Region: Africa

Champion Nyoni, PhD, MSocSc (Nursing), BScN (Hons), RN,  is a Sigma member, research grant recipient, and 2020 Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award recipient. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow and Senior Researcher at the School of Nursing of the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. 

“I think it is essential that the science of nursing is elevated through scholarship and research, and such science is disseminated in environments that foster advancement, connectedness, and transferability. Sigma offers such a platform for nurses.”

As a researcher, Champion Nyoni’s interests have been aligned with development, implementation, and evaluation of quality, competency-based nursing and midwifery programs in low- and middle-income countries. He is often engaged in faculty capacity development on competency-based education, instructional design, and student performance assessment. He leads research in these fields and supervises several master and doctoral students on various parts of research programs.   

Soon after his induction into Tau Lambda at-Large Chapter in 2016, Dr. Nyoni was awarded the Sigma/Alpha Eta Research Grant. Due to increasing maternal and child death rates in Lesotho, work was underway to transform midwife education. However, Dr. Nyoni and his team observed challenges that threatened the sustainability of education innovations and resulted in curriculum drift. This research supported educators in implementing the curriculum nationally, creating a platform for improving educator competencies and curriculum quality. In his own words, Dr. Nyoni said, “This grant has been life changing, and the funding made a research study that seemed impossible possible. Thank for this opportunity; my life, my students, my institution, and my people will never see the world the same again.” 

Dr. Nyoni also utilizes Sigma’s events as a platform to advance nursing science. In 2020, he received a leadership education grant to present virtually at Sigma’s 31st International Nursing Research Congress. His presentation, Curriculum Innovation In Nursing: A Journey Less Traveled, highlighted the importance of a strong curriculum and the critical training nurses receive. By attending congress, Dr. Nyoni was able to connect with several nursing education scientists from around the global and exchange ideas. “The conference broadened my horizons on the nursing knowledge economy, and I am grateful and hope to attend the next conference.”

At congress, Dr. Nyoni was also recognized as a 2020 Emerging Nurse Researcher/Scholar Award Recipient during the opening plenary. When asked about what the recognition means to him, Dr. Nyoni said, “This award is revolutionary to my career and that of the fellow nurses I engage with every day. Being recognized for such work inspires me to continue working towards excellence in nursing scholarship and to set an example of inspiration among junior nurses in low resource settings on the impact and potential value of their work. Such a global accolade brings in opportunities to engage in and connect with other nurse scientists in the world towards nursing academic excellence.” 

The grants Dr. Nyoni received were made possible by donors to the Sigma Foundation for Nursing. Donate today to make more of these grants possible.

Why did you become a nurse?

The funny thing is I did not choose to be a nurse—nursing chose me! I had a different career plan. However, with the way the education system is in Kenya, I was selected to join the BScN program at the university. I planned to change to something different after I got my practice license, but all this changed when I started working in an ICU after my internship at one of the major hospitals in Kenya, and I fell in love with nursing. I have never looked back.

What inspired you to join Sigma?

Sigma provides an opportunity for international networking. Nursing is a global profession, and it is crucial for me to extend my networks outside my region, and I get this with Sigma. Beyond that, Sigma also supports my career growth in education, research, and leadership by providing resources that I would otherwise not have available.

What do you enjoy most about what you are doing professionally today?

I am an educator, researcher, and leader, and each gives me a different kind of joy. As an educator, one of my joys is transmitting my knowledge and experiences to my students and seeing them grow to love nursing. I feel great pleasure when the students return after graduation and tell me that I made an impact on them. As a researcher, I delight in seeing a project I envisioned coming to fruition, collaborating with others, and being in the field. Being a leader is one of the most challenging things in my life but being able to inspire and lead others brings me great joy.

What led you to focus your research study  on nurses caring for acutely ill patients in the general wards?

My research interests are in critical care nursing and patient safety and the role of the nurse. I have worked as a clinical nurse in an ICU, and I am an educator in medical surgical nursing. In  low-resource settings, there is a limitation on the availability of critical care services, therefore most acutely ill patients are cared for in the general ward. This study shall help us understand the challenges of the nurses’ experiences and the issues surrounding recognition and response to clinical deterioration.

Do you have plans to expand this study based on your findings?

Yes, I do. First, I would like to expand the study to a larger setting (the current study is based on the Kenyan coastal region only). Secondly, based on the findings, I would be interested in developing an interventional study, possibly to test some patient safety interventions and evaluate their impact.

 Is there anything else you’d like to share about your study?

I am grateful and humbled to receive the funding for my first project after my PhD (I completed in 2018) from Sigma. As an early career researcher, this funding will greatly support the project and grow my research career.

Funds for this grant were provided by Alpha Eta Chapter in collaboration with the Sigma Foundation for Nursing. Donate today to make more of these grants possible.

Sigma nurse Faith Nawagi, BSN, RN, PGDcert Clin.Epi, MIPH, is promoting collaboration among organizations, nursing training institutions and hospitals from different countries and regions to ensure knowledge and skill-sharing as a conduit for quality nursing education.

 “Global exposure in health professional training is a key component in promoting transformative educational approaches through short-term electives. Through these placements, many nursing students from abroad have learned through observerships, ward rounds, and supervised assistantships in inpatient care,” Faith explained.

Although African countries frequently host nursing students, few African nursing students can participate in these programs in other countries due to the high costs. To address this gap, GEMx®―the Global Educational Exchanges in Medicine and the Health Professions―a service of the Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®), launched a South-South student nursing exchange model in partnership with the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth). “The aim of this initiative is to facilitate accessible and affordable exchange opportunities for African nursing students to gain global exposure through regional mobility, South-South exchange model,” Faith said.

Based on feedback to expand this program outside of Africa, Faith saw Sigma as a natural place to explore the program’s growth. “Sigma has an extensive presence globally, and it is an excellent organization to explore the possibility of a global nursing elective network,” she said. Sigma’s 45th Biennial Convention was the perfect opportunity to gauge other people’s interest in the program.

Faith received a leadership education grant from the Sigma Foundation for Nursing to assist with the cost of travel and attending Convention. Speaking to the importance of Sigma and this grant, Faith shared,  “I appreciate the opportunity to attend this convention. Sigma is a place that allows nurses to explore their potential and understand that they are limitless.”

At Sigma’s biennial convention, Faith co-presented the session “Enhancing Global Exposure for African Nursing Students Through Regional Partnerships” and exhibited in order to increase the programs’ exposure to nurses and healthcare professionals from other regions. This has allowed Faith and her colleague to make several new contacts with nursing leaders from schools and other healthcare settings to create a global network.

The grant Faith received to attend the 45th Biennial Convention was made possible by donors to the Sigma Foundation for Nursing. If you would like to help more Sigma nurses like Faith participate in Sigma events, donate today.