Analysis of the Concept Continuing Education in Nursing Education

  The term continuing education is extensively used throughout nursing education literature. This paper sought to re-examine the concept ‘continuing education’ for its meaning, relevance and appropriateness of application. The authors examined the definitions of continuing education from dictionaries, thesauruses, and current nursing education literature for meanings, usages, attributes, antecedents and consequences in line with Walker and Avant (2005) method of concept analysis. Model, borderline, and contrary cases were also presented. The paper concludes that the development of a theory of continuing education is usually preceded by a logical analysis of the concept which includes distinguishing properties, antecedents and outcomes of further education. The subsequent step in the development of the theory of lifelong education requires establishing theoretical relationships between perceptions, motivation and barriers to continuing education. It recommends that empirical studies of further education, whether qualitative or quantitative can be carried out to find out the effects of lifelong education on the nursing profession to enhance research in nursing and advance professionalism in nursing

Coping with drought : options for soil and water management in semi-arid Kenya

In semi-arid Kenya, episodes of agricultural droughts of varying severity and duration occur. The occurrence of these agricultural droughts is associated with seasonal rainfall variability and can be reflected by seasonal soil moisture deficits that significantly affect crop productivity. The aim of this study was to analyse agricultural drought, and to evaluate soil and water management options and strategies for sustainable crop production in drought-prone semi-arid Kenya. Research was conducted at an experimental site in Katumani and in Iiuni watershed, both in Machakos district. First the occurrence of dry and wet spells in Iiuni was modelled using a Markov model. The study revealed that the short rains (October-December) are more reliable for crop production than the long rains (March-May). A literature review on tillage methods for soil and water conservation in eastern Africa showed the importance of appropriate tillage practices and the benefits of residue management for improved soil moisture conditions. Especially conservation tillage techniques were found to be promising for the improvement of crop productivity under semi-arid climatic conditions. Moreover, farm yard manure application in combination with tillage appeared effective in reducing surface runoff from a crusting and compacting soil, especially during the early stages of the rainy season. At the watershed scale, the AGNPS model was applied to evaluate the effect of land use changes on watershed runoff volume. Changes in land use covering a period of nearly 20 years were significant, with an dramatic increase in the area for crop cultivation, but this did not have a significant effect on the hydrology. The reason is the widespread adoption of soil and water conservation measures (mainly bench terracing) that occurred during the same period. The last part of the thesis deals with suitable options for watershed conservation in semi-arid Kenya. Apart from technical solutions, the enabling conditions to farmers at various hierarchical policy levels are discussed. A few of these enabling conditions that are elaborated upon include agricultural policy, focus on smallholder agriculture and public-community partnership

Continuing Formal Education for Nurses in Ghana: The Perception of Non-Professional Nurses

Introduction:Continuing education is essential to the growth of the nursing profession due to the dynamic environment of the health industry. The study sought to explore the perceptions of non – professional nurses regarding continuing education. Methods:The qualitative descriptive design was employed and the purposive sampling technique used to recruit twenty - three non – professional nurses from Pantang Hospital in the Greater Accra Region. Thematic content analysis was used in analyzing the data. Results:The finding of the study showed that non – professional nurses have positive perceptions about continuing education. They believe that engaging in continuing education would improve their care giving skills in order to provide quality care to their clients. Conclusions: The study recommends that non-professional nurses with basic qualifications in the nursing profession should be encouraged to pursue continuing education