Senior Nurse Trainer Adviser

Title: Senior Nurse Trainer Adviser

Location: Paksan (Bolikhamxay Province) or Thakhek (Khammouane Province) (2 positions)

Deadline for submitting the application: 19/11/2023 

Start date: 01/01/2024 

Contract type: Limited 

Contract term (months): 24.00 

1. BACKGROUND

The Lao and Luxembourg governments decided for the fifth Lao-Luxembourg Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP V) to maintain and deepen collaboration nationally, but with emphasis on the provinces of Bokeo, Bolikhamxay, Khammouane and Vientiane, through following four sectoral programmes (2023-2027) with a total budget of approximately 100 MEUR, as follows:

1. Health and Nutrition (H&N) with a budget of ca. 32.5 MEUR.
2. Local Development with a budget of ca. 34 MEUR (including Swiss co-financing).
3. Skills for Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry (STAF) with a budget of ca. 25 MEUR (including Swiss and EU co-financing).
4. Rule of Law, Access to Justice and Good Governance (ROLAG) with a budget of 9 MEUR.

Both governments also agreed to seek strong linkages between the four programmes to optimize synergy and impact.

The earmarked interventions will be interconnected through a common human capital development approach towards sustainable results. This will be the foundation of ICP V and key to contribute to eradicate extreme poverty and strengthen socio-economic inclusion in the target areas.

The Health and Nutrition programme is the continuation and further expansion of two previous healthcare support initiatives named Lao-Luxembourg health sector support programme (LL-HSSP). The programme will work in close cooperation with the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP), especially at the provincial level in the fields of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and nutrition – latter in close concert with ongoing initiatives undertaken by Caritas Luxembourg.

The duration of the sectoral programme is set at five years comprising a total budget of ca. 32.5 million EUR, including 4.5 million EUR for Aide au Développement de la Santé (ADS), a Luxembourg non-governmental organization (NGO) working for more than 20 years in Lao PDR in the field of cardiology.

The programme will predominantly contribute to the long term change objective that Lao people have access to an essential health service package (including RMNCAH and nutrition services) of adequate quality and affordable to all, leaving no one behind, whereby (i) Lao people do indeed have “access” to those health services, (ii) those health services are affordable to all, and (iii) those health services provided to Lao people are of good quality.

The programme will uphold a geographic focus on all districts in the three provinces of Bolikhamxay, Khammouane and Vientiane Province but aims to deepen interventions to enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency. Programme expansion to Bokeo province will interface with a parallel Luxembourg-financed Local Development programme as well as the UNJP.

For good quality health service to be provided to Lao people, eight broad areas of intervention are described as part of the ToC pathway, each contributing to Human Resources Capital Development (HRCD).

Overall, the ICP V sectoral programme aims at creating favourable conditions for institutional and technical sustainability with (i) the accent put on HRCD, training and capacity development activities, (ii) an emphasis on embedding supported activities into the national management structures and (iii) the institutionalisation and expansion of the Joint Participatory Mechanism i.e. a “multiplication” co-financing apparatus between Laos and Luxembourg to finance health care operations and out-of-pocket expenses at grassroots level in the participating provinces.

Regarding the national level, the Health and Nutrition programme will closely work together with other bilateral and multilateral actors in the sector to ensure Luxembourg interventions are harmonized, including in policy dialogue, practical collaboration, and coordination.

2. OBJECTIVES

The LAO/035 Programme aims at improving the quality of care in provincial and district-level hospitals and community health centres, through improving quality of nursing care and nursing-management, and through supporting national initiatives such as standard treatment guidelines and the “continuous quality improvement” framework “5 good practices for 1 patient satisfaction” (5G/1S), and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and 5S policies.

The job purpose of the LAO/035 Programme Senior Nurse Trainer/Adviser will consist both of improving the quality of nursing practice and nursing management in the public health facilities of the province of deployment. This includes coaching and guiding the provincial and district health authorities to improve nursing care organisation development.

To this effect, the incumbent will provide up-to-date scientific knowledge and professional experience in nursing care, as well as on-site teaching.

3. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary responsibility of this position is to train nurses to improve the quality of nursing practice in the province and district hospital level, and to uplift nursing care in line with national guidelines or acceptable international practices. This will be accomplished through the teaching of nursing procedures and practices as well as on-site coaching; baseline assessment and follow-up teaching in specific nursing units regarding the practice of such procedures; and ensuring the effectiveness of practice by teaching/coaching unit head nurses to supervise other staff.

This training will primarily focus on the senior provincial nursing management team to coach and equip them to provide the appropriate training and supervision to the nursing teams of the various provincial hospital units (primarily emergency rooms and in-patient wards) and subsequently to the respective district hospitals.

Medical doctors working at or in charge of those wards will be included in the training and practice change program, as deemed necessary and feasible. As much as possible, the SNTA will address the quality improvement at the whole department/ward level.

The second responsibility is to analyse and identify performance gaps, and to provide adequate technical advice regarding the organization and practice of nursing care and its implementation in the respective provincial health facilities, using national guidelines or developing guidelines in accordance with current international practice.

The third responsibility is to contribute to overall Quality of Care Improvement mechanisms, either in line with national programs, or on an ad-hoc basis, based on international or regional examples or initiatives, and with a primary aim the Emergency and Intensive care wards of the provincial and district hospitals. This includes supporting the implementation of "5S" workplace organisation, infection prevention and control (IPC), and the national “5 good practices for patient satisfaction” (5W1S) and patient safety aspect of Quality of Healthcare.

The fourth duty is to identify, facilitate and improve in-service training of nursing students in the provincial hospitals under guidance of the Academic Coordinator, and to contribute to the effectiveness of the practice in-service training programs and the identification of suitable scholarship candidates.

Technical tasks include:

• Contribute to improving the organisation of nursing care in the hospitals in collaboration with the hospital director, and the senior hospital staff (doctors and midwives-nurses)
• Adapt, when necessary, existing nursing standards, guidelines, and procedures for use in the provincial training complex, the provincial or district hospital and in health centres, and follow-up their implementation, including their use for in-service training of nurse students
• Train and assist nurses/midwives in nursing matters, in training of other nurses and in supervising the staff of the different units, including health centres
• Identify short-term assistance or external support or training packages, for specialised care at district and provincial hospitals as needed for nursing care organisation
• Identify needs for equipment and supplies to effectively allow for quality of nursing/obstetrical care, and prepare procurement lists with specifications
• Monitor effective implementation of infection control and safety at work measures
• Identify needs of hospital quality improvement, facilitate the hospital staff to perform according to needs for improvement
• Support the Provincial Health Department’s planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of the quality improvement of nursing care in district hospitals

Administrative tasks include:

The SNTA will perform certain administrative duties, including handling of petty cash, small local procurement of supplies and equipment, and ensure oversight on expenditures.

Occasionally, s/he may act as interpreter for non-Lao speaking expatriate staff working in the programme area.

S/he may also be asked to assist hospital staff in compiling monthly nursing-related ward reports.

Specific tasks may require:

• Demonstrate sound decision-making skills and assist others in making safe decisions.
• Demonstrate leadership, mentoring and preceptorship skills in a supportive learning environment.
• Promote and maintain effective communications within the multidisciplinary team (medical staff and nursing personnel) and with patients and their family members.
• Collaborate/work closely with other Lux-Development staff.
• Ensure the effective and efficient use of resources, and where necessary deployment of staff.
• Adjust to and work within a multi-cultural environment.

It is understood that the relative weight of these tasks can change over time, and that a more specific list can be agreed upon periodically by provincial stakeholders and LAO/035 Programme, at the initiative of the incumbent, if this list is exhaustive.

Reporting:

The SNTA will produce a quarterly activity report detailing her/his activities, which will be followed by detailed planning for the subsequent quarter. Using standard LAO/035 templates, all documents will be written in English. These reports will be shared with provincial-level LAO/035 staff members.

The reports will include: 

• Planning the next mission(s).
• Description of activities carried out during the reporting period.
• Narrative explanation of findings and recommendations.
• Appendices: technical documents produced.

4. SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE JOB

• Diploma/bachelor’s degree in nursing and clinical specialization.
• Master’s Degree in related clinical area is preferred.
• Five years of experience managing hospital quality improvement / process management.
• Ability to guide professional teams in managing organisational transitions.
• Possess demonstrated experience as a member of a multi-cultural team and possess exceptional interpersonal communication skills to guide and motivate collaborators.
• Excellent English and Lao or Thai language skills.
• Previous experience in working with international organizations or NGO is an advantage.