Five newly developed postgraduate programmes for specialist training in nursing were offered for the first time at Stellenbosch University (SU) this year. An additional three postgraduate programmes will be offered in 2023.
A total of 97 students registered for the 2022 programmes. It is envisaged that this cohort will be graduating in December.
Santel de Lange, lecturer in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, explains that the old nursing programmes were phased out in 2019 and that new curricula had to be developed for all the postgraduate diplomas in the country.
“The Department of Nursing and Midwifery then embarked on the process of developing macro and micro curricula for each of the programmes to meet the outcomes and competencies required by the South African Nursing Council (SANC),” says De Lange.
The new programmes were accredited by SANC and the Council on Higher Education and Training, and registered by the South African Qualifications Authority.
The new programmes commenced in March this year and followed the prescripts of theory, clinical practice learning, simulation and role taking, using diverse teaching and learning methodologies.
According to De Lange, the programmes will enable participants to make decisions under complex circumstances and provide an expanded range of services. They will equip graduates to be leaders in their respective specialist areas and deliver nursing and midwifery care that is person-centred, autonomous, innovative, comprehensive, ethical and evidence-based, and also complies with all appropriate legislation.
“By teaching students both theoretical and applied skills, the various postgraduate diplomas promote critical thinking, evidence-based practice and socially relevant research.”
The following postgraduate diplomas are on offer in 2023:
- Emergency Nursing
- Critical Care Nursing (adult)
- Peri-operative Nursing
- Mental Health Nursing
- Primary Care Nursing
- Midwifery
- Health Service Management
- Nursing Education
These programmes aim to develop specialists who will provide a high level of theoretical engagement, sound clinical judgment, intellectual independence as well as the ability to relate knowledge to a range of contexts in order to render professional and competent care. It is designed to provide the student with varied exposure and also opportunities to participate in caring for diverse societies, communities and individuals.
“With only a few nursing education institutions in the country that were accredited to offer the postgraduate diplomas, SU contributed to specialist nurse training, which is an urgent and national priority in South Africa,” says prof Portia Jordan, executive head of the department.
