Page 54 - Nursing Education in Malaysia

NursiNg EducatioN iN Malaysia

3. The Malaysian Academy of Nursing with the support of both the Ministry of Health
and Ministry of Higher Education, plans at the earliest possible time, to make a
proposal to the government for a five day week work system for shift duty nurses, as
a means to promote a more attractive working life.

agenda Eight

Graduate education in nursing must necessarily be in clinical nursing specialties to
enable the nursing profession to develop its capacity in achieving its professional status
and professional autonomy as well as to ensure only “content experts” teach nursing in
colleges and universities.

Strategies
1. The Ministry of Higher Education to ensure that all newly proposed graduate education
programmes are clinical-based programmes, specifically graduate education leading
to Masters in Nursing, Doctoral degree and postgraduate certificate/diploma in
nursing.

The clinical specialty may cover a broad array of areas to include midwifery, mental
health, oncology, community health, critical care, emergency care, orthopedics and
traumatology, renal, burns care, paediatrics or even medical-surgical nursing.

2. It would be in the best interest of the nursing profession to also expect a clinical
qualification at doctoral level. In line with the latest development in the US, the
Ministry of Higher Education will recommend the universities to offer doctoral
programmes leading to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to ensure continuing
research activities in clinical nursing.

3. The Malaysian Academy of Nursing will recommend to the Nursing Board of Malaysia
that teachers of nursing be active in clinical practice as a condition for renewing the
annual practice certificate (APC). This is to ensure that what is taught to students is
current and relevant.

4. On the basis that clinical specialization requires extensive and intensive clinical
practice, only universities with hospitals or affiliate hospitals will be given the mandate
to conduct graduate education programmes by the Ministry of Higher Education.

5. The Ministry of Higher Education and the Malaysian Academy of Nursing must
ensure that Graduate Education Database be initiated and updated to enforce and
monitor a system that only content experts are appointed as teachers of nursing.