PROFESSIONAL NURSE: SPECIALTY [PN-B1] GRADE 1–2 SESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS: MAXIMUM OF 20 SESSIONS PER WEEK PER PN (1 SESSION = 1 HOUR)

Limpopo's provincial health department is establishing a sessional database of qualified Professional Nurses to fill specialist posts at hospitals across Capricorn, Mopani, Sekhukhune, Vhembe and Waterberg districts. These are sessional appointments, meaning nurses are engaged on an hourly session basis, with a maximum of twenty sessions of one hour each per week per nurse. The specialty posts are graded as Professional Nurse: Specialty PN-B1 Grade 1 and Grade 2. A parallel stream covers Professional Nurse with Midwifery at Grade 1 to Grade 3, with a wider list of hospitals in the same districts, also on a sessional appointment basis.

Specialty disciplines for the PN-B1 posts include operational theatre nursing, critical care adult (ICU), child nursing (paediatrics), child critical care nursing (ICU), trauma nursing, advanced midwifery and neonatal nursing science, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, renal nursing, and paediatric/child nursing. Candidates apply for a specific specialty at one of the participating hospitals, which include Pietersburg, Mankweng, Letaba, St Ritas, Philadelphia, Tshilidzini and Mokopane, among others in the listed districts. Each institution and specialty has its own application channel, so applicants must select the appropriate link for their preferred hospital and discipline.

To qualify for the specialty posts, applicants must hold a basic R425 qualification, meaning a diploma or degree in nursing or an equivalent qualification that permits registration with the South African Nursing Council as a Professional Nurse. A post-basic nursing qualification in the relevant specialty is also required, with a minimum duration of one year and accredited by the SANC, except in the case of neonatal ICU nursing. Current registration with SANC as a Professional Nurse in the appropriate specialty is essential. Appointment at Grade 1 requires at least four years of appropriate or recognisable experience in nursing after registration as a Professional Nurse. Grade 2 requires a minimum of fourteen years of such experience, of which ten years must be in the relevant specialty after obtaining the post-basic qualification.

Candidates must be willing to work shifts, flexi-hours, weekends, public holidays and overtime when required. They need to demonstrate sound knowledge and skills in nursing care processes and procedures within their specialty, as well as good communication, report writing, facilitation, liaison, networking and problem-solving abilities. Information management skills and computer literacy are also required.

The key performance areas include providing direction and supervision for implementation of the nursing care plan to ensure quality patient care; practising nursing and healthcare in accordance with standards, quality indicators, legislation and regulations; working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary clinical team; and utilising human, material and physical resources efficiently and effectively.

Remuneration for these sessional appointments is based on appropriate and recognisable experience after registration with the SANC, using sessional rates approved by the DPSA; the rates differ for Grade 1 and Grade 2 but are not fixed as an annual salary. These posts are part of a professional nurses database for sessional appointments, meaning successful applicants are placed on a database from which hospitals can draw when sessional capacity arises. The midwifery stream, advertised separately, covers a larger set of hospitals in Vhembe, Waterberg, Capricorn and Mopani districts, with grades 1 to 3 available. While the listing provides fewer details for that stream, it clearly operates on the same sessional model with a maximum of twenty sessions per week. As with all provincial health department vacancies, appointments will be subject to the applicable regulatory and employment requirements.