SOUTH Africa’s dire shortage of nurses was given a welcome boost yesterday when CPUT and the Western Cape College of Nursing celebrated their post-basic graduation ceremony.

The 129 nurses graduated in a variety of specialty courses including Operating Theatre, Critical Care, Trauma and Emergency, Midwifery and Psychiatric Nursing.

Provincial Minister of Health Theuns Botha welcomed the graduates into his department which already boasts a healthy 11 762 nurses working across the Western Cape.

“You will most probably work 20, 30 or 40 years for this Department,” he informed the audience.

“You will be treated accordingly because you are a scarce skill. The people of the Western Cape deserve the best therefore we train the best.”

Keynote speaker Prof Karien Jooste who enjoys a successful career as an editor and writer of medical journals and textbooks, reminded the graduates of the importance of striving for success and lifelong career passion.

ESTEEMED GUESTS: Keynote speaker Prof. Karien Jooste sitting alongside Provincial Health Minister Theuns Botha at the graduation ceremony of 129 nursing students.

“We need nursing leaders who rise above and use their power to motivate others,” she says.

“Every person has the need to succeed. Climb your career ladder with passion.”

Dean of the Health and Wellness Faculty Prof Dhiro Gihwala congratulated each graduate personally and highlighted the strides CPUT is making to fill the demand for nurses while also complying with new higher education qualifications frameworks.

He also urged the graduates to remember where they came from.

DON’T FORGET: Health and Wellness Dean Prof. Dhiro Gihwala reminded graduates to remember the communities they came from.

 “I am confident you will use your special skills and your influence to put something back into those communities,” he says.

“We also hope you will continue to support CPUT and the College.”

 By LAUREN KANSLEY

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT together with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape are taking the lead in addressing skill shortages in the South African Health Sector.

On 15 April 2010, 60 students were awarded the Diploma in Nursing during the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences graduation ceremony. The course is offered in collaboration with the Western Cape College of Nursing (WCCN).

During the ceremony, the nursing graduates cited the traditional nursing pledge which is accompanied by the lighting of the lamp. The lamp is symbolic of the one which was carried by Florence Nightingale, a pioneer in nursing during the 1800’s. This tradition is practiced at universities and nursing colleges across the world since 1893.

Currently, in the Western Cape, this tradition is only taking place at CPUT and the University of the Western Cape, which are the only two institutions offering the four year undergraduate nursing qualification.

The other higher education institutions in the province only offer the postgraduate nursing programmes while some Nursing Schools at the hospitals offer the two year diploma course.

Addressing graduates at the ceremony, keynote speaker Sage Pillay, CEO of the National Health Laboratory Services, said South Africa desperately needs skilled health professionals who can make an impact in the health sector.

Pillay said many graduates will take up careers in the public health care sector, which is currently viewed by many South Africans as an uncaring sector. He challenged the graduates to change this poor image and provide a quality service to those in their care.

“Remember, the people you will care for cannot afford health care. Treat patients like you would want anyone to care for a member of your family. Put people first and above narrow and selfish needs,” he said.

He also drew their attention to the challenges of the sector, which include lack of resources, working conditions and remuneration.

He urged graduates to take up these challenges with their employer, but to do so in a “professional manner.”

Pillay called on students to embark on life-long learning and improve their educational qualifications.

During the ceremony 97 Bachelor of Technology Degrees in Nursing were also conferred.

CPUT’s postgraduate nursing programme, which allows qualified nurses to specialise in various areas of nursing, is one of the most successful programmes in the country, drawing students from across Africa.

By Candes Keating

Photograph: Newly qualified nurses, holding lamps, take the nursing pledge.

Written by CPUT News
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If you are interested in a career in nursing then be sure not to miss the annual Open Day at the Western Cape College of Nursing this week.

The event is hosted at the college’s Athlone Campus in Klipfontein Road (close to the Manenberg Police Station) and attracts hundreds of interested students annually.

The Open Day will introduce the four-year programme to potential students and outline the criteria you need to enroll.

Students with Pure Mathematics, Maths Literacy and Physical Science as subjects are invited to pop in on Thursday between 9am and 4pm or Friday between 9am and 1pm to hear about exciting career opportunities.

Nursing is one of the few professions in the world where you are guaranteed a job and graduates are also snapped up for a variety of overseas opportunities.

Qualified nurses interested in specialising in post-basic areas like theatre technique and midwifery are also invited to attend for more information on these qualifications.

Call 021 684 1289 for more information.

By Lauren Kansley

Written by CPUT News
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South Africa continues to grapple with a crippling shortage of nurses as the country improves its access to health services for all.

Forum of University Nursing Deans of South Africa CEO, Prof Hester Klopper, encouraged CPUT and Western Cape College of Nursing graduates to enroll for specialist nursing education because those scarce skills were crucial to the SA’s development.

Klopper was a guest speaker at this year’s nursing graduation ceremony which was recently held at the Bellville Campus where about 120 diplomas were conferred.

Klopper told graduates that only 12 905 of the close to 130 000 registered nurses are primary healthcare nurses and that even fewer are pediatric nurses.

“We need to double this figure in order for us to be doing fine,” she says.

She added that research has found that there are lower mortality rates in hospitals with nurses who have bachelors and post-graduate degrees.

She, however, expressed her delight in seeing new nurses joining the profession as she says that 36 of the 57 countries in the world which need to improve their health services are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“In the past people died of communicable diseases, but now it’s non-communicable diseases,” warned Klopper.

She ended by encouraging nurses to also understand how the use of technology can impact their work.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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Three dedicated nursing students from CPUT’s Western Cape College of Nursing (WCCN) are gaining valuable training and experience in Europe as part of a new international project.

CPUT has teamed up with three European universities of applied science and two South African research universities for the new project, which is focused on the fields of healthcare and welfare.

Called the Caring Society (CASO) 3.0 consortium, the six participating partners have received a grant of more than €800 000 from the European Union’s Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education programme to help them achieve their goals.

CPUT’s WCCN and the institution’s Sport Management Department are participating in the project.

Three nursing students, Shihaam Barnes (Athlone campus), Molefi Dexter Shebi (Southern Cape campus) and Philicia Bloom (Worcester campus), recently departed for Europe, where they will visit Karel de Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp, Belgium and Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

Lecturer Karien Orton said that among other things the students would attend an interprofessional workshop in Belgium and visit a number of healthcare institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium.

She said that to be selected they had to meet a series of criteria including strong leadership qualities and a good academic record.
Participation in the project allows CPUT and the WCCN to contribute to international knowledge development in healthcare and the community, as well as the internationalisation of students.

The higher education institutions participating in the programme will focus on three pillars, which include the Patient Partner Programme, the Health and Lifestyle Programme and the Care for the Caregiver Programme.

The participating universities are: CPUT, University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, the Finnish Lahti University of Applied Sciences and Karel de Grote Hogeschool.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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The contribution nurses make to society was celebrated during an International Nurses Day event held at the Western Cape College of Nursing in Athlone.

The day is celebrated around the world on May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

This year’s theme was Nurses: A voice to lead - Health is a Human Right.

Students and staff members from CPUT’s Nursing Sciences Department were among the guests at the event, which was addressed by Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, the provincial Minister of Health.

She said many nurses were going out of their way for their patients.

“Today I want to acknowledge those people. Today I want to say that as the leaders, as the employers, we understand your situation.”

She added: “Let’s remember Florence Nightingale and what she stood for. Let’s remember that we are nurses and that we are the voice to lead.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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