South African Nursing Council

Regulations Concerning the Minimum Requirements for Registration of the Additional Qualification in Nursing Education

The Minister of National Health and Population Development has, in terms of section 45(1) of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act 50 of 1978), on the recommendation of the South African Nursing Council, made the regulations as set out in the Schedule hereto.

SCHEDULE

Definition

1.    In these regulations, “the Act” shall mean the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act 50 of 1978), and any expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall bear such meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicates-

(i)    “course of study” means a programme of education and training offered in a nursing school approved in terms of section 15(2) of the Act, approved by the Council, leading to the obtaining of a qualification which confers on the holder thereof the right to registration of an additional qualification in nursing education in terms of section 22 of the Act.

Conditions for the approval of a nursing school

2.    A nursing school shall be approved for the offering of a course of study if-

(a)    it is a department or subdepartment of nursing of a university;

(b)    the curriculum for the course of study fulfills the requirements of regulation 6.

Admission requirements

3.    In order to be admitted to the course, a person must

(a)    be the holder of at least a senior certificate or an equivalent certificate;

(b)    be a registered nurse: Provided that the person must be registered in the nursing speciality field which he selects in terms of subregulation 6(d): Provided further that someone who selects Community Nursing Science under that paragraph, shall also hold the additional qualification in Community Nursing Science or shall follow a course leading to the registration of such additional qualification simultaneously with this course of study provided for in these regulations.

Duration of the course of study

4.    The course of study shall extend over at least one (1) academic year.

Curriculum

5. (1)    The curriculum for the course of study shall be compiled from the subjects referred to in regulation 6.

(2)    The subject content may be presented as separate courses, or on an integrated basis, or as modules: Provided that the course content in its entirety shall be not less than the prescribed minimum for each subject.

(3)    Each subject shall be equivalent to at least 90 teaching periods.

6.    The course of study shall consist of the following subjects:

(a)    The science, ethos and professional practice of nursing;

(b)    theory and principles of education, including educational psychology;

(c)    theory and principles of the nursing education process, including practica for nursing school administration and educational technology;

(d)    the didactics of one of the following nursing speciality fields including the study thereof and the presentation of at least fifteen (15) periods of classroom and clinical teaching therein:

(i)    General Nursing Science
(ii)    Psychiatric Nursing Science
(iii)    Midwifery
(iv)    Community Nursing Science
(v)    Other speciality fields of nursing which the council may approve;

(e)    at least two subjects selected from the following

(i)    Anatomy
(ii)    Physiology
(iii)    Chemistry and Physics applied to the health sciences
(iv)    Sociology
(v)    Psychology; or

(f)    at least one subject selected from the subjects mentioned in paragraph (e) and one nursing speciality field selected from those mentioned in paragraph (d) which has not already been selected under that paragraph.

7.    In the teaching of the subjects mentioned in regulation 6, the accent must fall on the development of educational knowledge and skills for dealing with andragogic (post secondary) educational situations.

Registration of additonal qualification

8.    A certificate of registration of the additional qualification in nursing education shall be issued by the registrar to a candidate who has successfully completed the course of study, complied with all the requirements for the qualification concerned and paid the prescribed fees.