PROFESSIONAL NURSE SPECIALTY PNB1 (ICU) (X1 POST)

This position offers an opportunity for an experienced and dedicated professional nurse to serve as a Professional Nurse Specialty in the Intensive Care Unit at Helen Joseph Tertiary Hospital, operating within the hospital’s Nursing Department. The role is a specialty-level clinical post, graded under the Occupation-Specific Dispensation for professional nurses, and is focused on delivering high-quality, specialised nursing care to critically ill patients. As an ICU specialty nurse, you will be expected to function as a key member of the multidisciplinary team, ensuring that patient care is consistent with professional nursing standards, legal frameworks, and the ethical values that underpin nursing practice in South Africa.

To be considered for this post, candidates must hold a basic R425 qualification in nursing, either a diploma or degree, or an equivalent qualification that permits registration with the South African Nursing Council as a Professional Nurse. Active registration with the SANC is essential. In addition, applicants need a post-basic nursing qualification in the relevant specialty, accredited by the SANC and lasting at least one year. The experience requirement is a minimum of four years of appropriate, recognisable nursing experience after registration as a Professional Nurse in General Nursing, with at least one of those years spent working in an ICU unit while completing or after obtaining the one-year post-basic qualification in the specialty.

The duties are broad and demanding. You will be responsible for demonstrating a sound understanding of nursing legislation and related legal and ethical practices, performing clinical nursing within the scope of practice, and promoting quality patient care as directed by the facility’s standards. You must work effectively within a multidisciplinary team, communicate clearly with patients, supervisors, and clinicians, and write accurate reports when needed. The role requires you to plan and organise your own work and oversee support personnel to ensure proper nursing care, while displaying a genuine concern for patients and advocating for their treatment, needs, and expectations in line with Batho Pele principles. You will provide direction and supervision for the implementation of nursing care plans, implement quality standards, and help prevent serious adverse events. Additionally, you will be expected to maintain constructive relationships with stakeholders, use human and physical resources efficiently, manage the performance of subordinates through the PMDS system, and work shifts under stressful conditions. Professional growth and ethical development of yourself and your team are important, as is knowledge and implementation of the Ideal Hospital Realisation Framework. You must also adhere strictly to infection prevention and control measures, create and maintain a safe environment, and identify and prevent risks in the unit.

Other important notes include that shortlisted candidates will undergo personnel suitability checks, including reference, qualification, criminal, credit, and employment verification, and may be required to submit certified documents before interviews. Foreign qualifications must be evaluated by SAQA if shortlisted. The recommended candidate may undergo medical surveillance as required by occupational health and safety legislation. The department may use practical exercises or tests during recruitment, and all shortlisted candidates will undertake pre-entry assessments, including a practical exercise and an integrity assessment. The filling of this post is guided by Employment Equity principles, with specific encouragement for people with disabilities and candidates from various designated groups to apply. If you have not been contacted within three months of the closing date, you should consider your application unsuccessful.