A new research centre in the School of Nursing at the University of Free State (UFS) is about to be launched.
According to the university, the research centre will be focusing on reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMHC).
To commemorate International Nurses Day the university highlighted some of the strides it has been making in furthering the sector.
Dr Champion Nyoni, senior researcher and lecturer in the School of Nursing at UFS said: “Our undergraduate programme is aligned with the primary health-care approach, which is a complex health-care model that underpins the health delivery system in South Africa and many low- and middle-income countries. Through state-of-the art facilities, our students engage with top nursing experts who facilitate and guide their learning.”
He said the university’s postgraduate nursing programme is producing independent thinkers who are able to significantly contribute to the development of nursing and health care, not only in South Africa but in the rest of Africa.
Nyoni said the students, drawn from all over the continent, are challenged to engage in research that makes a contribution to their own nursing practice and context.
The School of Nursing said it has two established research niche areas which drive its research agenda: the “transfer of learning” and “health communications”.
In the transfer of learning through the research niches, various research projects are in place – all aimed at improving the quality of nursing education, which in turn result in quality graduates who will influence health outcomes.
“Projects such as ‘emotional intelligence in nursing’, ‘online education of clinical preceptors’, ‘professional identity in nursing’, ‘self-directedness among nursing students’, and ‘extended reality in nursing education’ are some of the ongoing research projects aimed at improving the nursing education agenda and improving student experiences of nursing education,” Nyoni said.
In the health communication research niche, several projects have been initiated in South Africa, Lesotho, and Kenya, and have been reported in national and international fora. Both of these research niche areas are engaged in national, Africa-wide and global research collaborations.