All nurses are to be tested in an effort to raise healthcare standards, the General Authority for Health Services said.
By the end of the year, all nurses will be examined and evaluated. Language proficiency, critical thinking abilities and basic nursing skills will be tested during the three-and-a-half hour exam, consisting of 100 questions.
The General Authority for Health Services (GAHS) has already tested 400 nurses at the former Jazeera Hospital and Central Hospital.
Clyde Eder, chief executive of Shaikh Khalifa Medical City, said nurses who failed the examinations would be accommodated elsewhere if positions were available, and would be kept away from acute patient care. Diane Presley, Director of Patient Care Services at the Shaikh Khalifa Medical Pavilion, said 326 nurses from Al Jazeera and Central Hospital passed the exam last week.
"Eighty per cent of the nurses we examined passed the test," she said.
She said a tutor would be hired to train nurses who did not do so well in the language part of the exam. There will also be training courses to upgrade their performance.
"The exams are benchmarked against the Canadian, American and British boards. Two weeks prior to the exams, we conduct four preparatory sessions and teach the nurses basic skills for taking tests," she said.
Presley said the standard of nurses across the nation would improve.
"All nurses should strive to offer the best care and improve their standards because they owe it to their patients," she said.
She said nurses should not be afraid of the exams if they worked well, had a good record and were experienced. Some nurses, however, have expressed concern.
"I have been working in this hospital for more than 10 years. I am very depressed about these forthcoming exams. I don't have the time to study and I have already practised this job for more than two decades," one nurse said. Some nurses are worried they will lose their jobs if they fail the exam.
"We have been told we will not have our contracts terminated if we fail the exam," a Filipina nurse said, "but a lot of us are worried. What will happen to us if we fail?"
"All nurses should strive to offer the best care and improve their standards because they owe it to their patients."
Gulf News
