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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Bachelor of Nursing Science 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
6083  Bachelor of Nursing Science 
ORIGINATOR
University of Pretoria 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
National First Degree  Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services  Preventive Health 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  480  Level 6  NQF Level 07  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 SAQA 091/21  2021-07-01  2023-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2024-06-30   2029-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This qualification is replaced by: 
Qual ID Qualification Title Pre-2009 NQF Level NQF Level Min Credits Replacement Status
112158  Bachelor of Nursing Science  Not Applicable  NQF Level 08  480  Complete 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
The Bachelor of Nursing Science qualification (B Cur) at the University of Pretoria is a four-year career-oriented whole qualification. Its purpose is to educate and train learners to function as skilled and competent registered nurses within a variety of contemporary healthcare setting in South Africa. These nurses will function at the level of beginning professional practitioners and generalist nurse clinicians.

The qualification aims to develop the nursing student, as an adult learner, both personally and professionally, to achieve cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills and abilities. These include critical, analytical evaluation, creative thinking and innovation, problem solving and communication skills and abilities.

The relevant social (humanities), biomedical and nursing sciences form the basis of the qualification, within the wider context of professional nursing practice. Through capacity building the nursing student will acquire the ability to search for, and interpret, scientific data to form the basis for sound nursing practice. The learners will be able to draw. Learners will learn to appreciate the value of life-long learning through personal and professional development.

Successful completion of the qualification will enable the student to be registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) as a comprehensive professional nurse (general, psychiatric and community) and midwife/accoucheur. The programme will, as in the past, continue to provide the South African society with highly competent nurse clinicians and leaders in healthcare delivery systems throughout the country and will provide the necessary basis for postgraduate education. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The institution conducts RPL in terms of the policy and guidelines of the institution to recognise other forms of formal, informal and non-formal learning and experience. In cases where learners do not comply with the formal admission requirements, the institution applies its RPL policy.

Entry Requirements:
The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4.
  • National Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4 granting access to Diploma studies.
  • National Certificate Vocational, NQF Level 4 granting access to Diploma studies. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    Learning outcomes:
    Successful completion of the qualification requires a minimum of four (4) years of intensive study and preparation after which the following exit level outcomes should be realised:

    Nurses who successfully complete the qualification will be comprehensive generalist practitioners functioning as:

    Beginning professional nurse practitioners, managers and leaders:
  • Show respect for the dignity and uniqueness of human beings (as individual members of groups, families, organisations and their communities of concern) within their socio-cultural and religious contexts. This implies approaching human beings, as health service consumers, as physical, psychological and social beings within these contexts.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the complexity and inter-dependency between human beings and their environment and between the bio-diverse organisms sharing our world.

    Demonstrate competency in:
  • Effectively organising and managing own tasks, duties and responsibilities while providing nursing care to health service consumers and prioritising all activities involved with comprehensive nursing care.
  • Obtaining, co-ordinating and liaising with the necessary support services to ensure optimal care of health service consumers in both community and institutional settings.
  • Effectively managing and leading a team approach to nursing care as a beginning manager and leader.
  • Effectively managing a nursing or comprehensive health service unit as a beginning manager and leader.
  • Functioning within, and limiting own practice to, a proven scope of skills, knowledge, competency and proficiency.
  • Functioning within the professional, ethical and legal framework governing the nursing profession and society as a whole.
  • Acting as a role model in the promotion and maintenance of optimal health and well being and within the norms and values of the nursing profession.
  • Providing effective and appropriate patient advocacy when required.
  • Practising the art and science of nursing, as beginning professional practitioners, in a responsible, accountable and independent manner.
  • Analysing healthcare policies and the ability to make suggestions and influence the process of healthcare policy development.
  • Collaborating harmoniously within nursing and multidisciplinary healthcare teams, in accordance with the principles of interdependence and co-operation in attaining common goals. Co-operation implies that human interactions, in teams, groups or organisations, should be effective in attaining such common goals.

    Generalist nurse clinicians:
    Demonstrate competency in:
  • Rendering comprehensive, client-specific, scientifically sound and evidence-based nursing care to individuals, groups, families and communities. This includes monitoring and evaluating health service consumers to identify changes and responses that warrant immediate intervention.
    Through the use of the scientific approach to nursing (nursing process) health needs and responses to health threats or health problems will be assessed and diagnosed, therapeutic actions and nursing interventions planned and implemented and the outcomes of the nursing care evaluated for the effectiveness thereof.
    Comprehensive nursing care should address the needs of individuals, groups, families and communities at any point along the wellness-illness continuum and during all stages of the human lifecycle (including preconception, pregnancy, child birth and care of the dying).
  • Appropriate consultation and referral of any health service consumer with health needs or health problems that will require interventions beyond the nurse's level of competence and proficiency.
  • Providing culturally sensitive and appropriate nursing care, including care of the dying patient.
  • Teamwork and active involvement, as a member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team. Teamwork applies to the contexts of health promotion, disease and injury prevention (as well as the preventable after effects of disease and injury), cure and rehabilitation of health service consumers in community and institutional settings within healthcare delivery systems in South Africa.
  • Diagnosing and effectively managing life-threatening illness and injury, uncomplicated minor and common ailments and pathological health problems within Primary Healthcare (PHC) settings.

    Health educators and clinical teachers in healthcare settings:
  • Providing proof of up-to-date knowledge and skills to facilitate optimal nursing care and an ongoing endeavour to explore new ideas, innovation and research in specialised areas of patient care.
  • Demonstrating active participation in the health education of health service consumers and the clinical teaching of colleagues, peers and subordinates.

    Therapeutic communicators and facilitators in healthcare settings:
    Demonstrate competency in:
  • The effective use of verbal and non-verbal communication skills during all interpersonal and professional encounters and relationships with health service consumers, colleagues, peers and sub-ordinates.
  • Promoting and facilitating community involvement in attaining optimal health and well being at any point along the wellness-illness continuum and during all stages of the human life cycle.
  • Scientifically communicating assessment findings, nursing care, prescriptions, reports and scientific data.
  • Establishing, maintaining and terminating (through appropriate referral when necessary) therapeutic encounters, related to health, illness, crisis and health-seeking behaviour, with health service consumers
  • Ensuring compassionate interactions with health service consumers to facilitate empathic and caring interpersonal encounters.

    Baccalaureate scholars in Nursing Science:
  • Demonstrating scholarly characteristics, related to nursing science, at a baccalaureate level, with reference to scientific inquiry into phenomena related to the art and science of nursing within clinical practice settings.
  • Demonstrate the ability to obtain, organise, analyse, evaluate and manage scientific data, review scientific literature and identify researchable problems in nursing practice.
  • After thorough, analytical and critically evaluative reasoning and creative thinking, demonstrate the ability to effectively utilise the scientific and technological aids and resources, as well as innovation, which underlie the scientific approach to nursing care.
  • This implies an inquiring approach to science and technology. Furthermore it implies a willingness to initiate and/or accept innovation and change and to show a sense of responsibility towards the environment and the health of others whilst considering such changes and innovation.
  • Critically analysing the extent and importance of environmental health issues in South Africa.
  • Demonstrate the ability to analyse and apply nursing theory to clinical practice settings.
  • Exhibit a commitment to continuing education and professional development and to the value of life-long learning. 
    		•

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    An integrated system of assessment and evaluation will be used to ascertain students' competency and proficiency in the art and science of nursing. The associated social (humanities) and biomedical sciences will be assessed both separately and in conjunction with the above.

    A combination of formative and summative evaluation strategies will be employed. Assessment and evaluation will be based on knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.

    Learners will be required to provide proof of their competency and proficiency in scientific nursing care. Comprehensive clinical evaluations will serve this purpose.

    Assessment and evaluation will be done within the contexts of:
  • The theoretical content of the learning programme.
  • The ethical and legal framework of the nursing profession.
  • South African systems of healthcare delivery.
  • Moral and ethical codes and values governing the nursing profession's communities of concern.
  • Comprehensive, holistic and multi-disciplinary healthcare.
  • Scientific and technological advances in healthcare and nursing science.

    The rendered nursing care will also be assessed to ensure the absence of preventable interventions or effects that may cause undue harm to health service consumers.

    Assessment and evaluation should include focusing on the contextual roles of the nurse as identified in the programme outcomes.

    Learners will be assessed and evaluated on acceptable norms, values and standards of nursing practice, including their use of the scientific approach to nursing, the health professions and science in general. Students should provide proof of their competence and proficiency in the assessment, diagnosis and comprehensive nursing management of human health needs and responses to actual or potential health problems through the use of the scientific approach to nursing (nursing process).

    The nursing process (scientific approach to nursing):
    The scientific approach to nursing forms the fundamental basis for learner assessment in simulated and actual clinical learning areas. Thus, when learner evaluation is to be performed under these circumstances the following broad guidelines, according to the nursing process (scientific approach) will serve as assessment criteria and performance indicators.

    These indicators, however, should always be interpreted and applied according the specific situation, the uniqueness of the health service consumer or scenario and the specific conditions involved.

    Steps of the nursing process:
    Assessment:
  • Assessment implies that the student should purposefully search for normal, abnormal and potentially abnormal findings through investigation, examination and sensory observations.
  • Assessment includes a thorough history taking by conducting an assessment interview or survey, a physical examination of individual health service consumers and psychosocial, spiritual, cultural and environmental assessments with relevance to comprehensive nursing care.
  • The reading and interpretation of existing or newly created patient or client records and data, including results obtained through special diagnostic and investigative procedures, will form an integral part of the nursing assessment. The nurse practitioner may also augment and confirm sensory observations by using alternative observation skills and technological aids.
  • The nursing practitioner will require a usable knowledge of the relevant, natural and biological sciences, pathology, internal medicine, surgery (obstetrics and psychiatry when applicable), pharmacology and social sciences and humanities to complete a thorough assessment on a variety of health service consumers
  • Assessment data have to be recorded in a usable and legally acceptable format.

    Diagnosing:
  • Diagnosing refers to the identification and description of health needs and actual or potential health problems. Nursing diagnoses should be derived from, and substantiated by, a database obtained through thorough and comprehensive nursing assessment.
  • Nursing diagnoses are recorded to form the basis for planning comprehensive and client-specific nursing care.
  • The nurse may also diagnose minor ailments, as well as common and uncomplicated clinical disorders, depending on the circumstances in which the nursing service is being provided.
  • Nursing diagnoses are recorded and prioritised for easy use and effective intervention.

    Planning:
  • Planning of nursing care is undertaken in consultation with the necessary role-players, including patients (clients), their families and other members of the multi-disciplinary team. Consultation and capacity building of communities should form part of the planning phase when necessary.
  • The ultimate goal should be to restore optimal functioning of health service consumers within a comprehensive, communicative, co-operative and harmonious team approach to healthcare.
  • Through thorough planning, the nursing interventions should address all of the health service consumer's actual and perceived (potential) health needs and health problems.
  • Planning will take into consideration the identified order of priorities already mentioned.
  • The setting of realistic, attainable outcome-criteria (objectives) should be viewed as crucial during the utilisation of the scientific approach to nursing.
  • Planning will identify the appropriate treatment (intervention) strategies to be employed in the care of health service consumers.
  • Planning will result in a uniquely individualised nursing care plan, with appropriate nursing prescriptions, that will form part of the written nursing records.
  • The nursing care plan will make provision for the inclusion of all prescriptions, from other registered healthcare professionals, that form part of the health service consumer's case management.

    Implementation:
  • Implementation refers to the actual provision of the prescribed nursing care, as well as the provision of the prescribed treatment programme designed by other members of the multidisciplinary team.
  • The recognition and management of emergency situations that may arise during the implementation phase of the nursing process is included in the concept of implementation.
  • Appropriate recording of all nursing interventions must take place continuously.

    Evaluation:
  • Evaluation forms an integral part of the scientific approach to nursing and should, therefore, also take place continuously throughout the nursing process.
  • Changed needs, effectiveness and efficiency of the nursing care being provided to the health service consumer and new needs that may arise form an altered health status may be identified and addressed through evaluation of nursing care.
  • All evaluation findings need to be recorded accurately.

    The following specific learning areas in nursing science will be assessed and evaluated separately as well as integrated:
  • Fundamental nursing science.
  • General medical-surgical nursing science.
  • Psychiatric nursing science.
  • Family and community nursing science.
  • Midwifery science.
    Also refer to the section on integrated assessment.

    Integrated assessment:
    Portfolios
    Simulations
    Work-place assessments and practical work
    Written examinations
    Oral examinations
    Other:
    Written assignments and creative work
    Case-studies and case-presentations
    Clinical and academic ward rounds and ward inspections
    Clinical workbooks
    Projects and seminars
    Journal assessment and self-evaluation
    Peer-group and preceptor evaluation
    Competency evaluation of clinical skills
    Comprehensive evaluation of nursing care
    Problem-based education (PBE) strategies 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    This qualification compares with the following international qualifications in terms of the range of competencies in the learning content offered. 

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification offers both possibilities of horizontal and vertical articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Nursing Science in Administration, NQF Level 7.
  • Bachelor of Nursing Science in Education, Management and Community, NQF Level 7.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Bachelor of Nursing Science Honours, NQF Level 8. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015. 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    When qualifications are replaced, some of their learning programmes are moved to being recorded against the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replacement.
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. University of Pretoria 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.