS: Provision of Quality Care; Information Management Systems; Emergency/Trauma/Disaster Management; Infection Prevention & Control; Leadership and Management; Ethics/Legal Issues/Professional Conduct; and Prevention/Treatment & Care of HIV, AIDS, TB are the seven competency domains that are measured on a newly developed standardized entry to practice multiple choice examination. Essential clinical skills are also assessed prior to obtaining licensure. CONCLUSION: Implementing these standards will ensure that nurses in Eswatini have the appropriate skill set to deliver care to their patients, improve their communities’ health, and enable the kingdom to make advances towards universal health coverage and attainment of the sustainable development goals.