“What are we aiming at?”
That’s the question our first president, Daniel Coit Gilman, asked at his inauguration in 1876. What is this place all about, exactly? His answer:
“The encouragement of research . . . and the advancement of individual scholars, who by their excellence will advance the sciences they pursue, and the society where they dwell.”
Gilman believed that teaching and research go hand in hand-that success in one depends on success in the other-and that a modern university must do both well. He also believed that sharing our knowledge and discoveries would help make the world a better place.
After 140 years, we haven’t strayed from that vision. This is still a destination for excellent, ambitious scholars and a world leader in teaching and research. Distinguished professors mentor students in the arts and music, humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering, international studies, education, business, and the health professions. Those same faculty members, and their colleagues at the university’s Applied Physics Laboratory, have made us the nation’s leader in federal research and development funding every year since 1979.
That’s a fitting distinction for America’s first research university, a place that revolutionized higher education in America.Overview
The MCGL CEmONC project will be implementing in three states (Kano, Katsina and Kebbi) supporting the states to provide life saving interventions for women and newborns in their states. Mentors will guide healthcare workers in implementing evidence-based practices and maintaining standards in line with maternal and newborn national guidelines. Following the CEmONC competency-based training, mentors will also provide on-site support to ensure the effective application of skills, address gaps, and strengthen the quality of maternal and newborn care services at supported facilities.
Objectives:
To provide technical guidance and supportive supervision to trained health workers.
To strengthen the quality and consistency of CEmONC service delivery.
To reinforce compliance with clinical protocols, referral pathways, and documentation.
To identify and support the resolution of service delivery challenges.
Responsibilities
On-site Mentorship Visits:
Conduct regular daily mentorship visits to assigned health facilities.
Observe clinical practice and provide real-time coaching and feedback.
Skills Reinforcement:
Support health workers to practice and refine CEmONC competencies (e.g., management of PPH, eclampsia, assisted delivery, neonatal resuscitation).Case
Reviews and Simulations:
Facilitate case reviews, maternal/perinatal death reviews and response, and drills to reinforce learning.
Quality Improvement:
Work with facility teams to implement action plans and quality improvement initiatives e.g. establishing new born corners in the selected facilities.
Data Use and Documentation:
Review partographs, delivery registers, referral forms, and case notes for completeness and accuracy.
Promote use of service delivery data for decision-making.
Referral System Strengthening:
Monitor referral processes and help troubleshoot delays or gaps.
Reporting and Feedback:
Submit mentorship reports after each visit using the template provided.
Provide feedback to facility heads and the project team.
Deliverables:
Mentorship plans and schedules
Visit reports with key findings and recommendations
Documentation of success stories, challenges, and lessons learned
Support to at least 10 staff per facility during the engagement period
Required Qualifications
Clinical expertise in maternal and newborn health (e.g., OBGYN, Midwife, Nurse, Physician)
Prior experience in mentorship, coaching, or clinical supervision
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Familiarity with CEmONC standards and guidelines
