MIND Offering Courses for Nurses

The Management Institute for National Development (MIND), is now offering its inaugural Continuing Education Courses approved by the Nursing Council of Jamaica.
This will help to facilitate nurses, as they undertake to renew their operating licences biennially. Manager for the Division of Leadership and Professional Development at MIND, Stephen Wallder, told JIS News that the Institute was offering the courses to the nurses, at a discounted rate.
He pointed out that MIND had partnered with the Nursing Council of Jamaica, in identifying this package of learning products to assist with achieving the licence renewal. He added that all the courses at the Institute are delivered at the tertiary level.
Subjects offered include Health Sector Management Development, Records Management, Mediation Skills, Ethics in Government, and Effective Counselling Techniques. The material also seeks to expose these essential service workers to the proper use of information technology, with hands-on training in Microsoft Word.
Mr. Wallder explained that the educational material would target a number of levels within the nursing profession. Some of the courses, he pointed out, were more pertinent to nurses operating at a supervisory or management level, such as the Supervisory Management Course.
“At that level, we’re looking for senior, middle or supervisory level health professionals. So those individuals would obviously bring a certain level of experience and qualification to those courses,” he noted.
“But, for example, the Public Speaking or the Customer Care Courses, a nurse – even a new nurse – could participate,” he added.
He said that the categories of nurses targeted include Registered Nurses, Advanced Registered Nurses, Registered Midwives, Registered Mental Health Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Enrolled Nurses and Enrolled Assistant Nurses.
On the matter of lecturers, Mr. Wallder informed JIS News that in addition to the high quality staff members who serve as members of the faculty, specialists are brought in to conduct training. “We gear our programmes to our clients’ needs. What that means is that we can bring in expertise, where applicable. So, if someone is looking for a specialist trainer, a specialist facilitator, we have no problems in bringing those people in,” he explained.
In addition to offering in-house training, MIND has also made itself available to conduct training on location, such as hospitals. “So, we’re not just limited to Kingston and Mandeville, which are the main centres for MIND. We can customize programmes based on the needs of nurses around the country,” he added. Nurses interested in registering for any of these training sessions should contact MIND, or visit its website at www.mind.edu.jm
Mr. Wallder reiterated that MIND existed as an Executive Agency to upgrade individuals in the public sector.
“Our mission is to provide the highest quality training and consultancy, [and] to enhance the efficient and effective delivery of service by our clients,” he noted.