Bandar Seri Begawan - A giant leap in health has been made in neuro/plastic/microvascular surgery service § in the country: the Ministry of Health will, for the first time, be able to produce its own local specialist nurses following the inauguration of the Advanced Diplomas in Neuro/Plastic/Microvascular Surgical Nursing for the staff of the RIPAS Hospital.

The Minister of Health, Pehin Orang Kaya Johan Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Adanan bin Begawan Pehin Siraja Khatib Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Mohd Yusof noted yesterday that local nurses would meet the demanding standards required in this specialty, given the collaboration with the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Berne University Hospital, Switzerland, an internationally renowned institution for cranio-maxillofacial surgery.

The minister stated this during the inauguration of the Advanced Diploma in Neuro/Plastic/Microvascular Surgical Nursing for Ward 9 staff of the RIPAS Hospital.

He said healthcare organisations have made dramatic advances and transformations during the last few decades, resulting in rapid growth of technology as well as the success and continuous research of development. Demand for healthcare is on the increase and becoming more challenging for health professionals, including nurses, the minister added.

To do so, there needs to be significant transformation and innovation in the way healthcare is organised so as to also address the nursing workforce resources, training and competencies.

"Nurses should also never forget their code of ethics and code of professional conduct. Therefore, I am happy to note that this Advanced Diploma would involve 'Inner Engineering of the Mindset' of the nurses by improving co-competency, knowledge and skills of nurses by introducing appropriate nursing process," the minister said.

He further said that, in today's healthcare, every discipline - doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals - is important and integral to patient care.

Teamwork is very much emphasised and highly valued because every member works together to meet their patients' needs, with improved patient outcomes being their common goal.

"This is also being emphasised by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations, which places crucial values of teamwork. Furthermore, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations suggests that "teamwork is essential for optimising quality and safety in the care of hospitalised patients".

The Department of Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the RIPAS Hospital together with the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Berne University Hospital, Switzerland has created the Advanced Diplomas to further develop the skills, knowledge and competency of registered nurses in the field.

This course aims not only to provide students (nurses) with knowledge and skills in the field of neuro/plastic/microvascular surgery, but also to provide an understanding of ethics, professionalism, effective teamwork, safety and quality patient care.

This course includes a series of lectures, seminars, group work and discussions, field visits, planned clinical placements and computer assisted learning to aid the students in their Diploma studies.

The course can only accommodate four students at any one time to maintain the effectiveness and efficiency of study. The students will have learning and theory classes at the Neuro/Plastic/ Microvascular Unit at the RIPAS Hospital and clinical placements at the hospital itself

They will also be given the opportunity to undergo three full months of clinical placements with the Department of CranioMaxillofacial Surgery, Berne University Hospital, Switzerland.

Also present were the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Hj Awg Saifulbahri bin Hj Awg Mansor, deputy permanent secretaries, director-generals, directors, officers and staff of the Ministry of Health.

The course will be conducted over a period of 12 months and a revision/examination period of six weeks.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin