Licence to practice

Licence to practise and work as a qualified nurse

Once a nurse is qualified, he or she has to pay an annual licensing fee. No nurse may touch a patient if not registered with the South African Nursing Council.
What future opportunities can a degree in nursing give me?

Nursing is one of the best careers anyone can choose because there is such diversity within nursing as a profession. Initially, everyone does a basic nursing degree (which includes midwifery), but after that, the qualified professional nurse can choose from a wide variety of specialisation areas. The following are some examples: intensive care nursing, orthopaedic nursing, operating theatre nursing, occupational health nursing, paediatric nursing, forensic nursing, nephrology nursing, psychiatric nursing, midwifery and neonatal nursing, community health nursing, nursing and health services management, nursing education and nursing research.

Nursing allows you to work all over the world, in your discipline of choice. At the moment, there is a shortage of nurses around the world, and nurses frequently use this work opportunity to learn about other countries and health-care models
How many hours does a qualified nurse work?

Most qualified nurses work 8-12 hours a day and 40 hours per week. Nurses do shift work, so they can go on duty early or later in the day. Most night shifts are 12 hours long. There are some institutions that will allow flexi hours, but this depends on the internal policy and demands of each health-care institution.
Does your country issue a licence to practise?

All nursing students (nationals and foreign students) have to be registered at the South African Nursing Council as nursing students to be able to do their training in South Africa. According to the Nursing Act No 33 of 2005 it is illegal to touch a patient if the person is not registered as a student or a qualified nurse in South Africa.

Nationals are registered for community service, and only after completion of community service and after the certification of completion is received from the institution where community service was rendered, do nationals apply and become registered with the South African Nursing Council.

Foreign nursing students have to go through an extensive process before they can study in South Africa. You can obtain the necessary information from the Office for International Education. International students also have to register as students with the South African Nursing Council. Once international students have completed their training, they have to return to their country of origin. These nurses obtain their nursing degree from Nelson Mandela University, but it does not entitle them to practise in South Africa as a professional nurse. They have to register as a nurse in their own country. The university will send the necessary transcripts of the students’ training to their professional body upon request. Students should find out what the processes and requirements are BEFORE they study in South Africa to ensure they get the necessary documentation before they leave South Africa on completion of their training. If they want to return to South Africa to work, they have to apply for registration with the South African Nursing Council (but they can only do this once they are registered in their own country). It takes international nurses a long time to register with the South African Nursing Council. International nurses should NOT come to South Africa before they have proof of registration in South Africa because they will not be able to work here.