oa Mosenodi - The regulation of nursing education in Botswana : a quality assurance measure

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how nursing education is regulated in Botswana as a way to ensure the quality of nursing programs. The evolution of such a quality measure from the pre-independence era to date is traced to identify the various mechanisms that have been utilized. The paper further discusses the antecedent factors to the regulation of nursing education, its historical development as a quality assurance measure and outlines the distinct roles of the regulatory agencies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana, the University of Botswana and the Tertiary Education Council. Accreditation and credentialing are discussed as the major mechanisms in enhancing quality assurance in nursing education. The paper concludes by making some reflections on how nursing was regulated in the past what the current practices are and that t recommendations can be made to improve on these practices to ensure good quality nursing education in Botswana.