Experiences of nurse educators regarding the R171 nursing curriculum in the North West Province

Abstract

Background: Nursing education is entering a period of unpredictability due to the disruption in healthcare services by global health crises. An examples of health crises that occurred globally include Covid 19. Therefore, nurse educators will have to seek new and innovative frameworks for their curricula to prepare nursing students to meet evolving healthcare needs. In 2013, there was the introduction of the R171 nursing curriculum in South Africa, and in 2021 to the public nursing college in the North West Province with the aim of producing generalist nurses who were critical thinkers. Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators regarding the R171 nursing curriculum in North West Province. Methodology: The study used a descriptive phenomenology research design to achieve the aim and objectives. A non-probability sampling approach was adopted for the study with the use of a purposive sampling technique to select participants who had insight and experience in the phenomenon in question. Prior to conducting the research, the researcher sought ethical permission from the NuMIQ research focus area, and the North-West University Health Research Ethics Committee. Semi- structured individual interviews, through Microsoft Teams, were used to collect data, and analysis used thematic analysis. Results: Three themes emerged from the findings of this study, namely inadequate resources to implement the R171 nursing curriculum; teaching and learning challenges in implementing the R171 nursing curriculum, and the possible solutions for effective implementation of the R171 nursing curriculum. Conclusion: This study sought to explore and describe the nurse educator’s experiences regarding R171 in the North West Province. To implement the R171 nursing curriculum effectively, there is a need to include nurse educators in the development of the curriculum. There is also a need for a comprehensive support comprising of all available essential resources.