Photo: St. Kitts and Nevis nurses at an Independence State Service
The Regional Nursing Entrance Examination (RENR) comes on stream in October this year.
This decision was taken at the 41st joint meeting of the Executive and Education Committees and 10th Practice Committee of the Regional Nursing Body which agreed to the Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC) proposal for an October 2013 start date.
Mrs. Shirley Kelly, Dean of the Health Sciences Division at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC), was St. Kitts and Nevis’ representative at the meeting held at the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana from 26 to 28 February.
No. 2 – The Clarenence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC).(Photos by Erasmus Williams)
The meeting reviewed and made amendments to the Regional Standard for Nursing Education as well as the Practice Standard.
The revision of these standards will be completed with assistance from the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office for Caribbean programme Coordination.
The objectives of the meeting were to discuss preparations for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) managed Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR); finalize the standards of nursing education; align nursing and midwifery legislation; develop a Regional policy for midwifery practice and streamline the role of nurses in school health programmes across the Region.
The draft model legislation for nurses and midwives to facilitate the standardization of regulation, registration and licensing across the Region was also reviewed. This legislation when approved by Member States will put in place the necessary legislative framework to advance the free movement of those categories of workers within the Region.
A regional Policy and strategy for midwifery practice was also initiated. A rapid assessment of the status of midwifery among CARICOM Member States, conducted by the RNB through the CARICOM Secretariat provided the evidence base for these discussions. The study highlighted key areas for standardization in a thrust for harmonizing the midwifery practice across the Region.