By Kruah Thompson
Monrovia, Liberia, March 5, 2025 – Nursing Online Liberia, a group of health professionals accredited by the Liberia Board for Nursing and Midwifery, has launched Liberia’s first Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program.
The initiative aims to continuously improve the quality of healthcare services in the country.
The launch and certification ceremony took place on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the A.M. Dogliotti College of Health Sciences, University of Liberia, in Congo Town.
The event brought together 57 health professionals from five different licensed training institutions.
The certification was conducted by the Liberia Board for Nurses and Midwives.
Representatives from the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Center, Catholic Hospital, SD Cooper Hospital, Redemption Hospital, and ELWA Hospital attended.
According to the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) website, CPD is measured in Continuing Education Units (CEUs), with one CEU equating to 10 hours of active learning. All health professionals in Liberia, including dentists, are required to complete 4 CEUs (roughly 40 hours) every two years.
Following the ceremony, Ms. Shirley Seckey Fahnbulleh, the Founder of Nursing Online Liberia, shared in an interview that the Liberia Board for Nursing and Midwifery, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the University of Liberia College of Health Sciences (ULCHS), reviews and revises CPD guidelines as part of the BRIDGE-U Liberia Project. She noted that CPD will become mandatory for all healthcare workers in Liberia starting in April 2025.
“Before now, Liberia did not have a CPD provider,” Ms. Fahnbulleh explained. “This group has now been accredited by the Liberia Board for Nursing and Midwifery to become the first national CPD provider in the country.”
She went on to highlight that the program was attended by 57 professionals from institutions such as JFK, Catholic Hospital, SD Cooper Hospital, Redemption Hospital, and ELWA. Participants also included members from various regulatory boards, including the Liberia Environmental Health Board, the Laboratory Board, the chairperson of the Medical and Dental Council, the Liberia chapter chairperson of the West African Post Graduate College for Nurses and Midwives, the Ministry of Health was represented by a team from the chief nursing and midwifery office among others.
In his keynote address, Dr. Soday Lake commended the initiative, stating that certification and advanced degrees in specialized programs open up new career paths and leadership opportunities.
“I believe this is a step in the right direction for technological innovation and advancement for aspiring nurses,” Dr. Lake said.
Dr. Lake, an educator with the UL Midwifery Department, emphasized that continuing education is not just about improving patient care.
He pointed out that with the rapid growth of the health sector worldwide, Liberia, like other nations, must provide quality education to health professionals and students through online courses.
“CPDs are essential to help professionals stay updated on new developments, refresh their knowledge, and ensure that they are trusted by patients and their families,” he added.
“I hope that people will take full advantage of the CPD program.”
Nursing Online Liberia was founded in 2017 by a team of professionals who recognized the need to offer training for nurses and midwives.
While the Liberia Board for Nursing and Midwifery approved the group as a national CPD provider, the initiative only fully materialized after the 2019 COVID-19 outbreak, which highlighted the need for online training, particularly in infection prevention and control. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
