Evaluation of distance bridging nursing courses presented by tertiary institutions in South Africa

• Published in: Education (Chula Vista) Vol. 122; no. 2; pp. 348 - 364
• Main Authors: Poggenpoel, Marie, Myburgh, Cph, Kaye-Peterson, E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Project Innovation Austin LLC 22-12-2001
• Subjects: Distance education; Education; Evaluation; Nurses; South Africa; Training; South Africa
• ISSN: 0013-1172

Nurses are the backbone of the health care delivery system in South Africa. Continual nurse training is essential to meet the present and future dynamic health needs of the ever-growing population of South Africa. The accepted and approved method of conducting basic nurse education and training programmes is on a full time basis. However, the advent of the auxiliary and enrolled nurse courses in 1960 has created a rapidly growing market for further education. At the beginning of 1997 applications were made to the SAINC (South African Inspectorate for Nursing Council) for the implementation of distance learning for basic nurse education and training programmes. The inspectorate's findings were very positive and the first Democratic South African Nursing Council took a resolution that a scientific study through a follow-up inspection be conducted to determine whether distance learning as a method of providing education and training of nurses could be implemented. In this article the authors present a report on the evaluation of distance bridging nursing courses in South Africa.