Developing a Continuing Professional Development Program to Improve Nursing Practice in Lesotho

In 2010, the Lesotho Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) issued the Continuing Education Strategy for all Health Care Workers in Lesotho, requiring professional regulatory bodies to enforce continuing education requirements amongst their members. In order to comply with this strategy, the Lesotho Nursing Council worked to develop a national comprehensive program for continuing professional development (CPD).

Through a seed grant and technical assistance from the African Health Professions Regulatory Collaborative (ARC), national nursing and midwifery leadership collaboratively developed a national CPD framework. The draft CPD framework and logbook were formally vetted with stakeholders during consultative meetings held around the country.

The CPD framework was successfully piloted prior to being launched nationally in October 2012. This is the first health professional CPD program in Lesotho. Development of a CPD program in Lesotho has created a platform to reconcile nursing practice with the legislative standards governing the workforce.

The one-year grant timeframe, along with limited financial and staff resources limited presented implementation challenges.

In establishing a comprehensive national CPD program, it is critical for countries to engage in a staged planning process that includes monitoring and evaluation.