Celebrating the Completion of the Ghana Nurse Leaders Program Phase II

On Friday, January 15, 2021, eleven participating nurse leaders of the Ghana Nurse Leaders Program (GNLP) Phase II celebrated the completion of the two-year program and the many positive contributions they have made to the Ghana healthcare system through the implementation of their GNLP change projects!  The NYU Meyers GNLP team was fortunate to attend this inspiring ceremony, virtually. 

The completion of the GNLP Phase II, which was a program jointly coordinated and implemented by NYU Meyers through Clinical Associate Professor Robin Klar, Dean of the University of Ghana School of Nursing and Midwifery Lydia Aziato, and the Ghana Health Service’s Director of Nursing and Midwifery Eva Mensah marks the participation of a total of 44 Ghanaian nurses in this leadership program.  The difference between this and past cohorts, however, is that the GNLP Phase II participants completed the program in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, these nurse leaders were not only able to successfully complete their change projects, but they were also able to adapt them to meet the needs of the current healthcare situation.

While all GNLP Phase II change projects were outstanding, three of them were identified by the program’s principal investigators as most impactful, and at the ceremony were awarded cash prizes for their project accomplishments. The recipients of the prizes were Gyimaa Nti-Darkwah (third place, Project Title: Emergency nursing practice: Prompt response and documentation at the casualty unit of New Tafo Government Hospital), Florence Solyelleh (second place, Project Title: Assessing/improving documentation on inpatient's vital signs, physical assessment and nursing process the upper west regional hospital), and Dorcas Zenabu Seidu (first place, Project Title: Restructuring public health home visiting practice).

To wrap up the GNLP Phase II, the GNLP team intends to use the final change project reports developed by the nurse leaders and their faculty coaches to develop a manuscript that clearly showcases the challenges and opportunities faced by the nurse leaders during the design and implementation of their change projects as well as the impact of their change projects in helping shape the future of the Ghana healthcare system.

The Ghana Nurse Leaders Program is one of three NYU-wide program initiatives (Women’s Social Leadership Program, Ghanaian Institute for the Future of Teaching and Education of Women's Fellowship Program, and the Ghana Nurse Leaders Program) under the Ghana Wins! Program, established by the Fundacion Mujeres Por Africa (Women for Africa Foundation) with funding from Banco Santander, Spain.