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IMPROVING THE DIGNITY OF OUR PEOPLE
Today, nursing is a rapidly evolving field driven by empowered professionals and high-tech medical innovations. It is a career that literally changes lives, writes MERLE
VICTOR , chief nurse officer at Life Healthcare
Technology Opens Up New Opportunities
Digital technological innovation has removed many routine admin tasks from nursing, giving nurses more time at the bedside. Electronic devices are now used to monitor and record patient vital signs and to check their progress.
This supports better informed more effective treatment plans and means nurses are more tech-savvy than ever before. Technology has also improved continuing education in nursing. Online, self-paced learning modules are interactive and available whenever the nurse has the opportunity to study.
Modern day nursing has evolved so radically that it now transcends the healthcare sector. A nursing qualification can open doors to a career in the pharmaceutical sector, education technology, the financial sector, health informatics, community care and occupational therapy, to name a few adjacent industries.
If South Africa wants to achieve universal healthcare – as envisaged with the National Health Insurance (NHI) system – we will need adequate nursing resources.
It would make sense to consider addressing South Africa’s youth unemployment challenges by training and deploying nurses in their thousands. Creating more nursing jobs will improve the health of our communities and the dignity of our people.
There is enormous room to expand our country’s complement of nurses. In an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) comparison of nursing numbers, South Africa ranked last out of 28 countries, with 1 nurse per 1 000 patients, compared to Switzerland with 18.4, Portugal with 7.8 and India with 1.6.
Following recent regulatory changes, nursing training supports three professional designation categories: registered auxiliary nurses, registered general nurses and registered professional nurses and midwives. The predominant route for the registered professional nurse and midwife is a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a South African university. Students need a grade 12 national senior certificate, generally with maths/ maths literacy and life sciences, to be eligible to apply for nursing study.
Excellent Career Prospects
Nursing offers a career pathway for further training and specialisation after initial qualification. Midwifery and specialised nursing in critical care, theatre, community, oncology and occupational health are a few possible career routes. Nurses can also become nursing educators at a hospital, university or private training facilities.
There are also many ways to advance a nursing career within the health sector. Within the hospital industry, we have seen staff who began their careers as porters, care workers and ward clerks seize opportunities to study through private higher education institutions such as Life Healthcare’s nursing college. They are now specialist nurses with many entering nurse manager and nurse leadership positions.
Simulation rooms and digital education systems support innovative teaching that integrates theory and practice and improves cognitive thinking. For example, the advanced electronic learning programme at Life Healthcare’s learning centre is conducive to visual and interactive study, employing 3D human anatomy and physiology software for teaching, learning and presenting. New technology can simulate specific patient behaviours or illnesses in a controlled environment, providing a massive boost to healthcare training. Students get much-needed exposure to realistic scenarios where they can practise life-saving skills without adverse consequences. Scenarios include basic and advanced nursing, wound care, labour, delivery and midwifery.
With these training advances, a plethora of new professions are emerging, offering new ways to treat patients and improve their lives. Clinical technologists and dialysis technicians, for instance, have a massive impact on patients’ lives. Nurses can also improve their abilities and marketability by acquiring these skills.
Theatre nurses now work with robotics to assist and guide surgeons during precision operations in areas such as urology and neurology. Opportunities for nursing in the technology space are constantly growing as new innovations are developed.
Nursing is a field making extensive use of technology while retaining its deeply human principles of care and empathy. I encourage any young person with this combination of progressive thinking and human values to consider a career in the field.
Resources:
Life Healthcare’s nursing education college https://www.lifehealthcare.co.za/careers/ education-and-training/
