D.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Cur. / College management is liable for quality management ofthe college to facilitate quality education. Nursing collegeshave the autonomous responsibility for planning, organising, implementing and controlling nursing education in order to ensure the achievement of programme objectives set by the South African Nursing Council. The college is further accountable to the community for the training of nurses to meet their health needs. Through the implementation of quality improvement strategies, which begin with the description of standards, the college manager accepts responsibility for facilitating quality nursing education through quality management. The purpose of the study was to describe standards for a nursing college, which can be used as a management instrument to facilitate quality education, as well as effective functioning of a nursing college. The aim of the study is justified by means of a descriptive, explorative, contextual research design. Standards for a nursing college were developed and validated by utilising a structured two-phase research method. For the development of standards, the Delphi method, round one, was used to identify subjects for standards, after which a preliminary conceptual framework was compiled. A comprehensive literature control was then undertaken to refine the preliminary conceptual framework. A final conceptual framework was formulated which served as a basis for the description of standards. The final validation of standards occurred in the quantifying phase by means of consensus discussions between experts during round two of the Delphi method. The main subjects for which standards were described, include philosophy, mission, strategic planning, personnel management, general management, research role of the tutor, community involvement, academy, students and quality improvement programme. Structural standards, which can be utilized as a management instrument, were described and represented in the form of an accreditation instrument. The purpose of this instrument is for management to use it for self-evaluation, while the standards are implemented and tested in the nursing colleges.

D.Cur. / With the current expanding privatisation of health services in South Africa, the establishing of quality assurance mechanisms is not only essential but is becoming a prerequisite for further privatisation. Privatisation of health care services, together with economical problems, are causing the role fulfilment and accountability structure of the nurse administrator to become much more complex and greater demands are continually made. A profile of the nurse administrator in private hospitals in South Africa, was compiled by means of an explorative descriptive study. This was done to ascertain their preparedness for the formalisation of quality assurance in nursing. The conclusion which was ultimately reached conceded that the nurse administrator in South African private hospitals, is not adequately prepared for her managerial responsibilities. She is, however, according to the registered qualifications, adequately qualified;.. to exercise effective quality control and assurance in the various nursing disciplines. Consequently national nursing service standards for private hospitals were formulated. These standards were validated bya representative group of national experts. The validation process consisted of a two-stage research technique. The statistical validity was calculated by means of a content validity index for each standard. Fourteen (N=275) of these standards (5%) were rejected by the whole group and 25 (9%) require reformulation. The respondents from the private sector rejected three more standards. Standards form the basis of the quality assurance process. These standards should equip the nurse administrator with valuable guidelines to promote a high standard of nursing service management in private hospitals. It is recommended that these standards should serve as optimum standards for nurse administrators in private hospitals.