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2012

ANNUAL REPORT

UAE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL,

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council

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PRESIDENT OF THE UAE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL

HRH PRINCESS HAYA BINT AL HUSSEIN,

WIFE OF HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM,

VICE-PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER OF THE UAE AND RULER OF DUBAI


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Board Members 1. Dr. Abdul Kareem Sultan Al Olama Executive Director, Center for Healthcare, Planning and Quality, Dubai Health Care City 2. Prof. Bassamat Omar Dean, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah 3. Dr. Fatima Abdullah Board Member, Emirates Nursing Association 4. Dr. Fatima Al Jasmi Asst. Prof., Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, UAE University 5. Dr. Fatima Al Rifai (UAE NMC Secretary)

Director, Federal Department of Nursing, Ministry of Health 6. Dr. Hamad Odhabi Associate Director, Higher Colleges of Technology 7. Ms. Kaneez Al Abdolli Director, Students' Counseling Department, Ministry of Education

8. Dr. Mohammed Haj Ali Advisor on Health Sciences Institute of Applied Technology 9. Ms. Naeema Mohammad Saleh Member, Social Committee Emirates Medical Association 10. Dr. Omniat Al Hajri Director, Licensing Department Health Authority of Abu Dhabi 11. Dr. Ramadan Ibrahim Director, Health Regulation Department Dubai Health Authority 12. Major Saeed Al Thehli Section Head of Training and Development, Military Health Services 13. Ms. Salma Al Hanaei Asst. Nursing Director, Al Rahba Hospital, Health Authority of Abu Dhabi 14. Ms. Wafaa Kamarieh Head, Nursing Section, Dept. of Health Services, Ministry of Interior


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Strategic Framework

MISSION

Our mission is to protect and promote the health of the people of the UAE by unifying

standards for nursing and midwifery practice, education, and licensure.

VISION

Our vision is for nursing and midwifery to be self-regulated, and for nurses and midwives

of the UAE to practice in accordance with unified national standards and to provide reliably

high quality nursing and midwifery services in all care settings throughout the UAE.

Our aim is for nursing and midwifery to systematically contribute to improving the health

status of the people of the UAE and to be valued and supported for those contributions.

VALUES

Our values ground the work of the Council in our mission of protecting the health of the

public.

We strive for excellence and a high level of professionalism in all we do.

We are accountable to the public as we act in the best interests of those we serve.

We are fair and act with integrity in setting and applying standards.

We are collaborative, engaging all stakeholders in our work.

We are effective, setting and maintaining high standards for efficiency and service.

We are innovative, searching for the best solutions to meet the public’s needs.

We are advocates for those we serve and for our constituent organizations, striving

together for healthier outcomes for the people of the UAE.


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Background

In March 2009, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime

Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, issued a Cabinet Resolution (No. 10 of 2009),

establishing the United Arab Emirates Nursing and Midwifery Council under the leadership

of the Council President HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh

Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and

Ruler of Dubai, and with the support of His Excellency, the UAE Minister of Health.

The decision to establish the Council reflects the government’s dedication to further

improve healthcare by advancing nursing and midwifery, essential components of high

quality healthcare for the UAE. The Council, in line with the highest international standards,

will establish unified, national standards for practice, education and professional conduct.

The ultimate aim is to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of the public with safe

nursing practice.

HRH Princess Haya’s role as President has been a key driving force for the establishment of

the Council. Her commitment towards providing access to high quality healthcare across

the UAE is highlighted in Her encouragement and ongoing support in identifying

sustainable solutions towards upgrading nursing care.

Council members represent all relevant healthcare and educational entities in the UAE,

including representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of

Interior, Ministry of Higher Education, Health Authority of Abu Dhabi, SEHA, Dubai Health

Authority, Dubai Healthcare City Authority, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah

University, Fatima College of Health Sciences, the Armed Forces Medical Services, Emirates

Medical Association, Emirates Nursing Association, and the private healthcare sector.


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Board Meetings

The Council Board convened three times during 2012:

1ST MEETING (April 26)

ATTENDANCE

The meeting was chaired by HE Abdulrahman Al Owais, the Acting Minister of Health, and attended by Board Members, Chairpersons of UAE NMC Committees, UAE NMC staff, and a group of Senior Emirati nurses.

AGENDA

The main themes of the meeting agenda were: o The Scope of Practice for:

Registered Nurses Practical Nurses Registered Midwife Practical Midwife

o UAE Nursing and Midwifery Education: Strategic Goals Education Standards

o Research Center

UAE NMC Board Meeting 1-2012 on April. 26, 2012


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2ND MEETING (Oct. 18)

ATTENDANCE

The meeting was chaired by HE Abdulrahman Al Owais, the Acting Minister of Health, and attended by, Board Members, Chairpersons of UAE NMC Committees, UAE NMC staff, and a group of Senior Emirati nurses.

AGENDA

The main themes of the meeting agenda were: o Policy on Approval and Dissemination of Council’s Formal Documents o Council Budget

UAE NMC Board Meeting 2-2012 on Oct. 18, 2012

ANNUAL RETREAT (Dec. 13)

ATTENDANCE

In attendance were Board Members, Chairpersons of UAE NMC Committees, UAE NMC staff, and a group of Senior Emirati nurses.

FOCUS

The retreat focused on: o Reviewing achievements against the Council’s strategic goals 2010-2012 o Developing directions for the Council’s strategic plan 2013-2015


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ACTIVITIES

The retreat included strategic planning and team building training activities conducted for 1 day from 09:00 AM to 04:15 PM: o Review of vision, mission, and values of UAE NMC o Review of achievements (input from groups) o Session on creativity and creative thinking o Tell your story (using pictures from the UAE) o The Way Forward; future directions (internal and external) 2013-2015

UAE NMC Annual Retreat on Dec. 13, 2012

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE FOR REGISTRATION AND LICENSURE

o The Committee held ten (10) meetings during this report year. The focus during these meetings was to develop nursing and midwifery registration and licensure standards. Based on the discussion took place in these meeting, the following were drafted: Introduction, current state assessment of existing regulatory system nationally, regionally and internationally, regulatory framework comparison for the national regulatory authorities, define categories and requirements of nursing and midwifery personnel for licensure, identify types of licenses, re-entry to the profession and glossary document as part of the final report to describe each term used.


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o Nursing and Midwifery Registration Exam: A taskforce was formed to study and review available practices and standards in place, brain storm and discussions on: in house or outsourcing exam, examination standards and validation of exam.

Critical review required all outsourcing exam but there are advantages and disadvantages of both in house and outsourcing issue of cost / validity / experts / external validations / resources available all to be considered before decision made.

o UAE NMC Presentation The coordinator of the Scientific Committee for Registration and Licensure gave a presentation on the Council to the Critical NMPPG on their annual educational event on 8 April 2012 at Dubai Hospital.

Registration and Licensure Committee meeting

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE FOR PRACTICE

The Scientific Committee for Practice published the following scopes during this report year: Registered Midwife, Practical Midwife and Practical Nurse. The development of these documents went through several phases of revision and feedback from other scientific committees, end users, public and even international experts from the ICN and ICM.


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The Scientific Committee for Practice Scope of Practice

In order to facilitate the implementation and the application of the scopes in practice, education and regulation, the Scientific Committee for Practice conducted a workshop to allow stakeholders to contribute to the development of a User Guide for the Nurses/Midwives scopes of practice. The workshop was held on May 24, 2012 at Gloria Hotel, Dubai. The participants of this workshop included around 45 stakeholders from the healthcare and educational institutions across the UAE, covering the public and private sectors. The recommendations of the workshop will be utilized to develop the “Scopes of Practice User Guide”. This activity was assigned 6 CME credit hours.

SOP User Guide Workshop on May 24, 2012

The committee drafted a Code of Conduct for Nurses and Midwives. The document is in the last version of revision following the feedback received from national professionals and international experts from ICN and ICM. It will be published as soon as the council’s board approves it.


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SPECIALIZATION TASKFORCE:

The UAE NMC Scientific Committee for Practice commissioned a specialization taskforce to set a nursing and midwifery specialization strategy for the UAE.

Taskforce meetings: The taskforce held six (6) meetings during this report year in addition to several offline meetings between the chairperson, the coordinator and the council’s secretary. During those meetings, the taskforce drafted a Scope of Practice for the Specialist Nurse. Intensive work was required when drafting this scope in order to ensure clear definitions of scope boundaries between the general and the specialist levels.

Furthermore, the taskforce drafted a Specialization Model for the UAE. The model was presented to all scientific committees for feedback. The model is in its final round of revision before presenting it to the council’s board for approval and dissemination.

UAE NMC RESEARCH PROJECT:

The UAE NMC conducted the research project “Nursing and Quality of Hospital Care in the UAE”. The study was conducted as part of an international study led by Dr. Linda Aiken from the University of Pennsylvania.

A preliminary report of the results was obtained and disseminated to Council Board members and participating hospitals in February 2012.

On April 22, 2012, the research coordinators and translators who worked on the project were awarded by Dr. Fatima Al Rifai. The event was held at the MOH, Dubai in the presence of FDON staff.

Work is still going regarding finalizing the budget of the project with the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy (EF) and the MOH, the two sponsors of the project. Negotiations are being held with the EF in order to reallocate a certain amount of the unspent budget to hold a scientific educational event. The international principal investigator will be invited as a speaker to present the research project during the conference. Awaiting the final decision of the EF.

The team at the University of Pennsylvania did analysis of the results of six (6) hospitals on the major variables for comparison with the overall results. This was done as a favor from the team as it was not part of the contract with the MOH. The hospitals that received individual result analysis included Al Gharbya hospital, Dubai hospital, Rashid hospital, Al Ain hospital, SKMC and Welcare.

For developmental purposes and for improvement of MOH hospital services and work environment, the FDON requested to have the data of the eleven (11) participating MOH hospitals analyzed individually and shared with the department. In respect to research confidentiality protocols, the FDON sought approval of the DONs on having the results of their hospitals analyzed separately and shared with the FDON. All DONs expressed their consent and wrote an official No Objection


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letter confirming their approval. Those letters were emailed to Dr. Aiken. Still awaiting the MOH hospitals’ reports.

A detailed article about the project is still expected to be published from the University of Pennsylvania.

Poster of Research Study Results

SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE FOR EDUCATION

The Scientific Committee for Education met 7 times during the report year. The committee worked on developing the Strategic Plan for the Education of the Nurses and Midwives for the UAE” and the Education Standards. The final draft of the Education Standards is complete and the UAE NMC Board members will approve the documents shortly. An Action plan to monitor the implementation of activities to achieve the strategic education goals has been developed.


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EMIRATIZATION COMMITTEE The Emiratization Committee met six times throughout the report year. The committee worked on:

Developing a research proposal to evaluate factors impacting the Emiratis to consider nursing as a career option.

Establishing strategies and standards for attracting and retaining Emiratis in the profession.

Addressing the barriers and challenges faced by Emirati nurses. Developing an Emirati Nurse database for the year 2012 Involving different organizations such as, Tanmia and Tawteen Council, to gain their

support in promoting nursing in the UAE as a desirable career option for Emirati women and men.

Emiratization Committee meeting on December 12, 2012

THE UAE NMC RESEARCH CENTER:

• PURPOSE

The UAE NMC Research Center is envisioned to be established by the UAE NMC as its research arm. The Center’s main purpose is to define strategic directions for nursing and midwifery research and to provide a structure and support mechanisms for the continued expansion and advancement of nursing and midwifery research and researchers in the UAE.

• TASK FORCE:

Composition

The Task Force is composed of 17 academic, regulatory, and nursing practice professionals from various relevant organizations.


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Meeting with the National Research Foundation Meeting of the Research Center Task Force

on Jan. 12, 2012 on Feb. 22, 2012

Functions

The main functions of the task force are to set the center framework and draft its strategic plan.

Accomplishments

The Task Force developed a proposal to establish the UAE NMC Research Center. The Task Force will seek approval on the proposal by the Council Board which will bring this project forward for official approval and formal action. The conduction of a current state assessment guided the work of the Task Force; a survey on the status of Nursing and Midwifery Research in the UAE was conducted between Jan.29 and Feb. 29, 2012. Chief Nursing Officers in Hospitals, PHC, School Health, Preventive Medicine and Deans/Directors of Nursing Schools across the UAE participated in the survey.

The following are the main survey results:

o 66% of healthcare organizations do not conduct nursing and midwifery research

o 56% perceived manpower shortage as the leading cause for nursing and midwifery research lagging behind in their organizations


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o 86% perceived that nurses need to be trained on basic nursing research skills

Meetings

o Meeting 1-2012 (Jan. 19) o Meeting 2-2012 (Feb. 22) o Meeting 3-2012 (March, 12) o Meeting 1-2012 (April, 08)

UAE NMC WEBSITE

The long-awaited United Arab Emirates Nursing and Midwifery Council website finally went live on January 18, 2012. The launch of the new website, which offers quick and easy access to essential information on the UAE NMC structure and activities, is part of the Council's ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and availability of information to the Council community and nursing and midwifery professionals worldwide. The website boasts a modern, colorful design and features sections on UAE NMC scientific committees for Practice, Education, Registration & Licensure and Emiratization as well as the UAE NMC Research Center. Each of these sections provides detailed information regarding committee terms of reference, membership, activities, documents, etc. The website also features other sections on News & Events, Publications, and FAQ.


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By logging onto the website, visitors to the site can learn about the various activities of the Council, and access information about standards and regulations set for licensure, education and practice. The UAE NMC website can be accessed at: www.uaenmc.gov.ae

Screenshot of the UAE NMC website

UAE NMC CONFERENCE

The first UAE NMC conference is planned to be held in March 2013 to provide an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of all committees.

www.uaenmc.gov.ae