Search

Your search keyword '"Kelly Schmiedeknecht"' showing total 2 results
Start Over Author "Kelly Schmiedeknecht"
2 results on '"Kelly Schmiedeknecht"'

1. Basic emergency care course and longitudinal mentorship completed in a rural Neno District, Malawi: A feasibility, acceptability, and impact study.

Author

Brown David Khongo, Kelly Schmiedeknecht, Moses Banda Aron, Prisca Nelisa Nyangulu, Wellington Mazengera, Enoch Ndarama, Andrea G Tenner, Kimberly Baltzell, and Emilia Connolly

Subjects
Medicine, Science
Abstract

BackgroundFrontline providers mostly outside specific emergency areas deliver emergency care around the world, yet often they do not receive dedicated training in managing emergency conditions. When designed for low-resource settings, emergency care training has been shown to improve provider skills, facilitate efficient use of available resources, and reduce death and disability by ensuring timely access to life-saving care.MethodsThe WHO/ICRC Basic Emergency Care (BEC) Course with follow up longitudinal mentorship for 6 months was implemented in rural Neno District Malawi from September 2019-April 2020. We completed a mixed-methods analysis of the course and mentorship included mentor and participant surveys and feedback, mentorship quantification, and participant examination results. Simple descriptive statistics and boxplot visuals were used to describe participant demographics and mentorship quantification with a Wilcoxon signed-rank test to evaluate pre- and post-test scores. Qualitative feedback from participants and mentors were inductively analyzed using Dedoose.ResultsThe median difference of BEC course examination percentage score between participants before the BEC course and immediately following the course was 18.0 (95% CI 14.0-22.0; pConclusionThe BEC course and subsequent longitudinal mentorship were feasible and acceptable to participants and mentors in the Malawian low resource context. Follow-up longitudinal mentorship was feasible and acceptable and is likely important to cementing the course concepts for long-term retention of knowledge and skills.

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

2. Predictors of workforce retention among Malawian nurse graduates of a scholarship program: a mixed-methods study

Author

Kelly Schmiedeknecht, Ellen Schell, E Geoffroy, Melanie Perera, J. Jere, and Sally H. Rankin

Subjects
Adult, Employment, Male, Malawi, Attitude of Health Personnel, Nurses, Workload, Job Satisfaction, Young Adult, Nursing, Physicians, Health care, parasitic diseases, Humans, Fellowships and Scholarships, Education, Nursing, Personnel Selection, Workplace, Developing Countries, Motivation, Public Sector, Career Choice, Salaries and Fringe Benefits, business.industry, Public sector, General Medicine, Middle Aged, Job security, Scholarship, Workforce, Female, Original Article, Public service, Job satisfaction, Thematic analysis, Psychology, business
Abstract

Several non-remuneration strategies may help improve retention of public-sector nurses: availability of supplies, adequate housing, advancement opportunities, and a positive work environment. A scholarship program with close follow-up of graduates may also help improve retention., Background: Malawi faces critical health care worker shortages of both physicians and nurses. The Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance (GAIA) began a nursing scholarship program in Malawi that requires graduates to work in the public sector for 4–5 years following graduation. The main objective of this study was to identify job satisfaction and retention factors of scholarship recipients after graduation. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study consisting of 30 individual qualitative interviews and 56 quantitative surveys that evaluated job satisfaction, factors associated with retention, and impact of the GAIA Nursing Scholarship Program. Participants included GAIA scholarship recipients who had graduated. We used thematic analysis to analyze qualitative interviews. Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman correlation, and chi-squared tests were used to analyze survey data. Results: The majority of survey and interview participants indicated it was unlikely that they would leave the public sector (70% and 90%, respectively). Most interview and survey participants cited a lack of supplies, inadequate human resources, and high workload as major challenges to their work. Poor working relationships with management or coworkers was significantly correlated with consideration of changing jobs in the next 6 months (correlation coefficient −0.28, P < .05 and −0.36, P < .01, respectively). Low salaries, high workload, poor accommodations, and a lack of appreciation were the most common reasons given for considering leaving the public sector while job security, desire to pursue further education, and public service agreement were primary motivations for continuing to work in the public system. Participants felt supported by GAIA staff and expressed a desire to serve their communities in return by working in government-supported health facilities. Conclusions: Despite the many challenges faced by public-sector nurses, low-income countries such as Malawi can employ non-remuneration strategies to retain nurses in the public sector, including adequate housing, availability of supplies, advancement opportunities, and positive work environments. Scholarship programs with close follow-up of graduates may also help increase retention.

Published
2015

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results