The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) of Ghana has inducted 33,698 newly qualified nurse assistants, nurses, midwives and post-basic specialist nurses in the first batch of its 2026 induction exercise, with a warning against the inappropriate use of social media.
The inductees successfully completed the required theoretical and practical training and passed the Council’s Licensing Examinations conducted in September 2025 and March/April 2026.
Held under the theme, “Building Competence through Mandatory Rotation and Digital Innovation: Empowering Newly Qualified Nurses and Midwives to Improve Quality, Safety and Sustainable Care Outcomes,” the ceremony highlighted the importance of professional competence, patient safety and quality healthcare delivery.
Addressing the ceremony in Accra on Friday, November 13, the Registrar of the Council, Mrs Philomina A.N. Woolley, said the induction exercise would be conducted across five zonal centres: Accra, Tamale, Wa, Sunyani and Cape Coast.
Mrs Woolley said the theme linked the professional development of newly qualified practitioners to outcomes that mattered most to the health sector, including competent practice, safer care and reliable healthcare services.
She urged the inductees to seek guidance whenever they encountered difficulties, stressing that confidence in professional practice developed through preparation and supervised experience.
“There will be moments when you feel uncertain. Ask for guidance; this shows responsibility. Confidence grows through preparation and supervised experience,” she said.
She also appealed to managers of health facilities to provide clear expectations and meaningful supervision to support the professional development of the new practitioners.
On digital innovation, the Registrar urged the inductees to use approved electronic records and information resources accurately, verify patients' identities and protect confidential information.
“Protecting patient information is part of protecting the patient. Safeguard your login details, access records only for legitimate duties and share information through authorised channels,” she advised.
Mrs Woolley particularly cautioned the new nurses and midwives against inappropriate social media activities, noting that the N&MC, International Council of Midwives (ICM) and International Council of Nurses (ICN) had clear positions on professional conduct online.
“A post can cost you your licence,” she warned.
The Director of Technical Coordination at the Ministry of Health, Dr Hafiz Adam Taher, who represented the Minister of Health, assured the inductees that recruitment into public hospitals and other health facilities would be transparent and deployment fair.
He acknowledged that employment opportunities remained a major concern for newly qualified health professionals but said recruitment and workforce planning must reflect population needs, available resources and staffing requirements across health facilities.
“Government recognises that employment opportunities are a major concern for many newly qualified professionals,” he said.
Dr Taher urged the inductees to rely on official channels for recruitment information and remain open to serving communities where skilled health professionals were most needed.
“I encourage you to remain open to serving communities where the need for skilled health professionals is greatest,” he stressed.
He also called on facility managers, supervisors and experienced practitioners to provide structured supervision and effective mentorship through clear learning objectives, fair assessments and supportive working environments.
Meanwhile, the President of the Conference of Heads of Health Training Institutions (COHHETI), Madam Jemimah Fati Salu, urged the newly qualified nurses and midwives to take the Council’s Fitness to Practise document seriously, describing it as an important guide to their professional conduct, accountability and commitment to safe healthcare delivery.
In a speech read on her behalf, she explained that fitness to practise extended beyond academic qualifications and professional licences to include the knowledge, clinical skills, ethical values, sound judgement and personal responsibility required to meet professional standards.
“Being fit to practise goes beyond possessing an academic qualification or professional licence; it requires the appropriate knowledge, clinical skills, ethical values, sound judgement and personal responsibility to deliver care that meets professional standards,” she said.
She encouraged the inductees to make patient safety central to their professional decisions, recognise the limits of their competence and seek assistance whenever necessary.
“Uphold the highest standards of professionalism, respect the rights and dignity of every patient, protect confidentiality and exercise sound clinical judgement,” she advised.
Seven inductees who excelled in the Licensing Examinations were also recognised for their outstanding performance.
They were Gifty Yeboah (Ophthalmic Nursing); Deh Kwame Cornelius (Critical Care Nursing, Korle-Bu); Augustina Akua Lartey (Peri-Operative Nursing, Korle-Bu); Dramani Awal (Registered Community Mental Nursing); Comfort Oppong (Registered Paediatric Nursing, University of Ghana); Osumanu Zinabu (Registered Midwifery, CHNTS Akim Oda); and Ama Adjei Danquah (Registered Mental Nursing, NMTC Pantang).
Each award recipient received a plaque and an undisclosed cash prize.
