SPECIALIST AND ADVANCED SPECIALIST NURSING AND MIDWIFERY PRACTICE
Abstract
Ambiguities and role confusion exist with regard to specialist and clinically advanced nursing/midwifery practice globally and in most healthcare settings. This confusion requires clarification in such a way that specialist/clinical advanced nursing and midwifery practice (as a category of the clinical specialist) are clearly delineated. In South Africa, this is further complicated by the introduction of the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) of the Department of Health (2007) which makes provision for a grade called Professional Nurse (Specialty Nursing) and also for a further grade called Clinical Nurse Specialist (Level 3 Hospitals). The Specialty Nursing category has been implemented in most health services and nurses who have qualifications at post-basic and postgraduate diploma level in the areas described in Regulation 212 can benefit from this progression. The higher level of Clinical Nurse Specialist (OSD term for advanced specialist) has not yet been implemented. The OSD document indicates that appointments to these posts will require significant clinical experience and a clinical master’s degree. This is in line with the ICN stance that clinical advanced specialist nursing and midwifery practice require masters and PhD-level education linked to significant clinical practice experience.This chapter presents a differentiation between the two levels of specialist practice − the advanced nurse/midwife practitioner and the specialist nurse/midwife from a South African perspective and in line with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) framework.References
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