The nursing profession is a commendable and selfless one in which a licensed health-care professional is tasked with caring for the ill. The following is a breakdown of the post-matric qualifications a student would need to pursue this career path.
A qualified nurse is just as important a healthcare professional as a qualified doctor may be when it comes to the internal operations of a standard hospital.
Nevertheless, there are a number of requirements to undergo before one can become a qualified nurse. To start, there are three types of nursing qualifications to be pursued, which include:
- A Senior Certificate in Nursing
- A Diploma in Nursing
- A Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- (There is also a Baccalaureus Curationis (BCur) degree that is offered as an alternative).
The requirements to study each of these course options are as follows:
Higher Certificate in Auxiliary Nursing (1 year):
- Student must have acquired their National Senior Certificate (NSC) at the end of their matric academic year with an overall NSC score of 16 points including at least 40% in English or home language and at least 50% for Life Science or Biology
Advanced/Diploma in Nursing (3 years):
- Student must acquire at least a matric education standard and have passed Mathematics, English, a First/Home Language, Life Orientation and Life Science. Finally, the student must enrol as a nurse with the South African Nursing Council.
Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (4 years):
- Student must acquire at least a matric education standard and have passed Mathematics, English, a First/Home Language, Life Orientation and Life Science. Finally, similarly to the Diploma enrolment requirements, the student must enrol as a nurse with the South African Nursing Council.
