Stakeholders in the health sector have urged nursing and midwifery training institutions to integrate soft skills into healthcare education, saying technical competence alone is insufficient in modern healthcare delivery.
Winnie Nabukeera said healthcare workers must be equipped with communication, leadership and problem-solving skills to effectively respond to patient and community needs.
“Our nurses are empowered nurses save lives,” Nabukeera said while referencing the conference theme. “It is not going to take them only being technically proficient, but also having the right non-technical approaches and understanding the systems they work in.”
Nabukeera, the Chief Executive Officer of Little Winnie Foundation, said discussions at the conference had highlighted the need to align healthcare training with practical workplace demands.
She noted that while emphasis is often placed on curriculum reforms, computer-based learning and technical training, soft skills remain a critical gap among many healthcare workers.
“We want to see nurses empowered not only technically, but also non-technically,” she said. “They need to be flexible, adaptable and able to advocate for their patients and the communities they serve.”
According to Nabukeera, effective communication and leadership are becoming increasingly important in healthcare environments where workers are expected to engage with diverse patients, communities and health systems.
“For you to be a well-rounded nurse or midwife, you must have confidence, resilience and skills that are differentiators,” she said. “Soft skills are very integral for a healthcare worker in this generation and era.”
She added that integrating soft skills into healthcare training would improve service delivery, workplace relationships and patient outcomes.
The conference brought together nurses, midwives and stakeholders in the health sector to discuss challenges and opportunities in healthcare training and professional development.
