Leadership development program for public health nurses: An evaluation of workplace application

@#<strong>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE</strong><p style="text-align: justify;" data-mce-style="text-align: justify;">Public health nurses (PHNs) are vital in the local implementation of the provisions of the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Act of 2019. However, they need adequate competencies in health systems approach to successfully implement the provisions of the law. In response to this, a leadership development course for public health nurses (LDC-PHN), anchored on the building blocks of health systems, was developed and implemented. This paper aims to describe the extent to which training participants have applied the competencies acquired from the LDC-PHN as manifested by the workplace application of their capstone projects.</p><strong>METHODS</strong><p style="text-align: justify;" data-mce-style="text-align: justify;">Following Kirkpatrick’s Model of Evaluation, we used a multi-method study design to evaluate the extent of the participants’ workplace application of acquired competencies. Sources of data included the Workplace Application Plan (WAP) accomplished by each participant, a questionnaire to determine the perceived implementation status of the participants’ capstone project, interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with selected participants and their supervisors, and observation visits. Data were collected from May to December 2022. Data from the semi- structured interviews and FGDs were analyzed through content analysis, while the participants’ perceived status of their capstone project implementation was summarized as frequencies.</p><strong>RESULTS</strong><p style="text-align: justify;" data-mce-style="text-align: justify;">Majority of the participants (61.9%) reported partial implementation of their capstone project while 16.77% reported full implementation. Capstone project implementation was facilitated by the support received from their supervisors and local chief executives. Barriers identified included the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges imposed by the events before and after the 2022 Philippine National elections. Major themes emerged from the interviews conducted among participants and their supervisors. The workplace application of the training program outcomes, based on participants’ perspectives, yielded increased capacity to lead and innovate, improved ability to advocate for capstone project implementation, transferability of acquired skill sets, and improved population outcomes. From supervisors’ perspectives, workplace application of training program outcomes include increased ability of PHNs to deliver health services, and visible enhancement of leadership and supervision skills among PHNs.</p><strong>CONCLUSION</strong><p style="text-align: justify;" data-mce-style="text-align: justify;">Given ample support and opportunities, and despite the barriers and challenges they faced, LDC-PHN participants, in general, utilized and applied the competencies they gained from the course in their actual work setting. Course graduates participated in health systems strengthening at various capacities by acting upon their capstone projects that addressed UHC challenges within their particular work settings.</p>

Needs assessment for the development of a leadership course for midwives: A qualitative study

@#<strong>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE</strong><p>Midwives play a vital role in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals related to the health and well-being of mothers and newborns. Strengthening the leadership and management capacities of midwives is pivotal to the fulfillment of their mandate beyond assisting in birth and delivery. The study explores the perspectives of midwives about professional education and practice, which are aimed to serve as bases for developing a leadership course for midwives to enhance their roles in public health.</p><strong>METHODS</strong><p>The study employed a descriptive-qualitative design. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, online focus group discussions (FGDs) with midwives from the academe, professional organization, and clinical practice were conducted. Through directed content analysis, the gathered information was analyzed to include the participants’ insights on midwifery competencies, teaching methods and assessment strategies, supplementary courses and training, and factors affecting midwifery practice.</p><strong>RESULTS</strong><p>A total of eleven (11) participants contributed to the FGDs, which included midwives from the academe (dean, faculty), professional organization (board member of the Professional Regulation Commission), and clinical practice (public and private institutions). Notably, participants shared their perspectives regarding the similarities/differences in the terminal competencies of midwifery programs. The demands of outcomes-based education, coupled by the shift to online learning due to the pandemic, pushed the need for modifications in program delivery for the students. Results highlighted the need for supplementary courses and capacity building on leadership and management, research, and interprofessional collaboration. Midwives shared factors that affect their professional practice, which include insufficient training, inadequate manpower, and differences in expectations/standards in task performance.</p><strong>CONCLUSION</strong><p>The findings indicate the need to develop capacity-building courses for midwives to enhance their contribution towards universal health care. The results of this study also highlight the importance of understanding and improving the competencies of midwives across the building blocks of the health system, which include health service delivery, human resources for health, health information systems, health financing, health governance, and health regulation. Notably, key concepts recommended for the Leadership Development Course for Midwives include: leadership and management, research, and interprofessional collaboration.</p>

Building capacities for universal health care in the Philippines: Development and implementation of a leadership training program for public health nurses

@#Achievement of Universal Health Care (UHC) in the Philippines requires capable health workers who can navigate changes and lead in the local implementation of health system reforms. Public health nurses are in a strategic position to lead in UHC implementation as they constitute the largest cadre of health workers in the public health setting, and core concepts of UHC intersect with principles of public health nursing practice. This paper aims to describe the development and implementation of a leadership training program for public health nurses in the Philippines, in response to UHC. Document reviews of training reports and evaluations, including course site data analytics, and evaluation of the training program were done for the four cohorts of the course. The University of the Philippines Manila College of Nursing, with support from the Department of Health, responded to the increased demand of the Philippine health system for public health nurses with strong foundations and advanced skills by designing and offering a leadership development course specific to PHNs. From November 2019 to March 2022, a total of 183 participants from 17 regions completed the training. With the COVID-19 pandemic and dynamic changes in governance, the experiences of the project highlighted the need for flexibility in delivering the training program, updating module contents according to the latest developments, and improving course duration and evaluation. Barriers to course engagement and completion must be addressed for PHNs, their workplaces, clients, and the health system to benefit the most from the training.