1st Ministry Of Health International Nursing Conference

06 Aug 2003

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the National Healthcare Group, SingHealth Services and Singapore Private Hospitals Nursing Administrators Group, has organised the 1st Ministry of Health International Nursing Conference. This ground breaking conference will be held from 6-8 August 2003, at the Novotel Apollo Hotel. Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Minister of State (Health & Transport) is the Guest-of-Honour for this event.

MOH and its partners embarked on this conference with the aim of providing a forum for nurses to exchange innovations and ideas for improving patient outcomes through education, delivery of evidence-based practice and advanced practice nursing. The theme of the conference is "Advancing Nursing through Education, Practice and Research". The keynote address "Quality patient care and nursing science" will be delivered by Dr Marita Titler, Director of Research, Quality & Outcomes Management, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, USA.

The highlight of the conference will be the announcement of the Master of Nursing programme at the National University of Singapore. With this programme, nurses can now pursue their Master degree in nursing at NUS. This was made possible through the close collaboration between MOH and NUS. This prestigious programme will not only prepare nurses for their clinical careers, it will also raise the professional image of Singaporean nurses worldwide.

The Master of Nursing is a 3-semester programme comprising lectures, clinical practice and a research project. It is an 18-month programme offered by the Faculty of Medicine, NUS, through the Division of Graduate Medical Studies (DGMS). The programme is organised jointly by the DGMS and MOH. The first intake of15 students started the course in May 2003.

The programme will enable Registered Nurses (RN) to perform as Advanced Practice Nurses. It will equip RNs with the knowledge and skills to perform as clinical leaders in their respective specialty in various healthcare settings.

Students who wish to enrol in the programme must possess a Bachelor?s degree in nursing from an accredited programme, an Advanced Diploma in Nursing (Clinical Specialisation) or its equivalent and have a minimum of 2 years post-Advanced Diploma experience in the area of specialty. Details of the Masters programme are in Annex A.

Annex A : MASTER OF NURSING

INTRODUCTION

The Master of Nursing programme commenced in May 2003. It is an 18- month programme offered by the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, through the Division of Graduate Medical Studies (DGMS). The programme is organised jointly by the DGMS and the Ministry of Health. The first intake comprises 15 students (9 students pursuing the acute care discipline and 6 students pursuing the mental health discipline).

PROGRAMME AIMS

The programme aims to:

i. prepare Registered Nurses to perform as Advanced Practice Nurses in various healthcare settings;

ii. equip Registered Nurses with the knowledge and skills to perform as clinical leaders in their respective speciality;

iii. provide an academic and clinical foundation for Advanced Practice Nursing in Singapore.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

The MN equips Advanced Practice Nurses with advanced knowledge, skills and competencies to:

• perform health and physical assessments, including ordering and interpreting a defined range of diagnostic tests;

• utilise advanced nursing skills and competencies to plan and manage patients with altered health status in collaboration and consultation with other healthcare professionals;

• evaluate cost-effectiveness and outcomes of advanced practice nursing;

• perform as a clinical nursing leader in various healthcare environments;

• demonstrate ability to critique, synthesise and evaluate research literature;

• demonstrate ability to conduct nursing research;

• apply ethical principles to resolve ethical dilemmas encountered by Advanced Practice Nurses; and

• apply evidence-based knowledge to improve patient outcomes.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The students must meet the following minimum requirements:

• possess a Bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited programme;

• possess an Advanced Diploma in Nursing (Clinical Specialisation) or its equivalent;

• have a minimum of 2 years post-Advanced Diploma experience in the area of speciality.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The MN is a 3-semester (81 weeks/2430 hours) programme comprising lectures, clinical practice and a research project. There will also be intra-semester and inter-semester clinical practicum and immersions. The total hours allocated for the theoretical component is 960 hours (40%) and for the clinical component is 1020 hours (42%). The remaining 18% include time allocated for reading, examinations, and leave.

The programme structure for both the MN Acute Care and Mental Health specialisation are similar. The only difference will be the Advanced Practice Nursing modules, where the students for the Mental Health specialisation will have lectures and clinical experiences related to mental health.

PROGRAMME COMPONENTS

The MN curriculum utilises "The Essentials of Master's Education for Advanced Practice Nursing" (1996) published by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing as a framework for curriculum development. This document defines the essential components of graduate nursing core content and the Advanced Practice Nursing core content. The MN curriculum includes the following modules:

Academic Component

Graduate Core Modules

• Clinical Research Methodology

• Biostatistics

• Evidence-Based Practice

• Research Project

• Foundations of Advanced Practice Nursing

• Health Care Policy, Economics and Finance

• Evaluation of Clinical Care

• Communication & Teaching

Advanced Practice Nursing Modules

• Advanced Health Assessment: Signs and Symptoms Analysis

• Advanced Practice Nursing I & II (Acute Care)

• Advanced Clinical Skills I & II

Clinical Component

• Clinical Practicum

• Clinical Immersion

The programme component for the MN Mental Health specialisation is as follows:

Academic Component

Graduate Core Modules

These modules are the same as the modules for the MN Acute Care specialisation.

Advanced Practice Nursing Modules

• Advanced Health Assessment: Signs and Symptoms Analysis

• Advanced Practice Nursing I & II (Mental Health)

• Advanced Psychiatric Nursing Skills I & II

Clinical Component

• Clinical Practicum

• Clinical Immersion