Evaluating the outcomes of a faculty capacity development programme on nurse educators in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The efficient education, deployment and ongoing retention of the nursing and midwifery workforce are key strategies to ensure a wellfunctioning healthcare system. The African region, however, has relatively few funded programmes to develop educational research capacity in novice academics while also addressing their leadership and educational needs. Objectives: To evaluate the outcomes of a faculty capacity development programme on nursing and midwifery educators in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study explored the scope of scholarship outcomes, career trajectories and leadership outcomes. METHODS: A mixed methods study collected quantitative and qualitative data from nursing and midwifery educators (N=26) who enrolled for the subSaharan Africa-FAIMER Regional Institute (SAFRI) fellowship between 2009 and 2019. Data from project abstracts presented at a local conference and a subsequent electronic survey were included for review and analysis. Deductive thematic analysis was used to report the findings. RESULTS: Most projects (n=24) focused on undergraduate programmes at the home institutions. All the projects were presented at a local conference and 4 projects were published in peer-reviewed journals. The projects impacted on community and curriculum change, led to improvements in teaching and research and various strategies to improve learning and assessment at home institutions. The reported outcomes relating to the career trajectories of 7 fellows indicate that the programme accrued benefits to their institutions and the community, to students and their peers, and that they experienced personal benefits. CONCLUSION: The SAFRI fellowship vision is evident in the projects and subsequent actions of its nursing and midwifery fellows. Nurse educators’ engagement with pedagogical evidence and design strategies has culminated in knowledge to solve some of the education-related challenges in their nursing education institutions.