D.Cur. / The midwife is the pivot around whom training activities in midwifery revolve. Her knowledge and skill form an inseparable part of the effectiveness of her practice. The external and internal environment of the midwife play a vital role regarding the demands placed upon her. The internal and external environment of the midwife is dynamic, and change continually. The external environment in the past ten years has undergone marked changes: health policy has changed; legal-ethical changes have occurred; the roles of the private sector and fee-for-service practitioners have changed; a new government with other objectives has placed the emphasis on new needs at professional and lay levels. These changes place new demands on the midwife's practice. Because the internal and external environments are in interaction, changes in the internal environment are continually being made, for example the knowledge and competency required by the midwife must continuously be improved so that she can comply with the new demands in her practice. The training of the midwife ought to be such that she is adequately equipped to fulfil the demands set by practice. The goal of this study is: an exploration and description of the knowledge and skill required by the midwife to be able to accept her responsibility in the new health care service of South Africa and set guidelines for the basic training of midwife who is to function independently.

Since the inception of the student supernumerary status, both globally and in South Africa, nursing and midwifery educators have been concerned about the clinical competencies of their students. Student clinical competency levels in South Africa are critical to midwifery practice, especially as most litigation against the Department of Health in South Africa concerns negligence in midwifery practice. In addition, the litigations mostly involve newly qualified midwives, thus suggesting a link with practice competency levels. Several challenges exist in the academic and practice environments regarding student learning, practice and clinical preparedness. Lack of support during clinical placement and a lack of facilities for use during clinical practice modules are among these challenges. Some students, due to the challenges they face with clinical learning and practice, fail to meet the practical competencies for examination entry requirements. Consequently, some of these students have to repeat the year or exit the programme. The current study sought to identify how to assist midwifery educators in their activities to prepare students for clinical placement readiness. The first objective of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of midwifery educators regarding the need for additional measures to enhance the clinical preparedness of basic midwifery students before they are allocated to the clinical areas. The second objective sought to make recommendations that would further assist the midwifery educators to clinically prepare midwifery students before being allocated and placed in different clinical areas. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used for the study and the study was conducted at a nursing college in the Eastern Cape Province from August 2014 to January 2016. The research population consisted of midwifery educators at a nursing college and a purposive sampling technique was used guided by set criteria. Data were collected using focus group interviews. Four focus groups were used making a total of 17 participants. The principles applied for data analysis were those of Tesch’s method of data analysis, which were used to develop the themes and sub-themes. An independent coder assisted with the coding of the data for the purposes of trustworthiness. In addition, Lincoln and Guba’s model of trustworthiness consisting of the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability was used to confirm the validity of the study while the ethical principles adopted were informed consent, justice, non-maleficence, privacy and confidentiality. The study found that the participants perceived numerous challenges that hindered the clinical preparedness of their students. These related to increased workload, lack of support from management and a lack of commitment on the part of students towards their studies. The participants also identified inconsistencies in clinical practice between the clinical midwives and the educators, and even among the educators themselves. This lack of consistency in turn causes confusion among the students and thus impacts negatively on their clinical practice preparedness. Based on these findings recommendations for clinical nursing practice, nursing education and research were made.

Advances in technology have made globalization and internationalization a reality in the world. National borders are becoming more permeable and migration of goods, services, and health care workers takes place more readily. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have become competitors and vendors in the global knowledge economy and are expected to develop job seekers that are responsible and engaged global citizens and employees. Offering study abroad programmes is one of the ways that HEIs achieve this goal. It is estimated that in 2010, 4.7 million people studied abroad (OECD, 2012:360), and it is anticipated that this number will grow to 15 million by the year 2025 (Altbach & Knight, 2006:9). South Africa is emerging as a regional hub for study and research in sub-Saharan Africa (UNESCO: 2012b). Many organizations that train nurses are internationalizing their curriculum which effectively means that Schools of Nursing are seeking placement for students to study, gain insight into other cultures and practices, and to gain clinical experience in other countries. Students, the customers of the Higher Education Institutions, often pay large sums of money to undertake these study abroad programmes and therefore expect good quality learning experiences in return. The aim of this qualitative, contextual, exploratory, and descriptive study was to explore and describe the expectations and experiences of international nursing students and faculty members at a Higher Educational Institution in South Africa in order to develop standards that will enable HEIs to optimize the experiences of short-term study abroad nursing students. An in-depth contextual investigation was conducted on globalization and internationalization, as well as the higher education and health systems of three countries to understand the context of the study abroad programmes. Qualitative data was gathered from students and faculty members using focus groups and individual interviews to establish their expectations and experiences of the programme. Thematic synthesis was carried out on the contextual data and the qualitative data. Thereafter, thematic synthesis analysis was conducted using both sets of results to develop standards that can be used to optimize the experience of short-term study abroad nursing students at a HEI. A total of 35 standards were developed around the following main themes: the objectives of study abroad programmes should be stated clearly before arrival and include the expectations of the global, national, and local communities, the higher education institution and the staff and students; study abroad programmes should be managed in an ethical manner and in an enabling environment, as part of their strategic goals and plans of a HEI; students should be exposed to a variety of experiences and differences between the sending and hosting countries during their study abroad programmes; Standards to Facilitate Optimal Experiences of Short-term Study Abroad Nursing Students at a HEI; study abroad programmes should be evaluated at different intervals and levels to ensure quality of the programmes and to ensure that the objectives/outcomes are met. A limitation of the study was the sampling of the clinical mentors which did not include representatives from the overseas universities. It is recommended that the standards that were developed in this study be introduced and tested in HEIs and that more research be conducted on different levels and groups with regard to study abroad programmes in future.

The study focuses on enrolled nurses' experiences of conversion and altered perceptions of self and others as they progress through a conversion course to first level. The experience involves a cultural transition that requires questioning of traditionally held values and adoption of a critical stance to professional practice. The transition mirrors current tensions within nursing as the prevalent direction of professionalisation in recent years has influenced the need for individual accountability that has implications for the self-regulation of practice. Thirty enrolled nurses participated in the study and were interviewed on three occasions as they progressed through specific parts of a conversion course. A grounded theory approach was utilised and important findings emerged in relation to the nature of learning from practice, the influence of gender and class on perceptions of academic ability and occupational standing and the development of self-agency through critical reflection. The findings challenge predominant scientific values within professional nurse education and support the validity of a situated learning approach for this group of experienced nurses. It is contended that, if opportunities for professional development and education are to be genuinely accessible, the diverse needs influencing learner participation must be considered. The main recommendations include the provision of accessible, experiential learning conversion courses for enrolled nurses and the development of a facilitative approach to professional development within nurse education.

The purpose of this study was to explore the question: does the use of a videotaped recording of a nursing student's performance of a psychomotor skill, with subsequent review by the student, enhance that student's performance? In order to answer this question, a quasi-experimental study was carried out. The psychomotor skill selected for testing was that of transferring a client from a bed to a wheelchair. Prior to the study, subjects had completed a learning module on the skill. Sixteen first year baccalaureate nursing students were randomly placed into an experimental or comparison group. Following this, the investigator taught the specified skill employing the teaching techniques of demonstration and discussion. A videotape was made of all subjects performing the skill to provide a data base and determine sample homogeneity. The two groups then received their respective feedback treatments. Eight students in the experimental group received a videotape of their performance, along with a performance check-list to assist them in the review of their videotapes. Eight students in the comparison group received teacher feedback during their skill performance. The teacher was guided by the same performance check-list used by the experimental group subjects. After a period of eleven or twelve days, depending on the group, the experimental and comparison groups returned for a final videotaped test performance. Seven subjects in each group completed the test performance. A questionnaire was completed by the fourteen subjects at this time. This was an attempt to gather data on selected characteristics of the learner, believed to affect psychomotor skill learning. Students did not view the data base or final test performance videotapes. One rater scored these performances using the performance check-list. The scores were compared to determine similarities and differences between the videotaped feedback and teacher feedback groups. The questionnaire responses were tabulated and interpreted within the analysis of the score results. When the gain scores between the data base and final test performances were compared, no significant differences were found between the experimental and comparison groups. Analysis of the data base mean scores revealed that no significant differences existed between the groups. This indicated sample homogeneity before the feedback treatments were given. Gain scores within each group did not show significant differences. With the lack of significant differences in the gain scores between groups, it was concluded that videotaped performance feedback was as effective as teacher feedback. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

M.Cur. / The Government has committed itself to primary health care as the only way of providing an affordable health service to all the Inhabitants of the Republic of South Africa, namely by a partnership service between the State and the private sector. A team approach In the provision of primary health care is essential to ensure Its success. Eskom has a responsibility towards Its employees to ensure that the occupational health nurse receives the necessary training to enable her to provide an effective health service. Eskom has obtained permission to provide health services In accordance with Section 38A of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No 50 of 1978) and has committed Itself to give the occupational health nurse the necessary training for her extended role under Section 38A of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No 50 of 1978). Section 38A of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No 50 of 1978) authorises the occupational health nurse to do a physical examination, diagnose a physical defect and identify an illness in any person. The keeping of prescribed medicines and the supply and administering thereof by the occupational health nurse, subject to the prescribed conditions, as well as the promotion of family planning, are also authorised by the said Section 38A of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No 50 of 1978). An exploratory and descriptive study was done within a contextual framework, with the occupational health nurse, In-service training and the syllabus asthe maln concepts. The occurrence of health problems was thoroughly explored by means of statistics, a literature study and discussions with a panel of experts In Eskom. The learning needs of the occupational health nurses In Eskom were then investigated by means of a questionnaire. It was established that occupational health nurses In Eskom already possess sufficient knowledge In respect of certain health problems. Knowledge of these problems was made a prerequisite In the syllabus for In-service training for Section 38A of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No 50 of 1978). A syllabus was designed for the In-service training of the occupational health nurse in Eskom for Section 38A of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act No 50 of 1978).

M.Cur. / The purpose of this research is to describe a model as framework for the nursing lecturer to utilize in the empowerment of the nursing education student as a reflective learning accompanist in nursing education. Because of the rapid changing political situation in the Republic of South Africa, unprecedented changes are occurring in education and health services. A greater degree of multi-cultural student numbers is experienced in classrooms at tertiary education institutions. Because of the increased accessibility to health services, these specific services are overcrowded by clients/patients. The overcrowding results in a shortage of trained nursing staff. More nursing students register at tertiary institutions, leading to a greater need for nursing education lecturers. These two aspects were identified as the most important causes of this specific research study in nursing education. It is assumed that the nursing lecturer, as reflective learning accompanist, empowers nursing education students to facilitate reflective thinking in their nursing students, by means of reflective learning accompaniment. This serves to improve nursing education, as well as the maintenance and improvement of nursing within a context of an increased need for health services. By means of more efficient education in the development of nursing education students, as reflective learning accompanists in nursing education, the increased demand for more comprehensive and more efficient health care services is addressed. In order to facilitate reflective thinking, the nursing lecturer must empower the developing nursing education student by means of reflective learning accompaniment in order to facilitate reflective thinking.

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

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

Recruitment and retention of professional nurses are crucial issues for hospital departments of nursing. Recognizing the necessity to bridge the gap that persists between nursing education and nursing services, hospitals have designed programs to assist new nurses make the transition to current nursing practice. By helping individuals make the transition to current nursing practice it is hoped that staff nurses will be retained.