SAQA 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 THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Bachelor of Nursing Science 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
19342  Bachelor of Nursing Science 
ORIGINATOR
University of Potchefstroom 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
National First Degree  Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services  Preventive Health 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  622  Level 7  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L7  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 SAQA 2663/05  2006-07-01  2009-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2010-06-30   2015-06-30  

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 
The qualified student will be able to register as a registered nurse (general, psychiatric and community) and midwife with the South African Nursing Council. As a registered nurse the qualified learner will be able to render professional, comprehensive, high quality, scientifically founded nursing within a multi-disciplinary service, from a sense of vocation. This nursing will provide in the needs of the time, the province and the individual. It will be service directed, caring, culture-sensitive and based on the primary health care approach. The nurse will experience a continued pursuit of personal and professional growth and health, as well as facilitate this pursuit of health in the patient. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Admission Requirements:
  • Matriculation exemption according to the minimum requirements for entry in graduate studies at a University;
  • A minimum P-score of 18 (calculated according to the specific formula implemented at the PU for CHE);
  • Psychometric testing;
  • Successful selection after a panel interview.


    Specific skills:
  • Intra- and interpersonal skills;
  • Leadership skills;
  • Critical thinking skills;
  • Natural empathy and caring for people.


    Recognition of prior learning (RPL):
  • Practice as an enrolled or auxiliary nurse and enrolled as such with the South African Nursing Council;
  • Caring for aged, invalids, children;
  • Related health care professions (e.g. physiotherapy). 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    The student will be capable of:
  • Promoting, maintaining and restoring health;
  • Integrating scientific knowledge in a critical analytic way in order to provide general nursing care, community health care, psychiatric nursing care and midwifery care, applying the scientific approach in assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing, evaluating and documenting comprehensive nursing care to individuals, families and communities;

    2.
  • Providing scientifically based comprehensive antenatal, intra-partal, postnatal and neonatal midwifery care in an applicable socio-cultural family and community centred context;

    3.
  • Providing scientifically based community nursing to the patient, family and community with the current and future community health needs in the country and managing the utilisation of resources to promote health and health services;

    4.
  • Functioning in the mental health care team and applying the scientific method of nursing and other methods of interaction in psychiatric nursing as applicable on the individual, family and the community to promote, maintain and restore mental health;

    5.
    Utilising intra- and interpersonal skills, stress-, conflict- and crisis- management to facilitate health in both health care consumers and providers;

    6.
  • Assuming responsibility and accountability in independently providing professional nursing care with a legal, ethical framework;

    7.
    Maintaining professional excellence and competence through continuing education.

    8.
  • Providing health service management as a member of the multi-professional team in order to improve the quality of nursing care and health services, with cognisance of primary health care principles and cultural context;

    9.
  • Conduct health related research of high ethical standard within the multi-professional team to improve health care to individuals, families and communities and to contribute to the body knowledge of the profession. 
    		•

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    The student will provide evidence of competencies, knowledge and attitudes through:

    1.
    Assessing and diagnosing as follows:
  • Identifying the facilitatory and harming factors in health;
  • Doing an individual health assessment throughout the life span and diagnosing basic needs, minor physical ailments, acute and chronic conditions and emergencies;
  • Doing a comprehensive family, community and environmental assessment and diagnosing health and illness behaviour in the individual, family and community;
  • Doing an epidemiological assessment;
  • Doing a mental health assessment and diagnosing mental discomfort and mental illness;
  • Doing an antenatal, intra-partum and post-natal assessment in order to make a diagnosis;
  • Doing an assessment of the newborn in order to make a diagnosis.

    Critical thinking and problem solving:
  • Identify problems and apply problem-solving skills related to:

    - Basic needs and situations of minor physical ailments, acute and chronic physical conditions and emergencies;
    - Family, community and environmental health issues;
    - Psychiatric nursing care situations;
    - Midwifery and neonatal care situations; and
    - Disaster or possible disaster affecting the community.

    Planning:
  • Nursing care in order to facilitate health promotion in the individual, family and community;
  • Nursing care for the patient regarding basic needs and with a minor, acute or chronic physical condition or emergency;
  • Community health care for the family and community;
  • Life skill enhancement and mental health promotion of the individual, family and community, as well as psychiatric nursing care for patients with mental discomfort or -illness;
  • Midwifery care for the ant-natal, intra-partal, post-natal patient and the neonate;
  • Referral of patients within the health institution and the community;
  • Participation of the individual, family and community in own health care.

    Implementing:
  • Preventative-, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care for the individual, family and community;
  • Planned nursing care for:
    - Health promotion;
    - Patient's basic needs;
    - Life skill enhancement;
    - Patients with minor, acute and chronic physical conditions;
    - Families and communities;
    - Patients with mental discomfort or illness;
    - Midwifery patients and neonates.

    Evaluating:
  • The process and outcome of the implemented care plans for individuals, families and communities.

    Documenting:
  • Assessment and diagnosis;
  • Implementation of planned nursing care;
  • Outcomes of implemented nursing care.

    Utilising appropriate technology in comprehensive nursing care:

    2.
  • Demonstrating comprehensive individualised midwifery care for:
    - Patients in normal or abnormal pregnancy, labour or puerperium;
    - The healthy neonate and the neonate with abnormalities;
    - Implementing emergency care in case of complications during pregnancies, labour, puerperium and with the neonate.

    3.
  • Composing a community profile to provide in the comprehensive health needs and strengths of the individual, family and community;
  • Implementing the epidemiological process within a systematic framework to analyse health related problems and strengths in the community;
  • Promoting health of the individual, the family and the community through:
    - recognising of environmental facilitatory and harming factors;
    - Interacting as a change-agent in the community;
    - Collaboration between the social, cultural and spiritual sectors and/or resources in the community;
    - Recognising economical and political influences on health;
    - Recognising regional, national and international indicators of primary health care programmes.
  • Implementing primary health care services in the community according to the national health policy and components of a comprehensive health care service;
  • Determining the roles of various groups in the community with regard to emergency / disaster situations.

    4.
  • Promoting mental health in the individual, family and community;
  • Supportive interviewing of patients with mental discomfort;
  • Giving mental health education;
  • Implementing milieu therapy, stimulation programmes and groupwork in order to promote mental health and prevent mental illness;
  • Facilitating life skills enhancement of the individual, family and community;
  • Establishing, maintaining and terminating therapeutic relationships;
  • Performing situation analysis of the mental health status of the community through home visits.

    5.
  • Providing health education to individuals and groups regarding physical and mental health;
  • Performing supportive interviewing;
  • Conducting crisis interaction and trauma counselling;
  • Resolving conflict constructively;
  • Demonstrating effective communication and interpersonal skills in interaction with:

    - healthy individuals, the family and community;
    - physically ill patients;
    - midwifery patients;
    - psychiatric patients;
    - members of the multidisciplinary team;
    - stakeholders of health care in the community.

    6.
  • Demonstrating responsibility in nursing practice through competency within the scope of practice, as an independent general-, community-, psychiatric nurse and midwife;
  • Demonstrating accountability for practices;
  • Practicing within the legal framework of the current Nursing Act and other health related acts;
  • Recognising the rights of the patient, family, community, nurses and profession;
  • Demonstrating ethical behaviour in professional practice and personal life.

    7.
  • Identifying own learning needs for improvement of practice and professional knowledge;
  • Participating in lifelong self-directed learning activities to maintain professional excellence and competence.

    8.
  • Assessing health services regarding utilisation of facilities;
  • Assessing the accessibility and affordability of health services;
  • Empowering the community across the cultural spectrum for the use of resources to promote health and prevent illness (physical and mental) through community participation and involvement;
  • Assessing emergency and risk situations in the family, community and health service institutions;
  • Managing emergency and disaster situations in the community and/or institution;
  • Managing patient care;
  • Managing health service in a unit regarding personnel, equipment, finances, supplies, technology and documentation;
  • Managing inter-sectoral collaboration to promote Primary Health Care;
  • Exercising leadership skills to direct group activities;
  • Promoting quality nursing care;
  • Working effectively as leader and/or member of the multidisciplinary health team;
  • Developing networking strategies in the community and health services;
  • Collaborating with groups in the community regarding health care.

    9.
  • Identifying researchable problems concerning health and nursing in order to maintain or improve quality health/nursing care;
  • Implementing the scientific research process in collecting and analysing applicable data;
  • Utilising appropriate technology in research;
  • Utilising research findings to attribute to the improvement of quality of nursing care;
  • Writing a report on research findings.


    Integrated Assessment

    Continuous Assessment:
  • Continuous integrated assessment by tutors, clinical facilitators, professional nurses and peers by means of case study presentations, clinical work books and checklists and project presentations in order to assess the ability to integrate theory and practice, work as leader / member of the mutli-disciplinary team and using interpersonal and communication skills.

    Continuous feedback on assignments, written and oral tests and projects by qualified academics according to the standardised system of the University.


    Formative and Summative Assessment:

    Formative assessment through assignments, class tests, and semester tests combined to make up a year mark for entrance to the final examination.

    The summative assessment consists of final written examinations and comprehensive patient centred practical examinations. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    Articulation with qualifications offered at other institutions (horizontal):
  • Articulation possibilities exist between nursing schools at other universities in the country with credits that can be retained.
  • Articulation with accredited nursing colleges is possible on challenging the specific level.

    The qualification towards which this qualification may proceed (vertical):
  • Post basic programmes (diploma, degree or certificate);
  • Masters degree;
  • Doctoral degree. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    In the examination of the first and second academic years, two internal examiners are appointed by the faculty.

    For all final level courses (third and fourth year) two internal examiners and an external examiner is appointed. The external examiner is an appropriately qualified nurse educator from another University.

    Accreditation Body:
  • The Council on Higher Education;
  • The South African Nursing Council. 
    		•

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    Only academic assessors from the University because of their expertise and assessing expertise and the fact that these assessors are specifically trained as such.

    Only a Registered Nursing (general, psychiatric and community) and midwife with the post basic qualification as nurse educator with a Bachelor 's degree in Nursing. 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006. 

    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.