University of Kwazulu-Natal School of Nursing Courses or Programmes Offered

University of Kwazulu-Natal School of Nursing Courses or Programmes Offered

B Nursing Undergraduate Degree

By enrolling for the Bachelor of Nursing degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, you can make a difference to your society and your country. South Africa is in a challenging and exciting era, and the changes that will occur involve all spheres of the society – including the health system. You can form an integral part of this dynamic process!

B Nursing is a 4 year degree in Nursing Science which will enable you to register with the South African Nursing Council, as a General Nurse, midwife, psychiatric nurse and community health nurse. On graduation you can work in a hospital, but also in a clinic, or a hospice, or a ship, or in specialised units such as Critical Care. You can also follow a research career, or study further to obtain a Masters or a Doctoral degree.

A Unique Programme:

The unique and very exciting nature of this programme can be seen in three ways.

• First, there is a strong emphasis on Primary Health Care. This implies that you, the student, move away from the traditional hospital-based training to an active hands-on involvement in various communities. By so doing, you will work in close association with the people of that community, identify their specific health needs and plan strategies to meet these needs.
• A second aspect that makes this programme so unique is the type of teaching-learning interaction that occurs between the student and the lecturer. Gone are the days of falling asleep during lectures! You now get actively involved in the process of acquiring new knowledge by learning from real problems. We use both case-based and problem-based learning.
• Third, during the first and second year you will not be nursing during semester times, which gives you the opportunity to concentrate fully on being a university student.

A Stimulating School

The School of Nursing is one of the best in the country. This can be recognised by the following:

• It is a World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Development in Africa.
• It has one of the best track records for research in the country.
• It has been in the forefront of nursing education development over the last ten years.
• It attracts students from many countries.
• It collaborates with Schools of Nursing from a range of countries.

Structure of the Course

First Year
Commence, usually, in the fourth week of January

1. Fundamental Nursing
2. Four (4) non-nursing semester modules from social science or other schools of the university. (16 credits per module).
3. Anatomy.
4. Physics and Chemistry (Special Science).
5. Clinical work during all university vacations.
6. Physiology during 2nd semester.

Second Year

1. Four non-nursing subjects, Two of which must be on 2nd year level.
2. Community Health Nursing: Health promotion and illness prevention.
3. Physiology in the first semester
4. Clinical work during all university vacations.

Third Year

1. General Nursing including Unit Administration
2. Nursing Research
3. Pharmacology
4. Three days a week will be spent in a hospital setting, as well as during university
   vacations.

Fourth year

1. Midwifery
2. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.
3. Primary Health Care
4. Four days per week will be spent in the communities, as well as during university vacations.

Requirements

1. You must have a matriculation exemption. If you are still in Standard 10/Grade 12, you may be included in the selection procedure, but your selection is conditional pending your final matric results.
2. You need to be in reasonably good health (will have a physical examination)

Bachelor of Nursing Advanced Practice (BNAP)

BACHELOR OF NURSING -ADVANCED PRACTICE (BN-AP) PROGRAMME

BACKGROUND

A Bachelor of Nursing (Advanced Practice) is a three year degree (if taken full time) which is offered post registration as a general nurse. The aim is to allow these nurses to advance themselves academically and clinically.

If a student completes less credits than is necessary for a degree, s/he can obtain either a Diploma in Nursing or a Certificate in Nursing, depending on the number of credits obtained.

There are the following BNAP options Or streams:

*One can work towards a BN (Adv Prac) through one of the following streams:

• A Comprehensive Practice Degree: This is aimed at people who need one or more of the four basic registrations (General Nursing, Community Health Nursing, Mental Health Nursing and Midwifery). The student will choose the necessary modules which will lead to comprehensive registration, and also to a degree.
• An Advanced Clinical Degree: A person can also obtain one or two advanced practice (post-basic) registrations by choosing from a series of specialist modules. For instance, a BN (Adv Prac: Oncology and Palliative Care) will demand that one completes Core, specialisation and elective modules. Refer to qualifications matrix, page 8
• A Non-Clinical Degree: Nurses interested in nursing education or management can take a degree in which these qualifications are obtained and in addition complete the core and elective modules.

The school works with the School of Open Learning, which offers foundational and elective courses.

Open Learning is a modern trend in education which tries to remove the barriers which keep adults from learning. Nurses who have to work full time to support themselves and their families, who cannot obtain study leave, and who are far from educational facilities have found all these factors barriers to further education. The University of KwaZulu-Natal addresses these barriers by making some modules available at a distance, in a mixed mode.

Distance Learning means that the student and the teacher are separated by distance for most of the period of study.

The teacher bridges the distance by using aids such as workbooks, study guides, telephone contact, and decentralised libraries and other resources. Some of the nursing modules are offered in this way.

Mixed Mode means that the teaching/learning process includes both face-to-face contact, as well as resource-based teaching. For instance, the General Nursing 1 module is a mixed mode module. Students are given cases which they have to study and prepare at home. They also have classroom sessions, which allow face-to-face teaching. Usually the balance between resources and contact is 50:50.

PROGRAMME OPTIONS

TABLE 1: STUDENTS WHO EXIT WITH 384 CREDITS OBTAIN A DEGREE IN NURSING

Compulsory Core Modules:

• General Nursing 1a 32C
• General Nursing 1b 32C
• General Nursing 2a 32C
• General Nursing 2b 32C
• Nursing Research Theory 16C
• Nursing Research Project 32C
• Nursing Philosophy 16C
• Fundamental modules Non-Nursing 64C

Subtotal: 256 Credits

Honours Degree in Nursing

Introduction

The Honours degree is one of the postgraduate programmes offered by the School of Nursing. This degree can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. It is seen to be at the same level as the fourth year of the professional degree. As a result many of the courses are therefore taken with under-graduate students.

Purpose

This degree completes the four years of study that makes it possible to continue with a Masters degree. People who have a three-year degree have to take this degree if they want to continue with a research Masters degree, to give them the research background they need. The Honours Degree also caters for all candidates who have a basic degree which did not include the career option they want to pursue, such as nursing education or nursing management. It is also provided to students from 3-year programmes and the graduates who completed Bachelor of Social Science degree before Community Health Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing was incorporated.

Duration and Structure of Curriculum

The programme shall extend over at least two semesters and consist of a total of 128credits.
The programme requires completion of six approved courses.

Degree Structure 
Compulsory Modules

• Research Methods offered in the Faculty [16] or Nursing Research
• Nursing Philosophy [16]
• Research Project [32]
• Electives worth a total of 64 credits from the following options:
• Nursing Education
• Nursing ManagementPsychiatric Nursing
• Specialised Nursing

NB: Any of the modules listed under the B Nursing (Adv Practice) or
from other Schools in the Faculty or University, may be selected with approval from the relevant Heads of Schools.

Fees

Please make adequate arrangements regarding payment prior to arrival. Fees are increased regularly, and candidates must contact the university fees division for updated figures. Tel: (031) 2602277. Additional costs include traveling to and from Durban, board and logging in Durban, books, and photocopying of reading material. Please make adequate arrangements for finances so that this does not become an added stress during a very demanding academic programme.

Contact Details

For more information contact Carol Dhanraj
Tel: +27 (0) 31 2602255

Fax: +27 (0) 31 2601543

email: dhanrajc@ukzn.ac.za

Masters Degree in Nursing

MASTERS DEGREE IN NURSING (MN)

INTRODUCTION

The School offers two types of masters’ degrees, namely a research masters and a coursework masters. Both types take a minimum of two years when taken on a part-time basis.

1. Research Masters:

The requirements for this degree are that the candidate completes a research project and produces a dissertation.

This type of degree aims at increasing scholarly skills such as researching, theorizing, and analyzing. It does not increase clinical, teaching or managerial skills.

It is suitable for people interested in pursuing an academic career in research. It is also an option for candidates who live too far from the campus to attend course work modules on a weekly basis.

Student fees are paid per calendar year, which means that whether you register in January or November of the same year, the fees are the same fees. The School does not allow students to register throughout the year, but only at the beginning of the year.

Since students come into the programme from different undergraduate programmes, and with various research backgrounds, we require that they attend a week-long research workshop sometime in the course of the first year of registration.This renews the research knowledge of all students,and puts everybody on an equal footing. Every effort is made to pair the student with a research supervisor whose research expertise and interest is similar to the interest of the student.

2. Course Work Masters

The requirements for this degree are that the student completes 160 credits worth of course-work (about five semester courses and examination papers), appropriate experience and a research project in the student’s area of specialization in nursing.

Candidates have to attend lectures one day per week (26 days per year) two summer schools of one or two weeks each and two winter schools of one or two weeks each. Candidates must therefore make adequate arrangements with employers before registering.

The degree cannot be done by correspondence. Students may be expected to do one or two week’s clinical practica during university vacation in July and September.

For the clinical degree, students have to have full-time or part-time employment in their area of specialty and arrange to do the appropriate additional clinical practica. This means at least one day per week for four semesters (52 days). The education coursework masters is only available to full-time students.

Students do two or three semester courses during the first year, and the remaining one or two courses during the second year. The last six months should be spent on the research project. The courses available in the School are listed here; however one course may also be taken in another School within the Faculty.

Clinical masters’ degrees are offered in the specialties listed under Optional Courses. Some specialities are only offered in alternate years.

• Community Health Nursing (generally in even numbered years e.g. 2010,2012)
• Maternal and Child Health Nursing and General Nursing (generally in ordd-numbered years e.g. 2009;2011)

2.1 Compulsory Courses:

• Advanced Practice Nurse role in the S.A. context (16 credits)
• Nursing Research & Nursing Research Methods (16 credits)

2.2 Optional Courses

Critical Care and Trauma (Clinical)

• Essentials of Critical Care Nursing (16 credits)
• Applied Critical Care Nursing (16 credits)
• Trauma Nursing and Life Support (16 credits)

Mental Health Nursing (Clinical)

• Advanced psychiatric nursing skills (16 credits)
• Current issues in Psychiatric Care (16 credits)
• Psychosocial rehabilitation (16 credits)

 

Community Health Nursing (Clinical)

• Primary Care (16 credits)
• Community Health Nursing (16 credits)
• Epidemiology (16 credits)
• Health Measurement l & ll (16 credits)

 

Advanced Midwifery and Maternal-Child Health Nursing (Clinical)

• Advanced Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing (32 credits)
• Child and Adolescent Health (16 credits)
• Women’s Health (16 credits)
• Family Therapy (Optional)

 

Gerontological Nursing (Clinical)

• Theoretical Basis for Gerontological Nursing (16 Credits)
• Assessment of a geriatric client (16 credits)
• The care of the aging client (16 credits)

 

Health Services Administration

• Comparative Health Care Systems (16 credits)
• Ebaluation of Health Care Systems (16 credits)

Nursing Education

• Educational administration (24 credits)
• Progressive Education for Health Professionals l (24 credits)
• Progressive Education for Health Professionals ll (24 credits)

 

Optional Courses for Nursing Education

• Community and Problem-based education (16 credits)
• Fundamental Education (16 credits)

 

Nursing Research

• Nursing Research & Nursing Research Methods (16 credits)
• Qualitative Research (16 credits)
• Health Measurement l & ll (16 credits)

 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Research Masters:

• A 65% average in the under-graduate degree and a 60% average in an Honours degree and / or passing an admission examination.
• An honors degree is required for this degree.

The writing of the admission examination takes a full morning, and should be arranged by appointment with the School of Nursing between July and early October of the preceding year.

FEES:

Doing a Masters degree costs about R16000. Please make adequate arrangements regarding payment prior to arrival. Additional costs include traveling to and from Durban, board and lodging in Durban, books, and photocopying of reading material. Please make adequate arrangements for finances, so that this does not become an added stress during a very full and exacting academic programme.

Fees are increased regularly, and candidates must contact the university fees division for updated figures. Tel No.: (031) 2602277.

Contact

1. Contact Mrs Carol Dhanraj at the School of Nursing Tel.No: 031 2602255/ 260 2499; Fax 031 2601543; Email Address dhanrajc@ukzn.ac.za to make an appointment to visit the School and for enquirers about the entrance examination

PhD in Nursing

NTRODUCTION

The Doctoral Programme leads to a PhD Degree in Nursing. This is an advanced degree aimed at equipping nurse scientists with academic skills as well as specialised knowledge of a small area of nursing science. The Doctoral programme also accommodates candidates from other health science disciplines. On completion they obtain a PhD in Health Science which is offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences. The academic skills involved are theorizing, researching, communicating with peers in academic debates, and academic mentoring.

The programme is not focused on improving professional or clinical skills, or on broadly based knowledge of the nursing discipline.

It is, however, aimed at producing well-rounded beginning academics equipped and motivated to continue actively in the field of building the theory base of nursing.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

The candidate has to reach specific objectives in terms of all the programme components. This can be summarized as follows:

Research:

• Plan and implement a research project and produce a research thesis on the topic, linking to topic adequately to the theoretical base of nursing science.
• Master a personal computer for word processing and statistical analysis.

Communicating:

• Present a paper at a national or international nursing forum.
• Publish three articles in professional journals.
• Build a supportive network for future academic endeavors.

Mentoring

 

• Participate in research supervision
• Analyze the process of mentoring.

DURATION

The programme is a three year full-time programme. If taken on a part-time basis, the candidates should expect to take at least four years. It is much better to register as early as possible in any given year, so that you have full academic years for your work.

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS

1. One day a month over the whole period has to be spent on the campus. This time should be available for meetings with the supervisor and other staff, and for educational experiences and library research.

2. Candidates doing the programme part-time also have to spend six months on the campus as a full-time student. This time will be used to consolidate research supervision and other skills, promote networking and other learning.

3. Each student should have easy access to a personal computer, since all typing and statistics have to be done by the student her/himself, and all work has to be handed in typed. It is recommended that any person embarking on a PhD should have a PC.

4. It is expected that the candidate gives adequate time to the programme. At least two days per week over the whole period is necessary for you to make steady progress and gain the maximum from the experience.

Contact

1. Mrs Carol Dhanraj at the School of Nursing for enquiries about this examination on Tel No.: 031 2602255/2602499; Fax 031 2601543; Email Address: dhanrajc@ukzn.ac.za