Zambia

S.T.A.B.L.E. International Activity in Zambia

Wakako Eklund DNP, APRN, NNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN

April and May 2023

During the month of April and early May 2023, the Advance Practice Neonatal Nursing students at the University of Zambia received a series of respiratory pathophysiology and assessment lectures given by Wakako Eklund who has been a S.T.A.B.L.E. instructor for many years.

The school year began in March 2023, and we have students from Zambia but also from Rwanda and Botswana this year. The students from Botswana are supported by their Health Ministry to improve the newborn outcomes.

Given that not everyone in the class is well-familiar with the level 3 NICU and common procedural practices related to management of respiratory care, I utilized the procedure slide decks (Chest Tube insertion, Positive Pressure Ventilation, Needle aspiration, and Intubation) and zoom-recorded the lecture to demonstrate how these procedures are completed.

The images and the contents that these slide sets cannot be easily replicated, and I appreciate the quality of the slide decks that are highly valued by the students and also by us, the volunteer faculty team. We appreciate the immense generosity that is extended by S.T.A.B.L.E. to make this possible for these students who are often without textbooks and other resources that we in high resource countries take for granted. The students are looking forward to taking the full S.T.A.B.L.E. course later this summer.