Duration:
2 years

Formal Programmes

Nursing programs and programs for community health workers There is a difference between nursing programs and programs for community health workers.

The most significant distinction is that they are regulated by distinct bodies.

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) and the Council of Higher Education (CHE) both require accreditation and registration for the new Nursing programs because they are higher education programs.

The community health worker programs, which can be presented as full qualifications or skills programs, must be accredited by the HWSETA because they are skills-related.

Additionally, educational establishments may provide short learning programs that do not carry credit and are used for ongoing professional development.

The nursing qualifications are being modified by SANC, with the legacy qualifications gradually being phased out and new qualifications being implemented. A SANC circular dated December 20, 2016, titled 7/2016 provides an explanation for this procedure:

• “The courses that lead to enrollment as a Nursing Auxiliary, enrollment as a Nurse, and the bridging course for enrolled nurses that leads to registration as a General Nurse are all legacy programs.

The course leading to Enrolment as a Nursing Auxiliary and the course leading to Enrolment as a Nurse had their last enrollment dates on June 30, 2015.

The Bridging course for enrolled nurses leading to registration as a General Nurse’s last day of enrollment is December 31, 2019. This indicates that this program can still be offered by accredited institutions as approved.

Higher Certificate-Auxiliary and Diploma-General nurses will be among the new nursing credentials. January 2019 is the beginning of enrollment for the Higher Certificate qualification, and January 2019 is the beginning of enrollment for the Diploma qualification.

Before they can advertise and enroll students in these qualifications, educational institutions must be accredited to offer them. The accreditation process for all nursing education institutions (NEI’s) is still ongoing.

Please be aware that all candidates must have met the minimum requirements for entry into the preferred nursing qualification because the new qualifications are at a higher education level.

The candidate’s minimum requirements for each qualification are listed on the National Senior Certificate (Grade 12 certificate).

Eg, “This candidate is awarded the National Senior Certificate and has met the minimum requirements for admission to a diploma or higher certificate study as gazetted for admission to higher education, subject to the admission requirements of the higher educational institution concerned.”

This means that a candidate can apply to a program leading to a diploma or higher certificate, but not to a degree program.

According to the respective Qualification frameworks, the following are the admission requirements for the Higher Certificate and Diploma qualifications:

• The National Senior Certificate or an equivalent qualification at exit level 4 is required to gain access to this qualification.

According to the Nursing Council’s and the SAQA qualification document, the following is assumed to be existing knowledge and prior learning for the new nursing programs:

• Communication Skills at NQF Level 4

• Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 4

• Computer Literacy at NQF Level 3

• Life Science at NQF level 4

A nine-month short program for healthcare workers is offered by Healthnicon Private Higher Education. This program facilitates personal and professional growth and is not accredited or credit-bearing.

With the help of this program, candidates will be able to fill in the gaps left by their National Senior Certificate and gain access to these new nursing qualifications.

Candidates who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate and be eligible to apply for a position as a caregiver.

In addition, Healthnicon provides a number of short, non-credit-bearing programs for ongoing professional development, including:

• Nanny (Au pair) Short Programme

• House Manager Short Programme

• Healthcare Housekeeping Short Programme: Infection prevention and control

• Geriatric Part-time Short Programme

• Orthopaedic Part-time Short Programme

• Paediatric Part-time Short Programme.

The South African Nursing Council and the Department of Higher Education have both registered Healthnicon.

Until the CHE confirms the accreditation status of the new nursing qualifications, Healthnicon is not currently accepting any applications.

Please get in touch with one of our campuses for detailed information on the programs that are currently being offered.

Healthcare Worker

The Healthcare Worker (level 2) program lasts for nine months. The program consists of 6 months of theoretical and practical training for healthcare workers, after which the learner spends 3 months specializing in a particular area. Orthopaedic Care, Paediatric Care, and Geriatric Care are some of the specialized fields. Candidates are exposed to a variety of healthcare-related fields throughout the program, which will help them to broaden their career options.

• Duration:
  9 Months

For each program, there are specific requirements. The Admission Point System, or APS, is used to assign points to your NSC or equivalent subjects:

Admission Point System

For instance, in order to enroll in a Basic Diploma, you must have a minimum APS of 18 and a NSC/equivalent pass in Biology/Life Science at Level 4 or the D Symbol, as well as English at Level 3 or the E Symbol.

As she is above 18 points, applicants must meet the requirements for admission to the Diploma.

• Due to the South African Nursing Council’s accreditation capacity, each program has a cap on the number of students it can admit. Even if you meet the minimum requirements, you won’t automatically be accepted into the program or registered. Tests and interviews will be required of candidates in order to further screen them.
  Candidates who have post-matriculant experience or a certificate related to health will be registered according to the quota for that group, which is as follows:
  Scholars: 50% of candidates who hold a certificate from pre-NSC Grade 12: 20% of candidates who have post-matric experience or a certificate related to health: 10% of Active Duty Officers: 20% Please be aware that the college’s admission requirements are subject to change, and
  will make significant investments in nurses for ECDoH facilities;
  will not invest in candidates who have tried other options, such as dropped out of universities, technical schools, or colleges;
  will not make investments in candidates who possess additional qualifications. The candidate will be disqualified in the event that this is discovered at any point during the procedure.

HEALTHNICON SCHOOL DURATION OF STUDIES

The length of study for the various academic programs offered at Healthnicon School is outlined in this general guide.