- Title
- The perceptions of Nursing service and Operational Managers on the role of nursing sub-professionals in the Health Service System at Mhlontlo Municipality
- Creator
- Mpini, Minah Malakiwe
- Subject
- Health service management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Nursing sub-professional
- Date Issued
- 2018
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- M Nursing
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1341
- Identifier
- vital:32258
- Description
- South Africa is experiencing a serious shortage of nurses, especially nursing sub-professionals. The Eastern Cape Province is among the provinces with highest percentage of vacancies for nurses in all nursing categories. Nursing shortage has compromised South African health care services as health services are mostly supported by this group of health professionals. As a result of this shortage, rural health services have for a long time depended on the nursing sub-professionals to perform basic nursing services. This category is however also decreasing, which makes it difficult for nursing professionals to cope with the amount of work. South African rural health centres put pressure on professional nurses to do some of the health care activities that are meant to be done by medical doctors. The aim of the study was to explore the role and value of nursing sub-professionals in the health care system as viewed by the nursing managers. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted to get the perceptions of nursing service managers and operational managers on the role and value of nursing sub-professionals in the health service. A purposive sample of 23 participants was selected and interviewed. Most of the participants viewed the retention of nursing sub-professionals as crucial in the health service system. The participants saw sub-professionals as playing a vital role in the health services as the latter have a scope of practice that enables them to work independently. The reasons they put forth in support of their retention include reduction of litigations, easing the work load of professional nurses, sometimes performing non-nursing duties during crisis periods, reduction in the waiting time for patients/clients, and enabling professional nurses to perform more sophisticated professional duties which include management. Few managers viewed the existence of sub-professional nurses as increasing the work of nursing professionals. They felt that nursing sub-professionals worked under the supervision of nursing professionals. This, according to them, resulted in more work for nursing professionals who had to check and/or repeat what had been done in the name of supervision.
- Format
- xi, 78 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Walter Sisulu University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Health Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Walter Sisulu University
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| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | MPINI Thesis - MSc Nursing 2018.pdf | 867 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |