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UFS School of Nursing celebrates 50 years

11 April 2019 | Story Zama Feni | Photo Supplied

School of Nursing 50 year anniversary — From the left: Mrs Cheslyn Petersen; Prof Magda Muller, Head of the School of Nursing; and Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

The University of the Free State (UFS) Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen, hailed the institution’s School of Nursing as one of the flagship entities and prime examples of community engagement.

Addressing attendees at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the school on 6 April 2019, Prof Petersen said: “I believe that you have managed to find a balance between being at the scientific forefront in terms of research output and state-of-the-art simulation and other training technologies, and the values of care, service, and selflessness.

History of the School of Nursing

Taking the guests down memory lane regarding the history of the school, Prof Petersen said the university accommodated Nursing students within the Department of Social Work in the then Faculty of Social Sciences from the year 1967. The Department of Nursing was subsequently created in 1969. At that point, there was no Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Department of Nursing remained in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Growing from strength to strength

He said the School of Nursing has over the past 50 years gone from strength to strength, affecting the landscape of nursing in South Africa through its achievements and its alumni.

“In celebrating 50 years of nursing scholarship and education, it is important to understand that the discipline of nursing is firmly rooted within the community it serves.”
“Without our stakeholders across many services, both public and private, we would not have been here tonight,” said Prof Petersen.

Head of the School of Nursing, Prof Magda Mulder, said the 50th celebrations were an important milestone which commenced with the appointment of Professor Idalia Loots as the first Professor of Nursing in 1969 in the erstwhile Department of Nursing.
“Prof Loots’ views on graduate nurse education were visionary and saw the relatively small intake of students soar from between 16 and 20 to more than 80. Today, there is ample evidence in literature to support nursing education at graduate level, resulting in better nursing care, and fewer errors and lawsuits,” she said.

News Archive

New facility helps with better clinical training

2012-09-06

The new Authentic Learning Space at the School of Nursing allows students to practice very important skills in their state-of-the-art patient simulation rooms.
Photo: Supplied.
4 September 2012

When you visit the School of Nursing at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS), you will be alarmed by all the casualties and patients being treated here daily.

There are patients with serious penetration wounds, as well as open and laceration wounds which could be fatal if not attended to urgently.

In one ward a child is being treated for breathing difficulties and in the emergency ward a patient who suffered a heart attack has just been rushed in.

At the end of the session students pack up their textbooks and the ‘patients’ are re-programmed and prepared for the next group of nursing students to practice their clinical skills.

The School of Nursing recently had the official opening for their Authentic Learning Space where they showcased their state-of-the-art patient simulation rooms.

In each of the many examining rooms as well as in the high-care rooms there are simulation mannequins that can be programmed for certain medical conditions or for medical emergencies.

Speaking at the opening of the Authentic Learning Space, Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice-Rector: Academic, said universities are often accused of not preparing students adequately for their careers.

“We know students learn better by interaction. With access to authentic learning spaces, students are able to gain a deeper sense of a discipline and they can begin to grasp the unwritten knowledge of practice that is often used on a daily basis.”

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