Postgraduate Diploma in Nursing Education

Purpose

The Post Graduate Diploma in Nursing Education will serve to strengthen and deepen the learners' knowledge in nursing, specifically Nursing Education. The qualification's primary purpose is to enable working professional nurses to undertake advanced reflection and development through a systematic survey of current thinking, practice, and research methods in Nursing Education. With this qualification, learners will be able to register as Nurse Educators with the South African Nursing Council (SANC).

This qualification will develop and empower professional nurses with knowledge and expertise in nursing education. The qualification aims to produce learners with advanced competencies and skills developed through critical thinking, teaching practice and research in educational institutions, who can function as part of a team or independently, as leaders, consultants, educators, and specialist practitioners in providing evidence-based care. These competencies include accountability and responsibility in professional, ethical, and legal practice; teaching-learning facilitation; assessments of student performance, effective communication, and development of collaborative partnerships; quality improvement, continuous professional development and research.

The qualification further aims to provide innovative and distinguished learners with a developed sense of equity, justice and service ethics that work to make a meaningful and sustained contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning, higher education, and health services in South Africa. The nurse educator will be able to provide high-quality nursing education which meets the needs of the country in terms of quantity, quality, and relevance.

Upon completion of this qualification, a qualifying learner will be able to

• Practice and facilitate specialist nursing or midwifery, nursing education or health services management within the ethical-legal parameters of the profession.
• Apply the knowledge of and facilitate evidence-based practice, nursing education or management in the specialist field to solve contextual problems and develop policies and guidelines.
• Appraise and develop self, peers, and nurse and midwife specialist students by facilitating self-directedness leadership and lifelong learning to maintain competence.
• Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patients, clients, families, and communities.
• Engage in planning, commissioning, and managing a specialist unit, an educational entity, or a health service.

Rationale

One of the many challenges in nursing education today is the shortage of nurse educators. This is affirmed by the World Health Organization (2016), which indicates a shortage of nurse educators in most of its member states. According to WHO (2016), the number of nurses in the workforce continues to decrease, as does the number of nursing educators needed to teach new nurses to ensure quality healthcare delivery, study health problems, address patient issues, and inform health policy. The shortage is an issue of local, national, and international concern and is anticipated to worsen (Nowell et al., 2015). The diminished nurse educators directly impact the ability to admit and graduate adequate numbers of students for the nursing workforce. This necessitates the development of nursing education programmes that will equip professional nurses with competencies to produce the workforce that form the forefront care, leadership, research, and policy arenas of the nursing profession (Nowell et al, 2015). This is a mandate to the Nursing and higher education institutions, and it is urgent. This comes at a time when health system transformation is paramount globally and regionally.

According to the South African Nursing Strategy 2012/13-2016/17, shortages of educators at nursing schools across the country are limiting student capacity at a time when the need for professional registered nurses continues to grow. This is echoed by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the largest international health professional organization in the world, which considers the global shortage of nurses a crisis that continues to adversely impact health care for everyone.

This workforce crisis is characterised by critical shortages, imbalanced skills mix, migration and uneven geographical distribution of health professionals, sub-optimal population health outcomes, and insufficient progress on the Sustainable Development Goals resulting in millions of people without access to health services.

To assist the country in addressing this shortage and meeting the demand for more, differently skilled nurses is the responsibility and challenge of NEIs to produce nursing educators who are essential for revitalizing the profession. Furthermore, achieving health system reform goals mandates the schools of nursing to invest in the education of a 21st-century healthcare workforce. To minimise the impact of shortages on the nation's nursing shortage, North-West University intends to develop the Post Graduate Diploma in Nursing Education to assist in producing more nursing educators for the country, the region and possibly the continent.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Advanced Diploma in Medical and Surgical Nursing Science, NQF Level 7

Or

• Bachelor of Nursing in Education and Administration, NQF Level 7

Or

• Bachelor of Nursing Science in Education, Management and Community, NQF Level 7

And

Must have a current registration with SANC.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, NQF Level 8, 120 Credits

• Applied professional practice and development, 10 Credits.
• Applied evidence-based practice and knowledge translation, 12 Credits.
• Applied quality practice management, 8 Credits.
• Teaching and learning in Nursing Education 1, 30 Credits.
• Teaching and learning in Nursing Education 2, 24 Credits.
• Teaching and learning in Nursing Education practice, 36 Credits.

1. Practice and facilitate specialist nursing or midwifery, nursing education or health services management within the ethical-legal parameters of the profession.
2. Apply the knowledge of and facilitate evidence-based practice, nursing education or management in the specialist field to solve contextual problems and develop policies and guidelines.
3. Appraise and develop self, peers, and nurse/midwife specialist students by facilitating self-directedness leadership and lifelong learning to maintain competence.
4. Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patients, clients, families, and communities.
5. Engage in planning, commissioning, and managing a specialist unit, an educational entity, or a health service.
6. Engage in scholarly activities to inform evidence-based practice, education, or management.
7. Utilise, manage and communicate data to support decision-making and research.
8. Design, implement, evaluate or review a programme or curriculum for teaching and learning of nurse specialist /midwife specialists.
9. Facilitate teaching and learning of students, patients/clients, families, and communities in conducive theoretical, simulation, online and clinical learning environments.
10. Engage in and facilitate assessment and evaluation of learning.
11. Apply the knowledge of and facilitate the management of the nursing education institution.
12. Participate in and facilitate the internal and external review of the nurse and midwife specialist programme and curriculum at all levels.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1.

• Apply knowledge of personal attributes and behaviour to illustrate conformity to the relevant code of ethics in the practice of specialist nursing or midwifery, nursing education and health services management.
• Make critical decisions and apply moral reasoning models and principles to make clinical judgements and resolve ethical dilemmas within the specialist practice.
• Account for own professional judgement, actions, outcomes of specialist care, nursing education or health services management provided and continued competence is demonstrated.
• Identify and apply the relevant current legislation, policies, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to specialist practice, nursing education or health services management.
• Document care activities accurately, comprehensively, and timeously considering the legal requirements for record-keeping.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the nurse specialist or midwife specialist's role in the management of professional misconduct and risks taking into consideration the institutional protocols, protocols, and ethical-legal framework.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2.

• Engage in specialist practice and show an understanding of the process of evidence-based practice.
• Apply evidence-based specialist practice, nursing education and health services management taking into consideration the appropriate methodology of gathering evidence for practice, education, and management, for example, systematic or scoping reviews, appraisal of articles, practice-based research and publication.
• Illustrate knowledge of and critical analysis of the various levels of evidence to solve contextual problems and develop policies and guidelines.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3.

• Illustrate leadership skills through the application of appropriate leadership styles, principles, and theories of health services management.
• Effectively facilitate Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for self and others for lifelong learning by creating a positive learning climate in the workplace through the processes of mentorship, preceptorship, supervision and performance appraisal.
• Engage in performance appraisal and apply an understanding of the purpose and processes of the performance management and development system.
• Apply feedback gained from self-reflection, peers, students, management, and other relevant stakeholders to improve effectiveness in the specialist role.
• Illustrate understanding of the various risk factors that impact health and wellness within the workplace and apply strategies to care for self, peers, employees, and students.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4.

• Illustrate an understanding of the purpose of the advocacy role for a nurse specialist or midwife specialist practice.
• Apply advocacy principles to ensure safety and quality care in various healthcare settings or nursing education or health services management.
• Lobby and participate in interest groups to influence legislation and policy affecting the role performance.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 5.

• Illustrate an understanding of levels and or classification of the respective specialist units, health services or educational entities.
• Commission tasks taking into consideration the burden of diseases and priority services as determined by current events.
• Participate in the evaluation of the existing specialist unit, health, or education entity using knowledge of guidelines for provisioning a specialist unit/health service or an educational entity.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 6.

• Practice in the respective specialisations, applying knowledge of appropriate search engines and databases for review of the literature to inform evidence-based practice, nursing education and health services management.
• Apply appropriate methods to generate evidence for utilisation in specialist practice (e.g. research, systematic reviews etc.) education and health services management.
• Action activities in the specialist practice, education and health services management that are based on scientifically proven evidence.
• Actively participate in inter and intra-professional dialogues, debates or discourses in quality improvement.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 7.

• Document all data and information gathered in the context of the specialist practice, education and health services for utilisation and storage in accordance with the set standards.
• Utilise comprehensive data, information and emerging evidence pertinent to the respective specialist practice.
• Critically analyse assessment data gathered from the patients, families, communities, students or employees including current scientific evidence and identify, and diagnose problems and opportunities for improvement based on gathered evidence.
• Illustrate respect for intellectual property, by developing documents that are without plagiarism.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 8.

• Develop a curriculum design and review that shows an understanding of the determinants of a curriculum, for example, health and education legislation, regulation or policies, health determinants (biological, physical, socioeconomic, cultural, lifestyle, community, demographic patterns), Health and disease burden, professional opportunities for the development of new roles, etc.).
• Evaluate the management educational programme using relevant national and professional legislation and regulations including institutional standards.
• Align the curriculum design with the mission, vision, and philosophy of the Nursing Education Institution (NEI) and the context in which it is operating.
• Design a curriculum and revision of inter-and intra-professional collaboration for other sciences and engagement of any other relevant stakeholders such as the clinical counterparts.
• Implement curriculum taking into cognisance the availability of all other relevant elements and features such as legal frameworks, budget, human resources corporate services and culture.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 9.

• Facilitate learning in a variety of settings as relevant, such as classroom, clinical, simulated settings and other relevant teaching and learning platforms including, e-learning and online.
• Appropriately apply teaching and learning paradigms or strategies according to the maturity of students or health literacy of the health care users.
• Critically analyse different knowledge taxonomies, learning outcomes, teaching, and learning approaches and assessment and align them accordingly.
• Engage in teaching and learning and show appropriate personal attributes and role model teaching that facilitate learning.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 10.

• Assess and evaluate the learning of the various methods and principles of learning taking into consideration the level of study of learners.
• Apply knowledge and ensure that learning and evaluation are in line with the curriculum approach, e.g., problem or case-based approach.
• Plan and develop integrated assessments, execute, monitor and apply knowledge to evaluate them.
• Utilise assessment and evaluation data to enhance the teaching and learning process through the provision of timely, constructive, and thoughtful feedback to students.
• Facilitate all assessment and moderation taking into consideration assessment principles in terms of setting, invigilation, marking and moderation.
• Apply security measures to protect the integrity and publication of the assessments.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 11.

• Coordinate teaching and learning activities and align them with the strategic plan of the NEI and the whole Higher Education Institution.
• Mobilize appropriate teaching and learning infrastructure and resources and utilize them within the available budget to optimize teaching and learning practices.
• Develop resources and services and maintain them to keep teaching and learning in line with changes in the professional and contextual trends.
• Participate in the governance structures of the Higher Education Institution and earn the recognition of nursing education.
• Critically analyse and implement different dimensions of quality assurance and improvement to ensure accepted educational standards and integrity of the programme.
• Coordinate the teaching and learning activities programmes taking into consideration the national, regulatory, and institutional requirements of the programme.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 12.

• Illustrate awareness of the institutional, professional and national standards and criteria for accreditation and evaluation of a programme by taking regular internal and external reviews of the curriculum or programme.
• Engage relevant stakeholders in the curriculum and programme reviews to ensure diverse views and inclusiveness.
• Share reviewed data of the curriculum with relevant stakeholders and use it to revise and update the curriculum in the highly dynamic healthcare environment.