Fondamentals of nursing

1. PROFESSIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS AND
THEIR ROLES

2. Introduction
Nurses in Kenya, just like any other countries in the
world, are members of professional organisations at
national, regional and global levels.
In Kenya the professional nursing organisation that
has both regional and international recognition is the
National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK).

3. Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK)
The Nursing Council of Kenya was established by the
Nurses Act, Chapter 257 of the laws of Kenya.
The Nurses Act, Chapter 257 of the laws of Kenya was
enacted as an Act of Parliament to make provision for the
training, registration, enrolment and licensing of nurses, to
regulate their conduct and to ensure their maximum
participation in the health care of the community and for
connected purposes (Nurses Act 1985).

4. Membership of the NCK
Two ex-official members: The Director of Medical Services
and the Chief Nursing officer.
One person: Responsible for education.
Two persons: Representing religious organizations
providing health services in Kenya.
Two persons: Representing nursing associations (one from
NNAK and one from KEPNA (Kenya Progressive Nurses
Association.


5. Cont’d
Four persons: Nominated by the outgoing council to
represent: General Nursing, Midwifery and
Community Health Nursing.
Eleven elected members: Who may be involved in clinical
practice, nursing education and administration. They must
be registered nurses as follows: Three registered nurses,
three midwives, three community health nurses and two
psychiatric nurses.

6. The Full Council
This is composed of the 22 members of the council. The main
functions of the full council is to make decisions and to ratify the
decisions of the six standing committees. The council meets every
three months.
The Standing Committees
The Standing Committees meet every three months except the
Registration and Education Standing Committees which meet
monthly. They meet to discuss issues under their mandate. You shall
now look at the roles of the various committees.

7. The Education Standing Committee
The committee deals with all issues that relate to nursing education such as:
Designing nursing programmes, syllabus and national curriculum according to
the health needs of the community
Scrutiny of institutional curriculum to see whether they meet the minimum
standards for producing a safe practitioner
Formulating training materials like education policies, guidelines and
procedures and log books for recording clinical practice learning
Monitoring students during training for example discontinuations, readmissions
and discipline cases.

8. Cont’d
Dealing with examinations. This includes setting examinations,
packaging and dispatch of examinations to training institutions,
administration of examinations and receipt of examination scripts in
liaison with the training institutions. It also involves the marking of
examination scripts, moderation of examination results and
presenting the results to various committees and Full Council. The
Council ratifies the examination results. Examination results are then
released to the individual candidates, training institutions and
provincial nursing officers.
Approving training institutions and monitoring the institutions to
ensure that standards of nursing education are maintained.

9. The Standards and Ethics Committee
This committee deals with:
Initiation and maintenance of standards of nursing education and
nursing practice.
Coordinates council visits to health institutions for the purposes of
monitoring the quality of nursing education or quality of care being
offered to patients and clients respectively.
Coordinates research sub-committee meetings which facilitate
research and surveys related to nursing practice and nursing
education.

10. Registration and licensing Standing
Committee
The Registration and Licensing Standing Committee meets every
month. It deals with the registration, enrolment and licensing of
nurses for nursing practice. This is applicable to those trained in
Kenya and those trained outside Kenya.
Kenyan law states that nurses are not allowed to practise nursing
prior to registration, enrolment or licensing by the Nursing Council.
This Committee also licenses nurses for private practice and
processes licensing for practice and retention of nurses in the
registers, rolls and records.

11. Investigations Standing Committee
This committee investigates all cases of professional
misconduct, negligence, malpractice and impropriety.
This is to establish whether the alleged crime has
been committed and whether the nurse has a case to
answer or not.
A recommendation is then made to the Full Council
which in turn institutes disciplinary proceedings.

12. Cont’d
Finance Standing Committee
This committee deals with all financial issues of the Council in relation to
income and expenditure.
Disciplinary Committee
This is a Standing Committee which deals with disciplinary cases recommended
by the investigations standing committee. It is independent of the Full Council.
Members are drawn from experienced nurses practising general nursing,
midwifery, community health nursing, mental health and psychiatric nursing, the
legal advisor and a representative of the Chief Nursing Officer. The registrar is
the secretary.

13. Functions of the Nursing Council of
Kenya (NCK)
The functions of the Nursing Council of Kenya are:
Establishing and improving of all branches of the nursing profession
in all their aspects and to safeguard the interest of all nurses.
Establishing and improving the standards of professional nursing
and of health care within the community.
Prescribing and regulating syllabuses of instruction and courses of
training for persons seeking registration or enrolment under the Act.

14. Cont’d
Recommending to the Minister institutions to be approved
for the training of persons seeking registration or enrolment
under the Act.
Prescribing and conducting examinations for persons
seeking registration or enrolment under the Act.
Regarding the conduct of person registered, licensed or
enrolled under the act, and to take such disciplinary
measures as may be necessary to maintain a proper
standard of conduct among such persons.

15. Cont’d
Prescribing badges, insignia or uniforms to be worn by persons
registered, licensed or enrolled under the Act.
Regarding the standards for nursing care, qualified staff, facilities,
conditions and environment of health institutions.
Directing and supervising the compilation and maintenance of
registers, rolls and records required to be kept under sections 12, 14
and 16.
Advising the Minister on matters concerning all aspects of nursing.

16. International Council of Nurses (ICN)
The International Council of Nurses is a federation
of nurses’ associations (NNAS) in 122 countries. It
was founded in 1899.
ICN was the first health professionals’ organisations
to be formed and remains the largest among
international organisations relating to the provision
of health care.
It is operated by nurses for nurses.

17. Cont’d
The Secretariat of the ICN is based in Geneva and consists
of a president, a chief executive and members.
ICN works to ensure quality nursing and sound health
policies for all.
It strives for the advancement of nursing knowledge and
the presence of a worldwide respected nursing profession
and a competent, satisfied nursing workforce.

18. Cont’d
The ICN has goals and core values that guide its activities.
Goals
The goals of ICN are to influence health and nursing globally and
strengthen national nurses associations.
Values
The values of ICN are to encourage visionary leadership,
inclusiveness, flexibility and partnership among all member states
and the achievement of excellence in nursing/midwifery education
and practice.

19. Cont’d
Vision
The ICN states that its vision is to unite all nurses within
the ICN to speak with one voice as advocates of all that ICN
serves; to acknowledge that a human being has the right to
preventive and curative care; to spearhead the health care
progress and shape health policy around the world through
enhancing nurses' expertise, strength, their numbers,
alignment of their efforts and collaboration with the public
and other health professionals.

20. Cont’d
Mission
The ICN's mission is to lead societies to better health and to
promote healthy lifestyles, workplaces and communities; to support
strategies which alleviate poverty, pollution and other causes of
illness, while incorporating science and advanced technology in the
provision of compassionate and ethical caring; to shape nursing
education in accordance with values, policies, standards and
conditions that free nurses to practise to the full extent of their
education and abilities within multi-disciplinary health teams.

21. Cont’d
Philosophy
The ICN philosophy entails commitment to caring,
advocating on behalf of patients, and helping people
help themselves. ICN ensures that the nursing
profession is highly valued, appropriately utilised,
recognised, rewarded and represented throughout
the healthcare system.

22. Functions of ICN
The functions of International Council of Nurses are:
To promote the development of strong national nurses
associations.
To assist national nurses associations to improve the standards of
nursing and the competencies of nurses.
To assist national nurses associations to improve the status of
nurses within their countries.
To serve as the authoritative voice for nurses and nursing
internationally.

23. National Nurses Association of Kenya
(NNAK)
The National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) is a professional association
for nurses, which is registered by the Registrar of Societies as a welfare
association.
Membership
Membership of NNAK is open to all nurses who are either registered or
enrolled by the Nursing Council of Kenya. Student nurses can join as associate
members.
There are two types of membership:
a. Life membership.
b. Ordinary membership.

24. Cont’d
The headquarters of NNAK is in Nairobi.
NNAK is a member of a regional body known as the East Central Southern
Africa College of Nursing (ECSACON) whose offices are situated in Arusha,
Tanzania, the Association of Professional Societies of East Africa (APSEA) and the
International Council of Nurses (ICN) situated in Geneva.
Additionally, NNAK collaborates with other professional bodies such as the
Royal College of Nurses, Royal College of Midwives, the Canadian Nurses
Association, American Nurses Association, Kenya Medical Association (KMA), the
Association of Kenya Obstetricians/Gynaecologists (KOGS) and other health
organisations.

25. Cont’d
Chapters
The chapters of NNAK include:
Midwives
Education
Theatre Nurses
Mental Health and Psychiatric Nurses
General Nurses
Private Nurse Practitioners
Paediatric Nurses

26. Functions of NNAK
oPromoting nursing and maintaining the honour, interest and practice of all aspects of the
profession as a whole.
oPromoting and maintaining high standards of nursing education.
oStimulating and encouraging nursing research.
oPromoting co-operation between this body and other national and international professional
bodies.
oPromoting good understanding between the Association, central and local governments and all
communities.

27. Cont’d
oActing as a local representative body of the nursing profession.
oSupporting a high standard of nursing ethics, conduct and practice which is organised and
functions unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race, creed, politics, sex or social status.
oAssisting whenever possible members who by reason of adversity or ill health are in need of
help.
oArranging and holding periodic meetings of the Association for professional, educational and
social purposes.

28. Cont’d
oCirculating such information as may be thought necessary by means of a
journal, bulletin or any other method.
oAccepting or refusing any gift endowed or bequest made to or acquired by the
Association or for the purposes of any specific object connected with the
science, art of nursing and executing any charitable or other trusts which may be
considered expedient or desirable in the interests of the Association
oMaintaining an up to date list of all members in Section 4 a (i), (ii) and (iv) of
the NNAK constitution.
oPerforming all such other lawful things as may from time to time be conducive
to the attainment of furtherance of the above functions (NNAK Constitution,
section 3 1987).

29. The East Central Southern Africa College
of Nursing (ECSACON)
ECSACON is a professional agency of the Commonwealth
Regional Health Community (CRHC).
Its main objective is to promote and reinforce professional
excellence through the development of programmes.
It is expected that this will, in turn, strengthen nursing and
midwifery practice, education, research, leadership and
management to improve service delivery and uplift the
quality of health of the communities in the East Central
Southern Africa (ECSA) region.

30. Cont’d
Vision
The vision of ECSACON is to be the center of excellence for nursing
and midwifery in the ECSA region.
Mission
The ECSACON mission is to improve the quality of health of the
communities in the ECSA region through the strengthening of the
contribution of the frontline health workers (nurses and midwives)
towards delivery of quality health care services.

31. Cont’d
The membership of the college consists of individual
nurses/midwifes and Professional organisations such as:
National Nurse/ Midwifery Association (NNAS/ NMAS)
National Nursing Councils (NNCS)
An individual can become a member once registered by
the Nurses Regulatory Body as a nurse/midwife in any of the
member states.

32. ECSACON- Membership Rights and
Priviledges
 The membership rights and privileges of ECSACON are:
Voting and speaking at the ECSACON meetings.
Nominating candidates for ECSACON elections and Standing
Committees.
Participating in ECSACON conferences, workshops, seminars and
other professional activities as appropriately promoted by ECSACON.
Nominating candidates for ECSACON fellowships and awards.
Receiving professional guidance and assistance from ECSACON.

33. Cont’d
Receiving from or through ECSACON documents
and periodic information about activities and news
about nursing worldwide.
Having their professional articles of regional and
international interest published in ECSACON
newsletter/journal/ magazines.
Enjoying benefits established by ECSACON.

34. Functions of ECSACON
The functions of ECSACON are:
To establish policies and priorities to be addressed in the
region.
To review the health status and nursing and midwifery
needs of the region.
To plan intervention strategies for their programs.
To mobilize resources to facilitate implementation of
activities identified.

35. Cont’d
Sharing of improved quality of care through
research activities.
To facilitate implementation of proposed programs.
To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the
programs within the region.
Capacity building.