Career Focus: Nursing

Namibia’s dependency on foreign medical staff, who are employed within the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) through an expatriate agreement, could soon come to an end by having our Namibian produced nurses.

Nurses act as the medium of communication between the patient and the doctor, they are caring and always there for those in need of their assistance. To be a nurse is a calling, it’s not just a job to do for money or for fun. Arnoldt Beukes, a first year student at the National Health Training Centre doing a diploma in Nursing and Midwifery, said “nursing comes with passion as at times as a nurse one will have to act as a counsellor for the family in hard times such as death which can be a very difficult thing to do if you don’t enjoy your job”.

There are a lot of career paths in nursing but the two main ones in Namibia are general nursing and registered nursing. The difference between the two is that with a general nurse focuses on administering of medication while the registered nurse focuses on treating, bathing and supporting the patients. Theatre nursing and psychiatric nursing are other types of nursing careers. Moreover, the ministry is embarking on training a surplus of its own medical professionals, especially nurses, to guarantee the provision of quality healthcare all over Namibia.

For those who are planning to study nursing in Namibia, there are a couple of institutions that offer these qualifications. To become a professional/registered nurse, one needs a university diploma or degree. The University of Namibia offers a degree in nursing which requires 25 points in five subjects of which Biology is compulsory.

One also needs to receive training for four years.

There are also other institutions that offer nursing qualifications as well, such as the International University of Management (IUM) which offers an Honours degree in Nursing and it requires the following: 25 points in five subjects that must include Mathematics, Biology and Physical Science. One can also apply through the mature entry with at least 18 points in Grade 12 and three to four years experience in the health and social services industry.

The National Health Training Centre also offers a diploma in Registered Nursing Training Programme which is completed in three years. The program is offered through the MoHSS to complement the existing two year course in Enrolled Nursing also offered by the ministry and the four year Bachelors of Nursing training programme offered at the University of Namibia. The requirements are 25 points in Grade 12 with a D symbol in English and at least two science subjects. The programme is offered at the Windhoek National Health Training Centre, Keetmanshoop Regional Health Training Centre and Rundu Regional Health Training Centre.

The new Welwitschia University in Windhoek is another institution that started training nurses last year in order to help address the shortage of qualified nurses in the country. At the moment they only offer a Bachelor of Nursing Science course which runs for four years and sees the students carrying out their practical work at the Windhoek Central and Katutura State hospitals as well as St Mary’s Hospital in Rehoboth. The admission requirements are 25 points in six Grade 12 subjects, a C symbol in English and some science subjects.

Nursing is one of the most interesting medical careers in the world. Although Namibia is a country of a little over two million people, we are still in need of so many nurses, so if you are thinking of going down that path and you meet the requirements, then go for it, it’s rewarding. “It’s not about the money, you need to love people and be caring and the job will be fun and rewarding,” said Beukes.

Other than taking care of patients, nurses also perform physical exams and health histories; they provide health counselling and education; administer medication, do wound care and other personalised interventions. They also interpret patient information and make critical decisions about needed actions and conduct research in support of improved practice and patient outcomes.

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