Nursing in a New Era

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 The Profession and Education of Nurses in South Africa Nurses are often said to be the backbone of health services, but in South Africa their profession itself is in need of care. This monograph considers the profile, image and status of nursing today and the nature and role of nursing education. A major concern is that, although nursing still attracts many more students than there are places available, the gap between the large numbers who complete their training and the relatively small growth in the professional registers, indicates high attrition rates. The decline in the role of the public sector in the training of nurses is another worrying trend. Through interviews and focus groups, the study explores issues that are contributing to the state of the nursing profession and airs the concerns of nursing students, academics and qualified nurses who are leaders in the field. These are concerns which managers and policy-makers in the health sector must address if the nursing profession is to regain the respect it once enjoyed, and if South Africas public health sector is to address the serious challenges it faces. This study forms part of a broader project on professions and professional education within the HSRC Research Programme on Education, Science and Skills Development (ESSD). The research focus of ESSD is wide, spanning three major social domains: the education system, the national system of innovation and the world of work. The programme is distinctive in that it is able to harness research work at the interface of these three key social domains, to produce comprehensive, integrated and holistic analyses of the pathways of learners through schooling, further and higher education into the labour market and the national system of innovation.

List of tables and figures
Preface
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and abbreviations

1 Introduction
A conceptual framework for the study of nursing
Research design
Limitations
Overview of the monograph

2 Growth and profile of the nursing profession
The growth of nursing as a profession
The growth of nursing in numbers
Profile of the profession
Distribution of nurses
Conclusion

3 The demand for nurses
Who says there is a shortage?
Vacancy rates in the nursing profession
Demand for nurses due to HIV and AIDS
Conclusion

4 Migration of South African nurses
Nurse migration as an international phenomenon
Statistics on the migration of South African nurses
A qualitative view of nurse migration
Views of academics and students on emigration
Conclusion

5 Nursing education
An overview of the production of nurses
Geographical distribution of nursing training
Trends in the production of nurses
Growth in SANC registers versus growth in production of nurses
Conclusion

6 Why choose nursing?
Nursing students reasons for choosing nursing
Academics views
Choices of school learners
Conclusion

7 Nursing in a new era
Working with HIV/AIDS and TB patients
Professional relations
Nurse/patient abuse
Salaries
Non-monetary rewards
Conclusion

8 Standards, image and status
Have standards dropped?
Views on status and image
Positive views
Conclusion

9 Conclusions
Method
Findings
Conclusions and recommendations

Appendices
Appendix 1 Consent form for interviewees
Appendix 2 Interviewees and focus group participants

References

Dr Mignonne Breier is a chief research specialist in the Education, Sciences and Skills Development Research Programme at the HSRC. Before joining the HSRC she was a senior researcher at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, formerly the Education Policy Unit, at the University of the Western Cape.

Angelique Wildschut is a researcher in the Education, Science and Skills Development Research Programme at the HSRC.

Thando Mgqolozana was previously a researcher in the Education, Science and Skills Development research programme at the HSRC. He is currently pursuing his writing career.