VerifiedNurses in South Africa are responsible for providing a wide range of care, including patient assessment, medication administration, wound care, and assisting with medical procedures.
They work in various settings, such as hospitals, clinics, schools, and community health centers.
Career Opportunities in Nursing
If you’re passionate about helping others and interested in a fulfilling career, nursing in South Africa offers numerous opportunities.
These are some of the most common roles:
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Enrolled Nursing Assistant (ENA)
- Midwife
- Psychiatric Nurse
- Community Health Nurse
- Nurse Educator
- Nurse Manager
Fields of Study
Nursing in South Africa is regulated by the South African Nursing Council (SANC). The main qualifications are the one-year Higher Certificate in Auxiliary Nursing, the three-year Diploma in Nursing, and the four-year Bachelor of Nursing, which leads to registration as a professional nurse and midwife.
You can study at public nursing colleges, such as the Gauteng College of Nursing, or at universities. Professional nurses complete a year of community service after qualifying.
Registered nurses can specialise later through postgraduate diplomas in areas such as critical care, emergency, paediatric and primary health care nursing.
Nursing Bursaries
These are some ways to secure funding for your studies
- Black Mountain Study Trust Bursary
- Bridgestone Bursary
- City of Cape Town Bursary
- Compensation Fund Bursary
- DENOSA Bursary
- Department of Correctional Services Bursary
- Education Empowerment and Development Fund (EEDF) Bursary
- Exxaro Bursary
- Gauteng College of Nursing Bursaryy
- Globeleq Scholarships
- ISFAP Bursary
- Islamic Relief Bursary
- Joe Morolong Assmang Bursary
- Life Healthcare Bursary
- Mediclinic / ER24 Bursary
- Mpumalanga Department of Health Bursary
- Mpumalanga Provincial Government Bursary
- Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Bursary
- NESP Scholarship
- North West Department of Health Bursary
- Pilanesberg Platinum Mines (PPM) Bursary
- Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships (QECS)
- SASSETA Bursary
- SIOC Community Development Trust (SIOC-cdt) Bursary
- Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness Bursary
Students from low-income households should also apply to NSFAS, and see our Gauteng College of Nursing, medicine bursaries and health science bursaries pages.
Provincial health departments train nurses through their own colleges rather than funding you to study elsewhere, and the application route is different as a result. See our Limpopo Department of Health student nurse training page for how that intake works.
Nursing roles occupy a large share of the government’s scarce-skills list, from community health to critical care. How to use the Occupations in High Demand list explains what being on it does and does not promise about finding work.
Provincial nursing colleges recruit separately from the universities and often earlier. Gauteng’s intake is one of the biggest, and our report on the 2027 Gauteng College of Nursing applications covers what the college asks for.