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Netcare education application

Netcare partners with Open Learning Group (OLG) to smooth the process for student nursing applications

Wednesday, 26 August Following Netcare’s recent warning about fraudulent job and training advertisements using the Netcare name, the company has received numerous enquiries from prospective students wanting to find out how to apply to become a nursing student at one of the five Netcare Education campuses around the country.

“Since 2011, Netcare has had an exclusive contract with the Open Learning Group (OLG) to facilitate the application and pre-assessment procedure for those who want to apply for enrolment for a formal nursing programme through Netcare Education. The only way prospective students should apply for nursing programmes at Netcare Education is through OLG,” explains Toy Vermaak, manager: Faculty of Nursing and Ancillary Healthcare at Netcare Education.

The application process involves the writing of a pre-assessment to assess each applicant’s academic readiness. Students who obtain 80% or more in each of the four sections of this pre-assessment immediately qualify to begin studying with the next available intake of students for the first-year formal Netcare Education Nursing Programmes.

Those who achieve more than 50% but less than 80% for their assessment are eligible to join the eight-month Netcare Education Designate Programme (NEDP), which is run by OLG. After successful completion of the NEDP, students are eligible for admission to Netcare Education.

The NEDP is an academic development programme specifically designed to develop relevant academic preparedness. It provides applicants with sound foundations for tertiary studies at higher education level; develops social and personal skills; provides an introduction to the world of nursing; and sensitises them towards the values, behaviours and attitudes required in the nursing environment. Compulsory academic modules include Fundamental English for Academic Purposes, Business Communication, Numeracy for Higher Education Studies, Computer and Digital Literacy, Human Body Orientation, as well as Academic and Student Development. The required pass rate for all modules is 60%.

“Due to the high number of students applying for nursing education with Netcare Education, OLG has set up a dedicated call centre for applicants and assesses as many as 8 000 applicants every year. We at OLG ensure that this is a smooth and efficient process for all concerned,” says Jackie Knott, business development manager of OLG.

What can applicants expect from the process?

• Applicants need to complete an application form and submit it to OLG with their Grade 12 certificate, a certified copy of their ID and proof of the required deposit (2015 rate: R310.00) to facilitate the administration of their application and assessment.
• Applicants are then invited to complete an assessment and will receive an SMS confirming details of the assessment. Students are welcome to contact OLG telephonically to confirm any correspondence.
• Applicants write their pre-assessment, made up of four sections, at any of OLG’s centres in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban. They must bring a pen and calculator to the assessment.
• Applicants achieving over 80% in all of the sections of the assessment are immediately fast-tracked for the entry-level formal and accredited Netcare Education Nursing Programme for the next intake.
• Applicants achieving over 50% but less than 80% in all of the sections are able to join the eight-month Netcare Education Designate Programme (NEDP). Once successfully completed, applicants may apply for the Netcare Education Nursing Programme.
• Unfortunately, applicants who score less than 50% for any section do not qualify for either of the two programmes.

Netcare Education, which was established 26 years ago, has campuses in Johannesburg and Pretoria in Gauteng, Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal, Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and Cape Town in 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 and Training as a private higher education institution.

“We warmly encourage individuals wanting to become nurses to apply through OLG to be assessed, so that they can be considered for the Netcare Education Nursing Programme,” concludes Vermaak.

Applications to OLG should be emailed to netcareinfo@olg.co.za. OLG can be contacted telephonically on 086 005 3276.