INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTRATION IN THE CATEGORY COMMUNITY SERVICE

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1           The policy regarding Community Service is set out in section 40 of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005) and in the Regulations Relating to Performance of Community Service published in Government Notice No. 765 of 24 August 2005.

1.2           Section 40(1) of the Nursing Act, 2005 states that, “A person who is a citizen of South Africa intending to register for the first time to practise a profession in a prescribed category must perform remunerated community service for a period of one year at a public health facility”.

1.3           Regulation 2.1 of the Regulations Relating to Performance of Community Service states that, “Any person who is a citizen of South Africa intending to register for the first time as a professional nurse in terms of the Act, as having met the prescribed requirements to qualify as such, must perform remunerated community service for a period of one year”.

1.4           As a transitional provision, regulation 8(a) of the Regulations Relating to Performance of Community Service states that, “These regulations are applicable to any person who seeks registration on completing and meeting the requirements prescribed in the Regulations Relating to the Approval of and the Minimum Requirements for the Education and Training of a Nurse (General, Psychiatric and Community) and Midwife Leading to Registration published in Government Notice No. R.425 of 22 February 1985, or any subsequent regulation made to replace it”.

1.5          Section 19 (a) of the National Department of Health Policy on Employment of Foreign Health Professionals in the South African Health Sector (2010) indicates that, “Applicants who have secured permanent residence and who obtained their basic qualification in the Republic of South Africa must apply to do community service where applicable as defined in the relevant legislation provided that they have satisfied the registration requirements of a statutory Health Professional Council in South Africa.”

2.1           The purpose of this document is to guide applicants, health establishments and Nursing Education Institutions (NEI’s) on the process to be followed when submitting applications for registration in the category Community Service.

3.1           The applicant must be a South African citizen.

3.2           The applicant must intend registering for the first time as professional nurse.

3.3           The applicant must have completed the course and met the minimum requirements prescribed for the education and training of a Nurse (General, Psychiatric and Community) and Midwife OR, in the case of an applicant who did not study at a South African Nursing Education Institution, the applicant must have been issued a similar qualification outside South Africa.

3.4           The Department of Health must have allocated the applicant a place at a designated health establishment where the applicant will perform community service.

3.5           A completed Application for registration in the category Community Service must be lodged with the South African Nursing Council.

3.6           If the applicant studied at a South African Nursing Education Institution, the application must be submitted within 30 days of completion of the course.

Please note that the application process described here only applies to those applicants who qualified at a South African Nursing Education Institution.

Applicants who qualified outside South Africa should follow the normal procedure to apply for registration of a qualification obtained outside South Africa.  If after evaluation of your qualification it is determined that you qualify for registration as professional nurse, you will be notified of the correct procedure to be followed to apply to be registered in the category Community Service.
 

4.1           The application form

4.1.1    Applications must be made on an official application form obtainable from the Nursing Council for that purpose.  Forms can also be downloaded and printed from the Nursing Council website (www.sanc.co.za).

4.1.2     There are two different types of forms.  One is for applicants who completed the course at a South African Nursing Education Institution (SANC-4-22) and the other is for applicants who obtained a qualification outside South Africa (SANC-4-23).  Please make sure that you use the correct type of form.

4.1.3     Forms must be filled in using a ballpoint pen and all required information should be neatly and clearly PRINTED.

4.1.4     NEI’s may find it helpful to fill in the following information (required on the second page) before photo-copying the forms:

• Nursing Education Institution Number;
• Name of Nursing Education Institution;
• Name of Qualification (the name of the qualification as it will appear on the Diploma or Degree Certificate issued to the applicant by the Nursing Education Institution);
• Name and SANC Reference Number of the Head of the Nursing Education Institution.

4.1.5     The duly completed application form must be signed by both the applicant and the head of the Nursing Education Institution.

4.1.6     The official stamp of the Nursing Education Institution must be placed in the space provided next to the signature of the head of the Nursing Education Institution.

4.2   Attachments to be submitted with the application

4.2.1     Certified copy of South African Identity Document or passport.

4.2.2     Certified copy of marriage certificate if applicable.

4.2.3     Official transcript of training for the course.                                                       

4.2.4     Registration fee of R790-00 (including VAT) or proof of payment thereof.

4.3           Submission of the application 

4.3.1     The application must be submitted to the Nursing Council within 30 days of completion of the course.

4.3.2     The head of the Nursing Education Institution is responsible for checking all applications for completeness and correctness, including ensuring that all attachments are included and correctly certified (where necessary).

4.3.3     All application forms should be submitted under a covering letter from the Nursing Education Institution listing the SANC Reference Number and Full Names of each applicant whose application is included with the letter.

4.3.4     The head of the Nursing Education Institution is responsible for ensuring that the correct registration fees are paid by each applicant.  Council recommends that Nursing Education Institutions collect the fees from applicants and issue their own cheque for the full amount rather than submitting individual payments.  If payment is made directly into the Nursing Council bank account, then proof of any such payment must be submitted together with the application.  Please use your Nursing Education Institution number followed immediately by the payment type code REGFPRA as reference for the payment.

4.3.5    The Council no longer accepts Postal Orders as a means of payment of Council fees!

Please note that at this point the applicant ceases to be an applicant and now becomes a practitioner.  We will therefore stop using the term applicant and continue using the term practitioner.  However, please be assured that we are talking about the same person.

5.1  If everything in the application is in order, the Nursing Council will issue the practitioner with a certificate of registration in the capacity Community Service.

5.2   The certificate will be valid for a period of two years from the end of the month in which the practitioner completed his/her course.

5.3   The certificate will be valid for a period of two years from the date of registration – as indicated by the expiry date printed on the certificate.

PLEASE NOTE:
In terms of the Nursing Act, 2005, the certificate is proof of registration for one year from the date of registration.  Thereafter, a practitioner whose Community Service extends into the second year will have to pay the required Annual Fee in order to remain on the register (and be issued an Annual Practising Certificate as proof of registration). 

6.1   The practitioner must immediately inform the Nursing Council as soon as he or she has assumed duty of the date on which he /she assumed duty and must confirm the name of the designated public health establishment where he or she is performing community service.

6.2   The notice in 6.1 must be submitted on form SANC-4-24 obtainable from the Nursing Council for that purpose.  Forms can also be downloaded and printed from the Nursing Council website (www.sanc.co.za).

6.3   The Notice of Commencement of Community Service must be signed by both the practitioner and the head of the public health establishment and the stamp of the establishment should be placed on the form next to the signature of the head of the establishment.

7.1  Community Service must be performed for a period of twelve months.

7.2  Any interruption or break in the service must be made up within a period of 2 years calculated from the date of commencement of the Community Service.

7.3  If the 12 months of Community Service is not completed within the 2 years limit, the period already served shall lapse and the practitioner will have to redo the full period of community service.

8.1   Only designated public health establishment or complexes of public health establishments can be utilized to perform community service.

8.2 A practitioner who does his/her service in an establishment not designated by the Minister of Health will not be registered and the period of community service will not be recognized.

9.1   On completion of community service, the head of the public health establishment must submit a completion report to the Provincial Coordinator for Community Service within 30 days of the completion of community service.  The declaration on the completion report must be signed by the head of the establishment.

9.2  The completion report must be accompanied by registration fees of R1580-00 (including VAT) or proof of payment thereof.  (The R1580-00 is made up of R790-00 for registration as Nurse and R790-00 for registration as Midwife.)  Please use your SANC number followed immediately by the payment type code REGFPRA as reference for your payment.

9.3    The completion report in 9.1 must be submitted on form SANC-4-25 obtainable from the Nursing Council for that purpose.  Forms can also be downloaded and printed from the Nursing Council website (www.sanc.co.za).

9.4  On receipt of the completion report, the Provincial Coordinator for Community Service must, after satisfying her/himself that everything is in order, sign the report and submit it to the Nursing Council within 30 days of receipt of the report.

9.5  If everything is in order, the Nursing Council will delete the registration in the capacity Community Service and will register the practitioner as Professional Nurse with effect from the end of the month in which community service was completed.

10.1 Exemption will be granted to persons who may have performed a similar service elsewhere.

10.2  Persons referred to in 10.1 are NOT AUTOMATICALLY EXEMPTED.   Any such person must apply to the Minister of Health for exemption and must together with the application provide the Minister with proof of such service.

11.1   Please contact the Nursing Council if you have any queries that are not answered in these instructions.

11.2  Every effort has been made to ensure that there are no errors in these instructions or the various forms applicable to Community Service.  However, if you do spot an error, please let us know so that we can correct it.  Your feedback will be appreciated – thank you.