The trained nurse has become one of the greatest blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the Physician and the Priest. William Osler
Nursing for many is a calling. It is the natural instinct to promote healing and to encourage people to feel better even at their most trying times.
Can you remember a hospital stay that was pleasant?
Most people would say, "No." However, there may be a person or two who remembers a hospital experience well particularly due to the fact that the nurses were good, kind, and caring.
Many nurses understand that for patients the thought of having to be in a hospital is in itself rather scary. That is why most nurses take on the duty of not only doing what they were trained to do but also trying to make patients feel as comfortable and as cared for as possible.
If you have ever been in a hospital before, you would know that the doctor's job is to pop in and out, checking on you now and again. It is the nurses who are beside you for all the moments in the hospital. That is why, nurses ought to be qualified enough to take up their tasks and perform their duty to the best of their abilities. Nurses serve as the main source of communication between the doctor and the patient, and doctors rely on trained nurses to provide feedback when it is most needed and sometimes even feedback when it is most unexpected.
Despite the number of nurses that are already working in hospitals across Cape Town, there is a need for more nurses. If you feel as if your true calling is to be a nurse, you need to know what options are available in terms of nursing studies in Cape Town. Let's explore them.
You may want to take a look at nursing colleges around South Africa to become aware of how many places there are to study nursing throughout South Africa if relocation options are on the cards for you.
Places You Can Study Nursing in Cape Town
In Cape Town, you can pursue a degree in nursing should you be accepted into university based on grades and requirements.
University of Cape Town (UCT)
In Cape Town, the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Cape Town welcomes you to pursue a nursing and midwifery courses. The nursing and midwifery department at this particular university has been in existence for over 85 years now. Through your years of studies at UCT, you will be provided with all the theoretical and practical skills to ensure patient and family care.
At UCT, your goal should not be to stop at undergraduate studies, but you should aim to progress and take on Post graduate degrees too. There are many Postgraduate degrees offered at the university such as the:
- Postgraduate Diploma in Nephrology Nursing Programme
- Postgraduate Diploma in Opthalmic Nursing
- Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing
- Master of Science (Nursing) Dissertation-only Programme
- MSc (Nursing) by coursework and minor dissertation
- PhD in Nursing & Midwifery
Western Cape College of Nursing
You may also like to check out the Western Cape College of Nursing which offers you various studying options including the:
- One Year Higher Certificate in Nursing (R169)
- Diploma in nursing (R171)
- Bachelor of nursing and midwifery (R174)
- Advanced diploma in midwifery (R1497)
You can take up any of these courses at one of three campuses: Metro Campus (Athlone), Boland Overberg Campus (Worcester), and the South Cape Karoo Campus (George).
If you have just completed matric, you can surely study at one of these campuses even if you have completed mathematical literacy as opposed to doing pure mathematics.
If you are completing an undergraduate degree in nursing, there is simply no reason why you should shy away from pursing a post graduate degree or a master's degree thereafter. Again, your financial situation will also play a role in whether you advance from an undergraduate degree to a post graduate degree. However, it is important to know what your career goal as a nurse are and you need to be able to act accordingly if it means studying further.
Other Nursing Courses in Cape Town
Based in Claremont is the New Hope School of Nursing College. The New Hope School of Nursing College has recognised the need to provide quality nursing training in Cape Town.
The Nursing college offers two courses priced rather reasonably. The two courses offered are the Enrolled Nurse Auxiliary Course(R2176) and the Enrolled Nurse Course (R2175). Both courses have been registered with the South African Nursing Council. The overall purpose of these courses are to make sure that nurses are equipped with the necessary skills to make sure nurses are well prepared for working in the health sector. These courses can be completed over two academic years.
What You Will Gain from Taking Courses at a Nursing School in Cape Town
If your mind is made up about pursuing nursing, here is what you will set yourself up for if you are taking courses at nursing schools in Cape Town.
Aside from just learning the fundamental principles of health care, nursing courses teaches you so much more such as:
- How to feel fulfilled and rewarded after each day of providing care: A nurse's job is based upon the premise of care and caring for someone else on a day-to-day basis is surely the most rewarding and personally fulfilling tasks to do. Nurses tend to be respected in their communities as well and that is surely all the more reason to feel personally satisfied in your choice of study and career path.
- Medical knowledge that will aid you wherever you go: Whether you are on a plane or even a train, there will always be someone battling some sort of illness and in need of medical care. Nurses can use their medical expertise and knowledge even when they are off duty. In fact, nurses can ensure that a sick patient is out of danger before the doctor gets to the scene. Now only does the medical knowledge and caring traits help nurses on the clock, but it helps nurses when they are at home with their families.
- Organisational skills: During your years of studying, you are expected to be on the ball, staying ahead of due dates and keeping everything in check. It is much the same when you start working as a nurse. You always have to be on top of organising everything. You always work in alignment with the clock. The organisational skills that you gain from taking up a nursing course will stick with you throughout your life.
- A realistic picture of reality: Yes, nurses are real life heroes, but unlike superheroes that we see on television, nurses do not have such glamorous lives. Studying to become a nurse is difficult, so too is working as a nurse battling other people's sickness and long working shifts. When you study nursing, you are learning that nothing is as glamorous as it is believed to be. You are taught the brutal reality that not everything goes your way, not every patient will live, and not every day will be the best.
Studying to become a nurse is exceptionally difficult. It is hard to keep up your grades after school when the amount of content that you need to absorb becomes ten times more than the content you were used to at school. That is why, embrace the real picture- failing a subject or your entire course is a possibility if you don't get the necessary help that you need.
In order to pass your examinations and understand the content and medical jargon that you have to absorb, reach for a nursing tutor of your choice. You can scan the Superprof website in search of a nursing tutor offering nurse training in Cape Town or perhaps even look for a South African nursing tutor offering nursing classes online. The choice of who you choose as a nursing tutor is entirely up to you. It is always advisable to choose a nursing tutor whose personality aligns with yours so that you can meet your expectations from the tutorial lessons in no time.
Personality Requirements for Nursing
If you are still on the fence as to whether nursing is the career path for you or not, we suggest that you consider your personality traits to see if nursing is for you or not.
Meeting the mark requirements and getting accepted to study nursing is all well and good, but you need to have the right personality traits to do the job well. Here are some personality traits that will make you well-suited to be a nurse:
- Optimistic: To be able to heal patients you must be able to look at the positive side of things even if your patient can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hence positivity is important to do the job well.
- Organisational skills: Having to tend to so many patients and remember their conditions in one hour means that you will need to be organised and have your own system worked out.
- Passionate: Like with most jobs, you lose some enthusiasm in your line of work if you are not passionate about what you do. To experience a rewarding and fulling career as a nurse, you need to be passionate about what it is that you do.
- Hard working: Nurses work long hours and have to be constantly professionally developing themselves, so if you are hardworking then nursing is for you.
Should you possess the above-mentioned qualities then you should consider becoming a nurse. We cannot promise that nursing is a walk in the park, but we can promise that it sure is rewarding to take someone out of the woods.
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