A lecturer in public health at the Wisconsin University, United States (US), has counseled nurses to strive for excellence and maintain high standards of professionalism.
Ms Diane Judkins said nursing as a profession has evolved over the years from being just a mere care taker, assisting medical doctors and
administering medicines to providing complete care to meeting patients' needs.
She said it was necessary they continually upgraded their skills and knowledge through capacity-building training programmes to overcome the challenges in the profession.
Ms Judkins was interacting with students of the Premier Nurses' Training College, a private nursing training school in Kumasi, as part of a working
visit to Ghana.
She was accompanied by an 11-member delegation of the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID), a US-based Non-Governmental
Organisation (NGO).
The lecturer underscored the need for nurses in developed and developing countries to regularly share knowledge and experiences to promote best
practices for efficient service delivery.
Ms Judkins said it was appropriate that Ghana had over the years undergone some positive health reforms and cited particularly the National Health
Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which was helping people to access quality healthcare.
Mrs Afia Dei Kwarteng, Administrator of the College, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the College would sustain its exchange programmes with
foreign nursing training institutions to help improve the skills of their students.
Additionally, they would become abreast with the changing trends in the profession.