Innovations in public/community health university nursing education in Rwanda for sustainability and capacity development: A cooperative global approach

Public and community health nursing is not included in university nursing education in Rwanda. Only one university based nursing education program offers the baccalaureate degree in nursing. This presentation profiles the beginning development of educating university based nursing programs, faculty, and students to the needs of and experience in community health centers and in rural villages and homes. Although there is admirable work developing to sustain hospital capacity in the medical specialties of nursing, such as Partners in Health and Clinton Access Initiative, it is community health nursing education and practice that will result in the highest achievements of health indices in rural villages and homes. Through collaboration with university nurse educators in Rwanda, community health nursing modules and continuing education programs will be developed, and then offered throughout the country, which will lead to best practices. Most important the results will be evident in the heart of villages and homes, where women and children's lives will be improved. This nurse educator will present her work in Rwanda in 2012 and 2013, which has identified the need for community health nursing education content in university education for nurses validated by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion and nurse educators throughout Rwanda. This would fill a need for community health content in training of staff of community health centers, in turn, health care in rural villages and homes, leading to empowerment of women and children.