Effectiveness of a pediatric critical care pilot preceptor program: Improved confidence and competency outcomes among a cohort of professional nurses in Blantyre, Malawi.

Background: Availability of high-level pediatric training for nurses in Malawi is limited. To address this gap, a novel pediatric critical care nurse preceptor program was developed and implemented by pediatric nurse specialists.

Aim: Evaluate the effectiveness of a pediatric critical care nurse preceptor program, via change in nurses' knowledge, skills, confidence, and precepting competence.

Training needs assessment for practicing pediatric critical care nurses in Malawi to inform the development of a specialized master's education pathway: a cohort study.

Background: Significant improvements in under-five mortality in Malawi have been demonstrated over the past thirty years; however, Malawian healthcare remains with gaps in availability and access to quality pediatric critical care nursing training and education. To improve expertise of pediatric critical care nurses in Malawi, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), and Mercy James Center (MJC) entered a partnership with Seed Global Health, a US non-governmental organization. A needs assessment was conducted to understand the training needs of nurses currently working in pediatric critical care and in preparation for the development of a specialized Master's in Child Health pathway in Pediatric Critical Care (PCC) Nursing at KUHeS.