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All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |
| SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY |
| REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: |
| Postgraduate Diploma in Oncology and Palliative Nursing |
| SAQA QUAL ID | QUALIFICATION TITLE | |||
| 119826 | Postgraduate Diploma in Oncology and Palliative Nursing | |||
| ORIGINATOR | ||||
| Cape Peninsula University of Technology | ||||
| PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY | NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK | |||
| - | HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework | |||
| QUALIFICATION TYPE | FIELD | SUBFIELD | ||
| Postgraduate Diploma | Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services | Curative Health | ||
| ABET BAND | MINIMUM CREDITS | PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL | NQF LEVEL | QUAL CLASS |
| Undefined | 120 | Not Applicable | NQF Level 08 | Regular-Provider-ELOAC |
| REGISTRATION STATUS | SAQA DECISION NUMBER | REGISTRATION START DATE | REGISTRATION END DATE | |
| Reregistered | EXCO 0333/25 | 2025-07-10 | 2028-07-10 | |
| LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT | LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT | |||
| 2029-07-10 | 2032-07-10 | |||
| In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise. |
This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. |
| PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION |
| Purpose:
The Postgraduate Diploma in Oncology and Palliative Care Nursing has been designed to promote a deeper engagement with knowledge and professional practice at the forefront of the nursing profession. The qualification includes fundamentals in research to enable an understanding of the theoretical and ethical underpinning knowledge of various methodologies and designs of research to inform practice as well as encourage the development of critical and reflective nurse practitioners. Qualifying learners will enhance their professional practice and career development by gaining leadership and management knowledge and skills as well as develop an advanced level of knowledge and critical thinking skills that will prepare them as specialists, to manage patients, their families, and communities, admitted to any oncology and palliative facility. This qualification provides a career path for professional nurses nationally who want to stay in a clinical context, but who would like to specialise, with a focus on oncology and palliative nursing, and add to their depth of knowledge and skills. The qualification aims to broaden the range of the learner's abilities and prepare them to be at the forefront of healthcare management and professional practice in general health services, midwifery, and specialty units empowered to demonstrate ethical and socially responsible behaviours and effective teamwork, communication, and presentation skills. Qualifying learners will establish a research culture that will lead to evidence-based and reflective practice, ensuring holistic quality patient-focused care for individuals, groups, and communities within the health care system. The purpose of this qualification is to offer a professional nursing specialisation that combines conceptual and contextual knowledge, skill, and the resultant necessary applied competencies, to enable the oncology and palliative nurse specialist to competently apply scientifically based oncological and palliative health strategies and technologies geared towards the promotion of healing of the cancer patient, prevent complications and to alleviate suffering in the palliative patient. Upon completion of this qualification, qualifying learners will be able to: Rationale: The rationale of the qualification is to develop a specialist nurse practitioner with advanced knowledge and expertise in clinical skills in line with the National and Provincial Healthcare Plans and Sustainable Development Goals as guided by the WHO (2015). This will promote the health status of the South African population and alleviate the lack of skills and practitioners in order to address the quadruple burden of disease in the healthcare system. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) has developed competencies for and designated this qualification as a specialist clinical nursing qualification. Nursing specialisations such as oncology and palliative nursing are a direct articulation from the undergraduate nursing qualification to the Postgraduate Diploma which offers a career path for oncology and palliative nurses. This specialist nurse works within a multidisciplinary team in facilities in a range of settings complying and aligning with ethical, legal, and professional frameworks that prescribe their scope of practice according to the South African Nursing Council (SANC) to serve the health needs of patients, their families, and the communities. The Gazette (2018) made the National Scarce Skills list available. The background of the list has shown that the provision of education and training must be coordinated with the needs of society and the skills required to provide for these needs. South Africa has identified the current and future occupational demands to ensure that the goals of the National Development Plan, New Growth Path, and the Industrial Policy Action Plan are achieved. The primary purpose of the National Scarce Skill list was to improve the responsiveness of the Post-School Education and Training System (PSET). The list is important for enrolment planning, decision-making on how to prioritise resource allocation, qualification development, and career information and advice. The 2020 list of National Scarce Skills confirms the fact that Healthcare Professionals and related clinical science are third on the list, with the Clinical Nurse Specialist as a priority (Critical Skills Occupational List, 2020). The National Cancer Strategic Framework 2017 - 2022 is outlined in the National Development Plan (2015) to demonstrate how the country is committed to reducing the burden of cancer amongst South Africans, through training, this strategy was developed to ensure that all people have access to health services to control and prevent cancer, being treated by competent oncology nurses. Cancer incidence and prevalence have been increasing internationally and in South Africa. Global cancer statistics have shown that cancer kills more people each year than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria together (CANSA, 2020). As reported by Bray, Ferlay, Soerjomataram, Siegel, Torre, and Jemal (2018), the 2018 GLOBOCAN statistics indicate that in 2018, there were over 18 million new cases of cancer. The need to train more oncology and palliative clinical specialists is related to the increasing number of cancer cases and the number of private oncology units and practices that need to deliver care to cancer patients. Legislation at SANC and ethical issues in the field of oncology require nurses to specialize before embarking on employment in this field of practice. At the World Health Assembly in Geneva (2017), the current WHO Global Action Plan on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and the ambitious targets of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, including SDG 3 (Good health and well-being) were highlighted, which creates a timely imperative to invest in cancer, a leading NCD killer. With 1 in 3 people directly affected by cancer and 8.8 million annual deaths, this disease is one of the world's most pressing health concerns worldwide (CANSA, 2020). The South African Nursing Council has issued a Regulation on the new Scope of Practice for the clinical specialist (SANC, 2020)) emphasising the promotion of the health of the communities throughout the lifespan (Government Gazette no 43305, 2020). The oncology and palliative nurse practitioner will function independently within the scope of practice of the specialist nurse, as formulated by the South African Nursing Council. The draft of the Scope of practice (2020) emphasises the importance of the specialist. The oncology and palliative nurse practitioner will function independently within the Scope of Practice of the Specialist Nurse (Regulation of June 2020), as formulated by the South African Nursing Council. |
| LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING |
| Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy which is applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications. RPL may be applied for access, credits from modules, and credits for or towards the qualification. RPL for access: RPL for exemption of modules: RPL for credit: Entry Requirements: The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is: Or Or |
| RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? |
| Y |
| QUALIFICATION RULES |
| This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.
Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 120 Credits: |
| EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES |
| 1. Apply the knowledge of and facilitate evidence-based practice, nursing education, or management in the specialist field to solve contextual problems and develop policies and guidelines.
2. Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patient, client, families, and communities. 3. Conduct services in a legal, ethical, and professional environment, resolving and reflecting on ethical dilemmas by using decision-making and moral reasoning models suitable for different ethical value systems. 4. Demonstrate critical decision-making and moral reasoning models and principles to resolve ethical dilemmas within the specialty practice. 5. Communicate and manage data to support decision-making and research. 6. Appraise and develop self, peers, and nurse specialists by facilitating self-directedness, leadership, and lifelong learning to maintain competence. 7. Demonstrate understanding of the process of commissioning at different levels and classifications of the specialist units, health services, or educational entities. 8. Collaborate within the inter-and intra-professional team by engaging in health dialogue, shared leadership, decision-making, and sound clinical judgement. 9. Render and co-ordinate patient-centred oncology and palliative nursing practice within a continuum of care. 10. Mobilise appropriate resources to implement standards of practice relevant to the area of Specialisation, to ensure quality patient care and safety. 11. Participate in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of nursing policies, programmes, and projects at a provincial or national level. |
| ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA |
| Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10: Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 11: INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT Integrated assessment forms part of continuous assessment at the institution and takes the form of an appropriate mix of both formative and summative assessment methods. Assessments are aligned with the learning outcomes as indicated in the oncology and palliative nursing-specific subject guides. Assessment dates are collectively discussed by the academic staff to ensure no overlap of due dates of assessments. Assessment policy and practices at the institution promote constructive alignment of the curriculum, student centred-learning and assessment, and the importance of feedback to enhance student engagement. Assessment practices should be fair, reliable, and valid. It should also be in keeping with academic disciplinary and professional field norms and standards. Formative assessment is aimed at enhancing learning and provides learners with an opportunity to reflect critically on their own learning and to improve their own levels of personal accountability and time management. Formative assessments will consist of a variety of assessment tasks relevant to oncology and palliative nursing services management. The formative assessments may be conducted as individual or group work. Peer and self-assessment tools may also be used in conjunction with tutor-centred methods for some units to enhance learner feedback. The qualification will include a variety of tasks such as problem-solving individual and/or group assignments and projects, case studies, portfolio development, class discussions, quizzes, field trip reports, and digital story presentations. Summative assessment will take place at the end of a section of work and is aimed at assessing learners' attainment against the learning outcomes of the programme and subject(s). Summative assessments are internally and externally moderated based on institutional policy and requirements. Summative assessments usually consist of a variety of formal assessment tasks relevant to oncology and palliative nursing, including written assessments and assignments, reports, and a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) portfolio. This qualification will consist of written assessments in the form of written class tests and assignments (oral, and written), and portfolios conducted during and at the end of the academic semester. Integrated assessment is aimed at holistic development and contributes to learners' personal and professional development in Oncology and Palliative Nursing in terms of foundational, practical, and reflexive competence. Integrated assessment in this qualification will take place continuously and learners will be assessed holistically by means of project reports. Integrated assessments in this qualification will take place through research projects conducted across different subject fields and also in community engagement projects that make use of the different knowledge and skills from different subject areas. |
| INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY |
| Country: Australia
Institution: University of Adelaide Qualification Title: Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Oncology Nursing) Similar to the qualification offered at the University of Adelaide, this qualification will develop specialist competencies with a focus on supporting cancer patients, and their families; leadership and advocacy as well as developing research and evidence-based practice. This is an undergraduate qualification with the subject Nursing 3011OL, cancer care, and palliative care nursing offered in the second semester. It is offered online. (The University of Adelaide, 2020). This is a one-year full-time qualification. The specialisation is suited to nurses currently practising oncology nursing who want to build their competencies for senior positions in the area. It's focused on best practices for supporting cancer patients and their families and friends. Courses are delivered online with only one two-day campus workshop per semester, so the program is ideal for rural or remote nurses. Entry requirement: Career Readiness: Graduates are prepared for careers in a variety of settings from clinical to community, rural, acute care, and other non-clinical areas. Modules: Similarities: Country: United Kingdom Institution: Newcastle University Qualification Title: Oncology and Palliative Qualification This qualification provides detailed knowledge about the relationship between oncology and clinical cancer service provision in: Learners will learn the basics of research in oncology and palliative care. This will prepare them for further research within the field. Learners develop skills in the delivery of evidence-based oncology and palliative care, including: Learners will learn through a range of optional modules: Optional Modules and Credits: Assessment methods: Depending on the modules, learners will be assessed through a combination of: Case study, computer assessment design or creative project, essay, oral examination, oral presentation, PC examination, portfolio, reflective log, research proposal, written examination, written exercise. Similarities: Differences: |
| ARTICULATION OPTIONS |
| This qualification allows possibilities for both vertical and horizontal articulation.
Horizontal Articulation: Vertical Articulation: |
| MODERATION OPTIONS |
| N/A |
| CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS |
| N/A |
| NOTES |
| N/A |
| LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: |
| NONE |
| PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: |
| This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here. |
| NONE |
| All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source. |