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

The Limpopo Department of Health is accepting sessional appointments for Professional Nurses in a range of specialty disciplines, with posts available at public hospitals across the Capricorn, Mopani, Sekhukhune, Vhembe and Waterberg districts. These are not permanent full-time posts but sessional engagements, with one session equivalent to one hour and a maximum of 20 sessions per week per professional nurse. The specialty areas covered include Operational Theatre nursing, Critical Care Adult (ICU), Child Nursing (Paediatrics), Child Critical Care Nursing (ICU), Trauma, Advanced Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing Science, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics and Renal nursing. In addition to these specialty posts, the advertisement also lists a separate sessional stream for Professional Nurses with Midwifery, offering Grade 1 to Grade 3 appointments at numerous hospitals in the same regions, including facilities in Vhembe, Waterberg, Capricorn and Mopani.

To be considered for the specialty posts, candidates must hold a minimum Basic R425 qualification, namely a Diploma or Degree in Nursing, or an equivalent qualification that permits registration with the South African Nursing Council as a Professional Nurse. They must also have completed a post-basic nursing qualification in one of the recognised specialty areas listed, with the qualification lasting at least one year and being accredited by the SANC, except in the case of Neonatal ICU nursing where a different arrangement applies. Current registration with the SANC as a Professional Nurse in the relevant specialty is essential. Experience requirements are structured by grade: Grade 1 applicants need at least four years of appropriate and recognisable nursing experience after registering as a Professional Nurse in General Nursing, while Grade 2 applicants need at least fourteen years of such experience, of which ten years must be in the relevant specialty after obtaining the post-basic qualification. Remuneration is not a fixed salary but is based on sessional rates approved by the Department of Public Service and Administration, determined by the nurse’s appropriate and recognisable experience following SANC registration.

The role itself is clinical and supervisory in nature. Successful appointees will be expected to provide direction and supervision in the implementation of the nursing care plan, ensuring that quality patient care is delivered in line with professional standards, quality indicators, legislation and regulations. They will work collaboratively within multidisciplinary clinical teams, liaising with other health professionals to ensure coordinated care. They must also use human, material and physical resources efficiently and effectively, which includes managing workloads and ensuring that equipment and supplies are properly utilised. The knowledge and skills required include a solid grasp of nursing care processes and procedures in the relevant specialty, good communication and report-writing abilities, facilitation, liaison and networking skills, problem-solving capacity, information management skills and computer literacy. Applicants must be willing to work shifts, flexi-hours, weekends, public holidays and overtime as required.

This vacancy is part of a broader sessional database initiative for professional nurses, and appointments are spread across specific hospitals within each district, with each hospital and specialty having its own application portal. Because the posts are sessional, they offer flexibility but also require availability across the full spectrum of hospital operating hours. The midwifery stream similarly involves sessional work and is open to professional nurses with midwifery qualifications, with appointments at a wide range of hospitals from rural clinics to larger hospital complexes. These opportunities are well suited to experienced nurses seeking part-time or supplementary work in the public health sector, particularly those with specialised clinical skills in high-demand areas such as ICU, theatre, trauma and child critical care. All appointments are subject to the usual government employment checks and the terms of the sessional remuneration framework.