CENTRAL STUDENT SELECTION PAMELA NEL GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 1 OCTOBER 2009
OVERVIEW Prior to 1998 – decentralised student selection Since 1998 – centralised student selection Selection process Selection criteria – D4 Three phases of the process Current situation Achievements Challenges Way forward
PRIOR TO 1998 –DECENRALISED STUDENT SELECTION 8 nursing colleges in Gauteng - Pretoria region – 3 - West Rand – 1 - Johannesburg region - 5 No standardised selection criteria Each college received thousands of applications Applicants applied to more than one college No dedicated staff for student selection No central database Applicants interviewed individually Costly and time consuming
SINCE 1998 – CENTRALISED STUDENT SELECTION Four colleges in the province – of which three offer the D4 programme Gauteng Central Selection Centre Standardised selection process Standardised selection criteria One database of all applications received Centralised record keeping Reduced number of applications Cost effective Efficient system
SELECTION PROCESS Gauteng Student Selection Policy – internal and external applicants Gauteng Student Selection Committee Standardised selection criteria One advertisement Standardised application form Centralised processing and database - annual Three phase selection process Since 2004 – involvement of Gauteng Shared Services Centre
SELECTION CRITERIA D4 – External applicants - Senior Certificate (Old) - English HG D SG C SG C - M Score – 13 - Maths, Biology, Physical Science - extra points allocated - NSC (New) - English 4 - English 4 -Four 20 credit subjects with a rating of 3 per subject =12 and two subjects with a rating of 2 = 4 and two subjects with a rating of 2 = 4 - M Score Maths, Biology, Physical Science - extra points allocated - One year post-school study successfully completed – above criteria waived D4 – Internal applicants - Registration as an Auxiliary or Enrolled Nurse - Short-listed according to years of service and when last study leave was granted
THREE PHASES OF THE PROCESS Phase 1: Short-listing - Paper selection - scoring according to criteria - Database captured - Short-listed for assessment - Notified via SMS and letter – to pay assessment fee Phase 2 : Assessment per day over a six week period per day over a six week period - HSRC assessment – GMA, English Proficiency, Personality Profile - Short-listed for interview according to ranking Phase 3 : Interview - Applicants interviewed at the college they indicated as their first choice - Panel interviews conducted – 4 interviewers/ 6 applicants - Interviews conducted by college staff, hospital/clinic staff and a community member member
CURRENT SITUATION external applications internal applications internal applications Approximately one third of the applicants met the selection criteria and were short- listed for the assessment 1647 Applicants interviewed at the three colleges by end of September 1330 External applicants to be selected for the D4 programme and 200 for the Enrolled Nurses programme Applicants not recommended for the four year programme are considered and selected for the Enrolled Nurse programme Unsuccessful applicants re-apply annually Extensive marketing and recruitment drives at schools, Career Expo’s and Nursing College open days Selection Centre coordinates and processes the applications from internal applicants for the Enrolled Nurse and Bridging programme and applications from CHW’s for the Enrolled Nurse programme
ACHIEVEMENTS Workload shifted from colleges to a Central Selection Centre – coordinated by Head Office Colleges can focus on the core business of nursing education Applications from individuals not duplicated Central database - all applications captured – accurate statistics and weekly reports during the selection period Call Centre – handles all enquiries and tracks status of applications as per database Efficient system
CHALLENGES Ever increasing number of applications Selection of the most suitable applicants that show potential to succeed High failure rate in the first year requiring a repeat year of study – however the attrition rate from first year is low – less than 5% Interviews are time consuming Remains a costly process Unsuccessful internal applicants – labour disputes Selection Centre - work under pressure to meet deadlines
WAY FORWARD Review of the selection policy – internal applications Review selection criteria – new NSC and internal applicants Review the HSRC Assessment
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