Experiences of nurse educators regarding the R171 nursing curriculum in North-West Province, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Nurse educators must seek innovative frameworks for their curricula to prepare nursing students to meet evolving healthcare needs. The South African National Department of Health introduced the new nursing curriculum (R171) in 2013 with the aim of producing generalist nurses who can meet the health care needs of the patients and to align the nursing program with the relevant Higher Education Qualification Framework. R171 was implemented in the North-West Province in 2021.Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of nurse educators regarding the three-year R171 nursing curriculum in North-West Province, South Africa. Methodology: The researcher used a descriptive phenomenology research design to achieve the aim and objectives. A nonprobability sampling approach was adopted for the study with use of a purposive sampling technique to select participants with insight and experience on the phenomenon in question. Semi-structured individual interviews, through Microsoft Teams, collected the data, with analysis using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes emerged from the findings of this study, namely inadequate resources to implement the R171 nursing curriculum, teaching and learning challenges in implementing the R171 nursing curriculum, and the possible solutions for effective implementation of the R171 nursing curriculum. Conclusion: To implement the R171 nursing curriculum effectively, it is necessary to include nurse educators in the development of the curriculum. There is also a need for comprehensive support that comprises all available essential resources.