Cape Town - The magnitude of the moment was almost tangible as praise and acknowledgement flowed for the 150 Western Cape College of Nursing (WCCN) students selected from an overwhelming pool of applications.
Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo joined WCCN staff as they welcomed the inaugural group for the accredited programme, in addition to 150 students who enrolled for the new one-year higher certificate in nursing at the WCCN Metro East Campus in Athlone, yesterday.
WCCN Head of Academia Dr Theresa Bock said WCCN was the only college in South Africa to offer a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. The college is the first public nursing college to receive accreditation by both the Council on Higher Education and the South African Nursing Council for all undergraduate nursing programmes.
First-year student Mfuleni Azola Sulelo, 29, from Mfuleni, said: “I am passionate about people and I would like to see myself helping people in the community.
“I was here before, but due to circumstances I had to go back and work for my family. I came back because this is what I want.”
First-year student Esihle Patsi, 21, from Site C, Khayelitsha, said she was excited as it had been a long-term dream of hers.
“One of the things that is important as a nurse, you must have the heart to help people, so you must be able to motivate the patient and make sure they get all the treatment that they deserve,” said Patsi.
Students came from across the country and were selected from more than 3 000 applications received, Mbombo said. The department also makes bursaries available for Western Cape applicants.
“There are social ills that are beyond our control, but we’re saying there’s social ills that they need to be aware of. There are other things that we could be able to contribute to and assist. For example, you can identify a case of gender-based violence without necessarily being able to do something about it (directly), but we can refer.”