A career as a nurse is a highly fulfilling and rewarding career for people who look to contribute to improving the health of individuals and communities where they live or interact with daily. Working as a Nurse can be a rewarding career especially if you are one with great communication and people skills.
Who Is A Nurse
Nurses play an important role in the well-being of patients right from when they come for regular check-ups until they need to carry out surgery if the need arises. Nurses offer both physical and emotional support to their patients, they pay close attention to the mental health of their patients and try to make their stay at the hospital a wonderful one.
Sometimes nurses might be required to create special care-plans when dealing with the elderly or infants. Their work schedule is based on shifts with the possibility of working on public holidays and festive seasons. Sometimes they may be posted to war-zones, rural areas, and places experiencing pandemics to assist with caring for the country’s population.
Although you can get a job as a clinical nurse with an associate or bachelors degree in nursing, if you are looking to earn more you would be required to specialize in a particular area of medicine via masters of science in nursing. Some areas of Nursing where you can practise as a specialist includes;
- Infection Control
- Quality Control
- Case Management
- Healthcare Informatics
- Assistant Nurse Manager
- Charge Nurse
- Nurse Educator
- Clinical Development Specialist / Training & Development Specialist
Relevant Skills For Nurses
People who work as nurses would interact with other human beings throughout their career, Because of this, you must take time in having these skills especially during the early years of your training for easy career navigation. They include
- Ability to make people at ease
- Knowing when to follow up with special needs patients
- Communication Skills
- Attention to detail
- Ability to adapt to new environments
- Teamwork
- Organisational Skills
- Multi-tasking skills
The Requirement To Study Nursing In South Africa
Some of the areas you can work in as a nurse include but are not limited to the places specified below :
- Hospitals
- Skilled Nursing Facilities
- Outpatient Settings
- Physician Offices
- Clinics
- Insurance Companies
- Government
- Community Health
- Elementary or High Schools
- Universities
- Correctional Healthcare Facilities
Some popular nursing careers include;
- Nursing Assistant
- Clinical Nurse specialist
- Flight nurse
- Midwifery
- Neonatal intensive care nurse
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Public Health Nurse
- Obstetrics and Gynecology Nurse
- Psychiatric Nurse
- Travel Nurse
Work Experience As A Nurse
Work experience as a nurse starts right from ward rotations during your undergraduate degree, you would also be required to undergo internships which could be from 6months -1 year for a better understanding of the clinical practice and work ethics.
Getting a Licence and permit approved by South African Nursing Council is important as most states would not allow you practise without a complete or appropriate licence.
Please also endeavour to confirm the accreditation status of your school by the South African Nursing Council before enrolling as a student to avoid being unable to practise after graduation.
Universities In South Africa Where You Can Study Nursing
To work in South Africa would require that you have a diploma, bachelors or masters degree in universities such as:
