Abstract
Background: The nursing profession needs nurses with a higher level of education and not merely more nurses to enhance patient outcomes. To improve quality patient care the nursing discipline needs to be advanced through theory development and knowledge generation, thus graduate nurses. Nursing scholarship cannot be limited to nurse academics, but is the responsibility of every nurse. Although the world is looking towards combating the decline in nursing numbers with better educated nurses, South Africa is planning to address the problem with more lower qualified nurses.Aim: The aim of this study being reported here was to establish whether degree-prepared nurses in South-Africa partake more often in scholarly activities than diploma-prepared nurses.Method: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. The population was all professional nurses registered with the South African Nursing Council who obtained either a four year degree or four year diploma in nursing. Data were gathered from 479 respondents, using aself-administrative questionnaire.Results: Three times more nursing educators (n = 19) achieved a degree as first qualification than their colleagues (n = 6) who achieved a diploma as first qualification. All but one (n = 18) nursing educators who obtained a degree as first qualification are educators in the private sector that include both universities as well as nursing colleges of private hospital groups. Data further revealed that most nurse educators and those in managerial positions were degree prepared. More degree prepared nurses than diploma prepared nurses were actively involved in scholarly activities such as research (30,5% compared to 25,5%) andimplementing best practice guidelines (62,2% compared to 55,9%).Conclusion: The global nursing crisis, nor the nursing profession, will benefit by only training more nurses. The profession and the health care sector need more degree prepared nurses to improve scholarship in nursing.
Highlights
The various entry levels into nursing practice have been contentious and the topic of discussion amongst policy makers, researchers and the nursing profession
The population were all professional nurses registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) who had obtained either a four-year university degree or a four-year integrated college diploma
The majority of diplomat respondents and graduate respondents who took part in the study were at that stage working as registered nurses in South African urban areas
Summary
The various entry levels into nursing practice have been contentious and the topic of discussion amongst policy makers, researchers and the nursing profession. No differentiation between degree-qualified and diploma-qualified nurses occurs in clinical practice currently. The duration of both the degree and diploma programmes is four years. On exiting the programmes all diplomats and graduates, register with the South African Nursing Council as a general, community health- and psychiatric nurse and midwife. The nursing profession needs nurses with a higher level of education and not merely more nurses to enhance patient outcomes. Aim: The aim of this study being reported here was to establish whether degree-prepared nurses in South-Africa partake more often in scholarly activities than diploma-prepared nurses. The population was all professional nurses registered with the South African Nursing Council who obtained either a four year degree or four year diploma in nursing. All but one (n 1⁄4 18) nursing educators who obtained a degree as first qualification are educators in the private sector that include both universities as well as nursing colleges of private hospital groups
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