“For most of us nurse tutors, the THANE training is the first HIV/AIDS training we’ve ever had. It’s opened our eyes to the dramatic changes in HIV/AIDS services around the country. Nurses are on the frontline in hospitals and health centers, so if nurse tutors are able to better prepare their students on HIV/AIDS, the quality of services will increase considerably.”

     Angasyege Kibona, master trainer and nurse tutor at Muhimbili 

     Diploma Nursing School.

Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences and the University of California at San Francisco School of Nursing are collaborating to strengthen the capacity of Tanzania’s 56 nursing schools to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to provide quality HIV/AIDS services, as well the life skills they need to safeguard their own health and wellbeing by practicing safer sexual behaviors.

Partners developed and are implementing the Tanzania HIV/AIDS Nursing Education (THANE) Project, a comprehensive training package with a training-of-trainers component that integrates HIV/AIDS care and life skills content into the pre-service curricula at nursing schools in Tanzania. The THANE Project is helping ensure that graduating nurses are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to provide high quality healthcare services to people living with HIV or AIDS.

Partners conducted four zonal training-of-trainers workshops, resulting in 72 nurse tutors being trained in the THANE curriculum. On average, their HIV/AIDS test scores increased from 57 percent to 74 percent based on pre- and post-tests. Participants also reported a significant increase in their confidence to teach new HIV/AIDS content in post-workshop assessments. In addition, seven master trainers provided facilitation of the THANE modules in the zonal training workshops and acquired increased familiarity with the content and confidence in teaching HIV/AIDS-related subject matter.

Partners also supported the Nursing Unit of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in their development of new curricula for certificate and diploma programs by conducting a five-week curricula development workshop in late 2007 for some 25 nursing tutors and experts. Extensive partner participation in the workshop ensured relevant HIV/AIDS content was incorporated into the new curricula.