South African Nursing Council

Regulations Relating to the Approval of and the Minimum Requirements for the Education and Training of a Learner Leading to Registration in the Category Auxiliary Nurse

The Minister of Health has, in terms of section 58(1)(f) of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No.33 of 2005), after consultation with the South African Nursing Council, made the regulations in the Schedule. 

SCHEDULE

Definitions

1.    In this schedule “the Act” means the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005), and any expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall bear such meaning and, unless the context indicates otherwise—

“academic year” means a period of at least 44 weeks of learning in any calendar year; 

“assessment” means a structured process for gathering evidence and making judgements about a learner’s performance in relation to the prescribed requirements for the programme;

“assessment method” means the act that the assessor engages in, utilising a variety of assessment strategies;

“assessor” means a practitioner registered as such with the Council who will be responsible for the assessment of the learner achievement of learning outcomes for the programme;

“clinical accompaniment” means a structured process by a nursing education institution to facilitate assistance and support to the learner by the nurse educator at the clinical facility to ensure the achievement of the programme outcomes;

“clinical facility” means a continuum of services to promote health and provide care to individuals and groups, used to teach learners; 

“clinical learning opportunities” means the range of learning experiences available in a healthcare setting or other experiential learning sites for a learner to gain the required clinical skills; 

“clinical placement” means the period spent by a learner in clinical and other experiential learning sites to ensure that the purpose of the programme is achieved;

“clinical supervision” means the assistance and support extended to the learner by the professional nurse and staff nurse at a clinical facility with an aim of developing a competent, independent practitioner;

“competence” means the ability of a practitioner to integrate the professional attributes including, but not limited to, knowledge, skills, judgement, values and beliefs required to perform as an auxiliary nurse in all situations and practice settings;

“fee” means a fee or fees determined by the Council from time to time and published by notice in the Gazette;

“integrated assessment” means forms of assessment which permit the learner to demonstrate applied competence and which use a range of formative and summative assessment methods; 

“learner” means a person registered with the Council as a learner nurse in terms of section 32;

“learning outcomes” means the prescribed competencies and educational outcomes for the programme;

“moderation” means the process conducted by an independent moderator, which ensures that assessment of the outcomes prescribed for the programme is fair, valid and reliable;

“moderator” means a practitioner registered as such with the Council who will be responsible for the moderation of assessment conducted by the nursing education institutions for the programme;

“programme” means a purposeful and structured set of learning experiences that leads to registration in the category auxiliary nurse;

“programme outcomes” means the equivalent of the exit level outcomes of the qualification;

“qualification” means a planned combination of learning outcomes with a defined purpose that is intended to provide qualifying learners with applied competence for meeting the prescribed requirements of the auxiliary nurse qualification that is registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF);

“recognition of prior learning” means the evidence-based assessment comparison of previous learning and experience against the learning outcomes required for a specific programme and the acceptance of such previous learning for the purpose of accessing a programme; and 

“section” means a section of the Act.

Requirements for registration in the category auxiliary nurse

2. (1)    A person shall be registered in the category auxiliary nurse in terms of section 31(1)(d) if such a person—

(a)    received education and training at a nursing education institution that is accredited to provide the programme; 

(b)    was registered with the Council as a learner for the duration of the programme;

(c)    has met the requirements of the accredited programme; 

(d)    has been assessed and found competent in all exit level outcomes of the programme; and

(e)    has complied with any other conditions as determined by the Council.

(2)    On completion or termination of the programme, the person in charge of the nursing education institution where the learner was registered must submit to the Council—

(a)    a record of theoretical education and training;

(b)    a record of clinical education and training;

(c)    a record of summative assessments conducted, including recognition of prior learning where applicable;

(d)    if applicable, a declaration certifying that the learner has met the prescribed educational requirements and is competent for registration in the category auxiliary nurse, signed by the person in charge of the nursing education institution, in a format as determined by the Council; and

(e)    any other information as may be required by the Council.

(3)    The application for registration in the category auxiliary nurse must be in accordance with the Regulations Relating to the Particulars to be Furnished to the Council for Keeping of the Register for Nursing Practitioners; the Manner of Effecting Alterations to the Register; and Certificates that may be Issued by the Council published in Government Notice No. R.195 of 19 February 2008.

(4)    In the case of a person that was not duly registered with the Council as a learner in terms of subregulation (1)(b), education and training undergone during the period when the person was not registered as a learner shall not be recognised by Council.

Accreditation of a nursing education institution to offer the programme 

3.    An institution must be accredited to offer the programme in terms of the Regulations Relating to the Accreditation of Institutions as Nursing Education Institutions.

Admission requirements to the programme

4. (1)    A candidate shall apply to a nursing education institution that is accredited to provide the programme referred to in these regulations. 

(2)    In order to be admitted to the programme, a person must be in possession of at least a National Senior Certificate or an equivalent educational qualification.

Minimum requirements for the programme

5. (1)    The requirements of the programme must be read and applied in conjunction with the directives of such programme, as determined by the Council. Such directives may be published by notice in the Gazette.

(2)    Learners are required to achieve all exit level outcomes of the qualification.

(3)    The duration of the programme is one (1) academic year of fulltime study.

(4)    A learner shall, throughout the programme, receive integrated education and training to achieve both theoretical and clinical outcomes.

(5)    A learner shall comply with all clinical placement requirements of the programme as determined by the Council.

(6)    The maximum period that a learner may spend in a simulated learning environment must comply with the conditions determined by Council, which may be published by notice in the Gazette at the discretion of the Council.

Clinical education and training 

6. (1)    Clinical education and training must only be provided in clinical facilities that are approved in terms of the accreditation of the programme.

(2)    Clinical learning must take place in a range of clinical settings and other learning sites that will facilitate the achievement of the programme outcomes. 

(3)    The nursing education institution must set clinical learning outcomes for each of the learning areas of the programme.

(4)    The nursing education institution must keep records of all clinical training.

(5)    The nursing education institution is accountable for clinical accompaniment and clinical supervision.

(6)    Clinical education and training shall include learning experience at night which—

(a)    shall not exceed two (2) months of an academic year; and 

(b)    shall not take place within the first six (6) months of the commencement of the programme.

Assessment and moderation of learning outcomes

7. (1)    Assessment of learning by a nursing education institution must comply with the following—

(a)    It must be conducted by an assessor registered with the Council;

(b)    the learner must be assessed and found competent in all learning outcomes of the programme, in line with the assessment criteria outlined in the qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework;

(c)    a minimum of 60% of formative clinical assessment activities must be done in real life situations;

(d)    there must be evidence of continuous assessment throughout the period of study;

(e)    there must be evidence of internal moderation of all assessments;

(f)    records of assessment and moderation must be kept by the nursing education institution for a period as prescribed by relevant legislation and be produced on request of the Council;

(g)    summative assessment must be conducted at the end of learning periods as determined by institutional policies, which must include a final assessment at the end of the programme; and

(g)    [should be paragraph (h)] any other requirements as may be determined by the Council.

(2)    Notwithstanding the provisions in subregulation (1), the Council may delegate the assessment and moderation functions to any person or organisation.

Transfers

8. (1)    In case of a learner transferring to another nursing education institution, the person in charge of the nursing education institution transferring the learner must—

(a)    submit to the receiving nursing education institution, on request, a record of all education and training that the learner has undergone; and 

(b)    submit to the Council—

(i)    a record of education and training undergone by the learner, in a format determined by the Council; and

(ii)    a notice of termination of education and training in a format determined by the Council.

(2)    The nursing education institution receiving the transferred learner referred to in subregulation (1) must submit to the Council an application for readmission of the learner into the programme in terms of section 32 and in accordance with prescribed requirements.

Recognition of prior learning

9. (1)    A learner may be assessed on prior learning for no more than 50% of the prescribed credits towards the programme by—

(a)    applying to a nursing education institution accredited to offer the auxiliary nurse programme; 

(b)    providing evidence of prior learning by means of portfolios, other forms of appropriate evidence or challenge examinations, and

(c)    complying with the nursing education institution’s recognition of prior learning policies and procedures.

(2)    The process referred to in subregulation (1) must meet the Council’s and the general prescripts for recognition of prior learning.

(3)    The assessment of prior learning referred to in subregulation (1) must be conducted by an assessor registered in terms of regulation 8(1)(a). 

(4)    The nursing education institution must submit the credits obtained from the assessment of prior learning as part of the completion of training records referred to in regulation 2(2)(c).

(5)    The nursing education institution where recognition of prior learning has taken place must keep a full record of the assessment conducted and all documentation pertaining to such assessment for a period as prescribed by relevant legislation and, on request, supply such records to the Council.

(6)    Where a nursing education institution fails to produce the recognition of prior learning records on request of the Council, the Council may refuse such an application for credits or where credit was already granted, such credits may be withdrawn.

Application of these regulations 

10.    These regulations shall apply in South Africa to— 

(a)    all programmes leading to registration in the category auxiliary nurse; and 

(b)    all learners following such programmes.

Transitional arrangements

11. (1)    The regulations relating to the course leading to enrolment as a nursing auxiliary published by Government Notice No. R.2176 of 19 November 1993 will remain in force until repealed by notice in the Gazette.

(2)    Notwithstanding the provisions of subregulation (1), the Council will, from the publication date of these regulations, cease to accredit any new nursing education institution to offer the education and training programme referred to in subregulation (1).

(3)    Notwithstanding the provisions of subregulation (1), nursing education institutions accredited for education and training programmes in terms of the regulations mentioned in subregulation (1) will cease to admit new learners to such programmes on a date to be determined by the Council and published by notice in the Gazette.

(4)    The nursing education institutions referred to in subregulation (3) must ensure that all education and training programmes that commenced prior to the date referred to in subregulation (3) are completed within a period of three (3) years from that date.

(5)    Notwithstanding the provisions of subregulation (1), no person may, after the date published in terms of subregulation (3), be registered as a learner for the first time for the education and training programmes in terms of the regulations mentioned in subregulation (1).

(6)    Notwithstanding the provisions of subregulation (1), learners registered in terms of the regulations mentioned in subregulation (1) will continue to be regulated under those regulations until the end of the three-year period mentioned in subregulation (4).