Netcare Education’s KwaZulu-Natal Campus recently held a graduation ceremony for 291 students who have achieved various healthcare qualifications.
Ian Goble, Netcare’s coastal region director, congratulated the graduates on their achievements, noting that this month 645 nurses and emergency and critical care students would graduate from five Netcare Education campuses across the entire coastal region. A further 929 would graduate from the two campuses in Gauteng, bringing the total to 1 574 nurses and emergency and critical care graduates.
“Your graduation is a success story not only for you but also for Netcare, for education in our country and for healthcare in general,” he told the graduates.
Netcare Education, which was established 26 years ago, has two campuses in Gauteng and one campus each in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.
Netcare Education’s Faculty of Nursing and Ancillary Healthcare (FNAH) is accredited by the South African Nursing Council (SANC) as a private nursing education institution and has provisional registration with the Department of Higher Education. Netcare Education’s Faculty of Emergency and Critical Care (FECC) is one of the largest private emergency medical services training facilities in Africa. The FECC is accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa and has provisional registration with the Department of Higher Education.
“For those individuals who have a passion for it, nursing and emergency medical services can be the most rewarding professions, and given the many areas of nursing in which one can specialise, nursing offers a variety of opportunities for career advancement.”
In KwaZulu-Natal, 37 nurses were awarded post-basic diplomas: 10 specialised in intensive care, 21 in trauma and emergency and 6 in operating room technique. Ninety-four students qualified as enrolled nurses, seven as enrolled nursing assistants and 48 received their six-month in-service certificates. A further 85 students graduated from the bridging course leading to registration as a registered nurse, while 20 from the FECC qualified as ambulance emergency assistants.
Goble highlighted the stories of several students who demonstrated their tenacity to graduate.
One such student is Justine Chetty, who joined Netcare Alberlito Hospital in Ballito in 2009 as a receptionist and switchboard operator. Although her passion lay in nursing, she could not afford to pursue this career until Netcare Education selected her in 2012 for training. Netcare employees are supported in their studies as all costs are carried by Netcare.
“Justine began her studies in 2013 but suffered a number of personal tragedies, including the death of her father two days before her exams. She persevered in the face of adversity and managed to pass her exams with honours. She has now fulfilled her dream of qualifying as an enrolled nurse,” Goble said.
“The courage and personal strength Justine has shown are qualities that will make her a credit to the healthcare profession in the years to come.”
Zakhele Ngwane of Netcare Parklands Hospital in Durban, who also graduated as an enrolled nurse, was also recognised with a special citation award. He joined Netcare in 2013 as a student after resigning from an administrative position to follow his passion for nursing.
“During his first year of study, Zakhele obtained the highest marks in his class with an impressive 89% for theory and 90% for the practical component of his course. In acknowledgement of this sterling performance in his first year of training, Zakhele received a Netcare gratuity to assist him with the costs associated with his second year of training. In his second year, he achieved 82% and 81% respectively,” Goble said.
He encouraged all the students to embrace lifelong learning in order to realise their full potential and extend the ambit of their care in their chosen vocations.
“A career in healthcare is a challenging but rewarding profession, which requires a very special and caring type of individual. It is both a science and an art, dedicated to the service of others. The best nurses and paramedics are united by an insatiable desire for making a positive difference in other people’s lives,” Goble concluded.
Ends
Issued by: Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA) on behalf of Netcare Education
Contact : Martina Nicholson, Graeme Swinney, Sarah Wilson, Meggan Saville
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]