Healthcare training institutions urged to emulate Presbyterian University College

 

 

Mr James Kwesi Addison, the CEO of Addison International Center for Emotional Intelligence has called on  healthcare training institutions in the country to emulate the Presbyterian University College, Ghana by making emotional intelligence an integral part of the learning and development of the healthcare professionals.

He made this call on the 17th of April at the Asante Akyem campus of the Presbyterian University College during an emotional intelligence seminar themed, ‘Building Emotional Capital’.

The participants were made up of students of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences of the Presbyterian University College, Ghana – Asante Akyem Campus. This engagement forms part of the University's drive towards making EQ one of the modules for the students. The students were made up of BSc, Nursing and BSc Physician Assistant.

Students’ were given practical techniques of building emotional capital to help them handle distressing emotions they encounter in daily practice professionally. They were also given a step -by -step approaches to building up their empathy which is the human connection to patient care.

Mr James Kwesi Addison indicated that emotional intelligence has a positive impact on patient centred health delivery and could be applied in enhancing the quality of patient – centred care.

He was also of the view that the health professionals ability to manage own emotions and that of  patients is a very useful competence and has a great potential to enrich patient-centred care, improve the quality of the professional-patient relationship, and increase patient levels of satisfaction with care and recovery.

In post seminar interview James admitted that nursing as a profession could be stressful and emotionally demanding.

He reiterated the fact that, any profession that involves working with people at their vulnerable and disturbing stage could trigger strong emotions in the staff while at work but their role demands them to be emotionally neutral or display a different emotions, for example being pleasant and calm when a patient is unreasonably hostile and rude. There is therefore a mismatch between what one feels and what one is actually expected to professionally display. This leads to emotional labour and to him this could be very harmful if the needed knowledge and skills are not acquired to help nurse exit the buildup of these distressing emotions.

He concluded, noting that healthcare professionals must be trained in emotional intelligence to help them self-protect. And finally urged other nursing institutions’ in the country to emulate the Presbyterian University College, Ghana and ensure healthcare professionals receive training in emotional intelligence and resilience.

 

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com

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