Magister Curationis - MCur / Occupational health nursing (OHN) as a specialist area has become increasingly popular in South Africa for registered nurses. With developing legislation in South Africa regarding occupational health in the workplace, there is a growing need for occupational health nursing practitioners to be adequately prepared to practice according to the competencies set out by the South African Nursing Council on completion of their study programme. No significant research studies have been done on the perceived readiness of occupational health nursing practitioners to practice occupational health nursing in South Africa. The aim of the study was to explore the perceived readiness of the 2015 graduating OHN students to practice OHN. The study used a qualitative research approach, using an exploratory descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who were enrolled in the occupational health nursing programme during their final year of study at a specific university in South Africa. Data were collected by means of in-depth interviews from participants and were analysed using thematic content analysis. Five major themes were identified: Perceived confidence to practice OHN; Readiness for the unique field of OHN; Readiness for professional and self development; Readiness for a leadership role in occupational health management; and Perceived readiness for a research role in OHN and future implications.The researcher concluded, on the basis of the findings, that occupational health nurse practitioners are generally ready to practice as competent and independent OHN professionals.

The study attempted to identify R425 diplomates' perceptions of their psychiatric competencies. An exploratory descriptive survey investigated specific strengths and weaknesses of the R425 diplomates in the psychiatric clinical units in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, as perceived by the diplomates themselves. The diplomates were reportedly competent in performing numerous, but not all cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills addressed by this survey. The R425 diplomates perceived themselves to be incompetent in designing and implementating rehabilitation programmes/workshops, managing community projects, conducting research and managing crises in psychiatric nursing units. / Health Sciences / M.A. (Health Studies)

Currently, C Hospital lacks a standardized nursing informatics competency program to validate nurses' skills and knowledge in using electronic medical records (EMRs). At the study locale, the organization is about to embark on the implementation of a new, more comprehensive EMR system. All departments will be required to use the new EMR, unlike the current policy that allows some areas to still document on paper. The Institute of Medicine, National League of Nursing, and American Association of Colleges of Nursing support and recommend that information technology be an essential core competency for nurses. Evidence of the need for nursing informatic competencies was found through a literature search using CINHAL, Proquest Nursing, Medline, and Pubmed search lines. Concepts searched were competencies, nursing informatics, health information technology, electronic health record, information technology literacy, nursing education, information technology training, and curriculum. The Staggers Nursing Computer Experience Questionnaire was distributed to 300 nurses practicing within the hospital setting to obtain baseline data on current nursing computer knowledge and skill level. This validated tool was created by Nancy Staggers in 1994 and used in other process improvement efforts similar to this one. The assumption was that nursing competency levels with computers were varied through the hospital. The data obtained from the questionnaire, through Zoho Survey tool, confirmed this assumption and were used to help create the education, support, and competency plan for the future. Data was analyzed through the built-in reports and interactive charts that the Zoho survey tool provides. The new EMR and all the new processes that come with it will be the framework of nursing care. Having competent nurses in the use of the EMR will optimize the quality of patient care delivered.

The study attempted to identify R425 diplomates' perceptions of their psychiatric competencies. An exploratory descriptive survey investigated specific strengths and weaknesses of the R425 diplomates in the psychiatric clinical units in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, as perceived by the diplomates themselves. The diplomates were reportedly competent in performing numerous, but not all cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills addressed by this survey. The R425 diplomates perceived themselves to be incompetent in designing and implementating rehabilitation programmes/workshops, managing community projects, conducting research and managing crises in psychiatric nursing units. / Health Sciences / M.A. (Health Studies)