Netcare Education, in partnership with the Open Learning Group (OLG), has launched the Netcare Education Designate Programme (NEDP), a supported distance learning programme which aims to provide candidates with knowledge and skills that will enhance their successes when pursuing future nursing careers.
The NEDP was launched at the Netcare Education Campus in Johannesburg early in 2013, along with the registration of its first intake. This has been followed by further roll-out of the NEDP at all five Netcare Education campuses.
The NEDP, which is a part-time programme, predominantly serves to equip prospective nursing candidates with academic and personal skills to enhance their capabilities. Compulsory academic modules include Fundamental English for Academic Purposes, Business Communication, Numeracy for Higher Education Studies, Computer and Digital Literacy, and Academic and Student Development.
The required pass rate is 60% and successful candidates will be enrolled into their first year of the Netcare Education nursing programme. With this academic foundation in place, Netcare Education believes that future nursing students will be better equipped to address the demands of formal nursing education programmes at Higher Education levels with subsequent enhanced success rates in their studies.
Toy Vermaak, Netcare Education's Inland Regional Manager, says this programme has been specifically designed to increase quality educational outcomes and the professionalism of the candidates in preparation for the demands of tertiary studies in nursing. Through exposure to the Netcare Way philosophy, in which personal conduct and etiquette in the healthcare environment is taught by example, students' passion for caring will be developed, offering benefits over and above the academic preparedness.
Speaking at an NEDP information day for prospective candidates held at the Netcare Education Campus, in Centurion, earlier this year, Dr Deon van der Merwe, Academic Head at the Open Learning Group, said the aim is not only to develop relevant academic, social and personal skills, but also to introduce the students to the world of nursing and to sensitise them towards the values, behaviours and attitudes required in the nursing environment.
The programme is delivered via an electronic tablet and the online platform, Moodle. Via the tablet, the students will have access to the e-textbook, study guides and an e-learning component. Biweekly contact classes are held and broadcast via electronic whiteboards on campus and are supported by an online chat room and Q&A sessions, hosted by lecturers. Each student receives a customised tablet with two gigabytes of data per month, supplied for a year. Training on the tablet is offered, as well as telephonic tablet support throughout the programme.
"I love that the tablet is included. It gives us the opportunity to interact with technology, equipping us for the future," says student candidate Molebogeng Manamela.
"Students need to have a passion for caring if they are to be successful nurses. We build on that passion and up-skill future nurses to help ensure retention in the nursing profession," says Manda Dube, Netcare Education Centurion Campus Manager.
Students are offered additional support through a complementary counselling service and SMS reminders are in place to keep students informed of classes and chat sessions.
Launched in 1997, OLG is an accredited FET and HET provider that provides affordable academic and vocational education to thousands of learners, with the focus being on opportunities that are tailored for the needs of youth and the job market.
Initially, OLG had been appointed to assist Netcare Education with its assessment processes. Five years later, in 2013, the Netcare Education Designate Programme was launched in partnership with OLG.
For more information on the Netcare Education Designate Programme, contact the Open Learning Group at 086 005 3276.
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