Interview With Ms. Merry Mwangi a Kenyan Nurse

                                interview with Ms. Merry Mwangi
Kenya’s nursing system is unique. Over the past decade, it has been reported that there are over 7,000 unemployed nurses. (Rakuom. C, 2010) Over 1,300 new nurses graduate annually from colleges. At the same time, many functional health facilities are understaffed, with over 500 nurses retiring, which means there is a shortage of manpower and nurses are overloaded with work. Rakuom (2010) noted in his article Kenyan nursing case study, Kenyan nurses working conditions are poor, and there is a lack of resources and poor education. (Rakuom, 2010). “Most of Kenya’s dispensaries throughout the country do not have qualified nurses. In addition, key factors responsible for the shortage of nurses at service delivery points include a fast-expanding health care delivery network that also experiences inadequate recruitment and misdistribution of staff. Contributing to the shortage are an aging nursing workforce, and a lack of proper workforce planning that includes nursing skills analysis and distribution of medication (Rakuom, 2010, pg 1).”

The reason for doing an interview is that I wanted to know the roles of a Kenyan nurse and problems that they are facing and their working conditions. I also wanted to learn more about their goals and values and their future plans.

My interview took place on January 10, 2012, at 11 o’clock in the morning in Burnsville, Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was up early, dressed smartly, and waited in the living room taking a drink while waiting for Ms. Merry. I took a last look at my notes to see if there was any question which was unsuitable for the interview. When she arrived, I introduced myself to Ms. Mwangi. I shook her hands firmly and I asked my questions with confident.

I chose to interview Ms. Merry Mwangi, who currently works as a Director of Nursing in Kenya, and has an interesting background in management. Ms. Mwangi is someone I consider a strong leader and mentor. She is very positive and genuinely enjoys her job.  Merry has 13 years of nursing experience in medical surgical nursing, research nursing, as well as public health and community health nursing. For the past four years Merry has served as Clinical Director, Director of Nursing in Kisii, Kenya. In these leadership roles Merry has been supervising office support, student clinical, and representing these organizations on several boards and committees. Merry currently works as a Clinical Manager of Nursing in Nairobi, Kenya.

During our meeting, the first question I asked was, “what kind of leader do you perceive yourself to be?” The response to my question regarding background and the roles she has today was that she has "grown up" as a nurse manager and as an assistant nurse manager. She stated that, “An effective leader knows his or her strengths and weaknesses and therefore it makes it easier for them to delegate appropriately. A nurse leader or any leader devotes his or her time to develop individual skills for staff and to deal with any issues within the unit. By doing this an effective leader is able to form teams who are responsible for various duties… If a leader is able to motivate staff members personally, staff members' duties will be carried out more effectively” (Merry, 2011).  A good leader should be an advocate for their staff who advocate for patients. A leader should be someone who has the big picture and makes decisions based on the needs of the hospital. Important qualities or characteristics of leaders include flexibility, good communication and organization, presence/availability to their staff, critical thinking, and definitely common sense.

Merry said that to become a registered nurse in Kenya, one can attend a technical school, a two-year college to earn an Associate’s degree, or attend a four-year college to earn a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. The last step to becoming a registered nurse is to take and pass the Kenya National Council Licensing Exam. Once this exam is passed, the student can officially be registered as a nurse in Kenya. Merry also told me how one can make a good Kenyan nurse by saying, “Nursing is a good career choice for people who want to make a difference in the lives of other people and who want a stable career that pays well. People, who enjoy science, want a flexible schedule and the opportunity for advancement will find that nursing meets all of these criteria” (Merry, 2012).

She stated that the hardest part about being a nurse in Kenya is treating people with limited access to health care. She also quoted that, she has seen people who have mistreated their health for a long time, not because they didn’t care or didn’t know there was something wrong, but because they couldn’t afford the care they needed because of poverty.  I find that very sad. I try to be very cognizant of the costs of the prescriptions I write” (Merry, 2011).

Kenyan nurses are facing challenges. She said that, “In Kenya there is manpower shortage in all health facilities. There is one nurse in almost half the dispensaries, and nearly half the health centers are staffed by less than three nurses and they serve almost 3000 people a day and yet the payments are low” (Merry, 2011).

She also talked about the working environment of a Kenyan nurses. She stated that “The working environment of a Kenyan nurse varies, depending on the type of nurse and the place of employment. However, it is very typical of a nurse to work long hours at odd times. It isn't uncommon for a nurse to work a 12hour shift, have a day off, and then back on for another long day/night. The environment can be hectic and high-pressure, as nurses are depended on to make quick decisions, and care for the sick and injured. Sometimes when caring for someone with an infectious disease, the nurse's work environment can be dangerous” (Merry, 2011).

I asked her what types of nursing specialties they have in Kenya. She “In Kenya we actually have Emergency Room, Pediatrics, Forensics, and Mental Health. These are just a few of the many specialties open to nurses. Nursing specialties exist for nearly every major illness, population group and life situation requiring medical care” (Merry, 2011).

Most Kenyan nurses work in poor conditions and uncomfortable healthcare facilities. Home health and public health nurses travel to patients’ homes, schools, community centers, and other sites. Nurses may spend considerable time walking and standing. Patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities require 24-hour care; consequently, nurses in these institutions may work nights, weekends, and holidays.

            “Kenyan Nursing has its hazards, especially in hospitals, nursing care facilities, and clinics. In all three, nurses may care for individuals with infectious diseases. Nurses must observe rigid standardized guidelines to guard against disease and other dangers, such as those posed by radiation, accidental punctures from needle sticks, and chemicals used to sterilize instruments. In addition, they are vulnerable to back injury when moving patients, shocks from electrical equipment, and hazards posed by compressed gases,” says Merry (Merry, 2011).

Mwangi’s comments and experiences actually match up with my research that I did three weeks ago. Merry say that Kenyan nurses are overworked and they are not paid as health professionals.  Working facilities are not good compared to western countries. The salary is less (Wanambisi, 2012. pg. 1). In one, article it explains that 25000 striking nurses have been fired because they went on a strike. The reason for this strike is because the government has failed to implement a salary increase agreed upon some time back in 2011” (Wanambisi, 2012). The Kenyan nurses also are striking for better working facilities and they want improved facilities in the Kenyan hospitals. The sacked nurses have been told to reapply for their jobs in order to be considered to retain their previous jobs.

This interview means a lot to my project. It has actually given me the clear picture of the roles of a Kenyan nurse and what kinds of problems they are going through. It also raised several questions in my mind. Some of them I couldn’t find the answer to. Those questions include: why does the Kenyan government make the nurses and patients in the hospital suffer? Don’t they have compassion for people? How long will these problems keep on going? And is there any other way that they can train enough nurses? How long are they going to depend on world organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) for help with health care?

These questions will be useful in possible future research. They will guide me to where I will do my research and how I should conduct it. Now I know where there is a problem in Kenyan nurses and what trends they should follow to make the health care good and a decrease the problems.