Information on Nursing in Ghana, Africa

One in four Ghanaian children will die by the age of five. Because nurses can be trained and accredited faster than doctors, nurses have become the first line of defense in tackling health concerns--particularly in rural Ghana. Unfortunately, Ghana is experiencing nursing shortages.

Becoming a Nurse

• To become a nurse, men and women must register with the Nurses and Midwifery Council of Ghana, attend an accredited nursing school and pass a final examination.

Schools of Nursing

• There are many nursing schools in Ghana and prospective nurses can also attend the School of Nursing at the University of Ghana, the largest institution of higher learning in the country.

Salary

• Nursing is not a lucrative career in Ghana. According to a Ghanaian nurse now based in the United Kingdom, her salary was not enough to buy a bicycle or house.

'Nurse-flight'

• Many nurses opt to leave the country and seek employment in the United Kingdom or the United States where they can earn a better salary and provide for themselves and family members they left behind.

Nursing Shortages

• As a result of nurse-flight, hospitals like Korle Bu, one of Ghana's top teaching hospital, are experiencing nursing shortages. Shortages are a result of the limited government spending on national health care.