Types Of Nurses In South Africa

There are Three main Types of Nurses in South Africa:

Registered Nurses or Nursing Sisters

They are responsible for the supervision of enrolled and enrolled auxiliary nurses as well as typical nursing responsibilities.

Enrolled Nurses

They perform limited nursing care.

Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries

They perform basic procedures and care for patients on a general level.

How to become a nurse in SA

The SA Nursing Council (sanc.co.za) has a huge database of institutions that offer nursing degrees or diplomas.

However, these are the basic academic requirements you need to become a nurse:

A matriculation certificate is the minimum admission requirement for college study.

The admission requirements for university are a matriculation exemption (some universities require certain subjects, such as biology, physical science or mathematics). As there are different academic requirements, it would be best to contact the specific training institutions involved.

What training does a university offer?

Universities offer a basic, four-year, full-time undergraduate degree (BCur) that prepares students in four career fields, namely general nursing (caring for people in hospitals, clinics and private practices); community nursing (primary healthcare and the prevention of disease in the community); psychiatric nursing (treating the mental health of individuals); and midwifery (caring for mothers and babies).

Clinical (practical) nursing experience is obtained at hospitals and other health services during the four years of study. Universities also offer post-basic qualifications at diploma, degree, master’s and doctoral levels.

What training does a college of nursing offer?

There are public and private nursing colleges, and the most common courses they offer are: a four-year diploma leading to registration as a nurse (general, psychiatric, community or midwifery); a two-year bridging course; one-year courses; and post-basic diplomas.

What courses will I study?

A student can expect to study fundamental subjects such as anatomy and physiology, behavioural sciences, nursing, midwifery, and community and psychiatric nursing.