Much has been discussed in workshops, meetings, seminars and nursing summits in South Africa but very little has been revealed in literature on the scourge of drop out, retention and graduation rates of nursing students. The authors reviewed literature related to dropout, retention, completion and graduation rates of nursing students in selected universities in South Africa. Journal articles from 2007-2016 were reviewed for emerging themes about nursing students’ dropout, retention, completion, success and graduation. Exclusion criteria: online or distance education programmes, postgraduate programmes, experimental or randomized control trials and previous review studies. Comprehensive electronic search was conducted for published longitudinal and cross- sectional studies. Specific databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, EBSCO host, CINHAL. Specific search terms: [“student” OR “nursing”], OR [“dropout” OR, “retention”], OR [“graduation”, OR “education” OR “success” OR “completion”] AND “universities” OR “undergraduate” AND [“strategies” OR “interventions”]. Thirty- four (34) studies met review criteria. Fifteen (15) (47.06%) of the studies reported results on attrition, 16 (47.06%) reported on retention and 3 (8.82%) reported on completion and graduation. Academic, personal, preparedness and social factors were associated with dropout, retention and graduation of nursing students in South Africa. Dropout from undergraduate nursing programme is fraught with many problems. There is a need for retention models. Without nurses, much of the public health outcomes will be hardly achieved. If the problem of dropout and retention with decreased graduation persists, the health services will be crumbled thus affecting the realization of the health outcome “a long and healthy lifestyle for all”.

Background The cancer burden is a global public health concern associated with high morbidities and mortalities. Low and middle-income countries are more affected including South Africa. Limited access to oncology services contributes to the late presentation, late diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. In the Eastern Cape, oncology services were previously centralized with negative effects on the quality of life of the already compromised health status of the oncology patients. To mitigate the situation, a new oncology unit was opened to decentralize oncology services in the province. Little is known about the experiences of patients after this transformation. That prompted this inquiry. Aim This study aims to explore the experiences of cancer patients regarding the decentralization of oncology services at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape. Methodology A qualitative approach with a descriptive, explorative, and contextual design was undertaken, to obtain the perspective of oncology recipients following the decentralization of oncology services at a selected public tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape. After obtaining ethical clearance and permission to conduct the study, interviews were conducted with 19 participants. All interviews were transcribed verbatim against their audio recordings. Field notes were taken by the primary researcher. The concept of trustworthiness was used to ensure rigour throughout this study. Thematic analysis was done using Tesch’s approach to open coding in qualitative research. Results Three themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) Access to oncology services; 2) Oncology services provided; and 3) Need for improved infrastructural facilities. Conclusion The majority of patients had positive experiences with the unit. The waiting time was acceptable, and medication was available. Access to services was improved. The staff had a positive attitude towards patients receiving cancer treatment.

Background The cancer burden is a global public health concern associated with high morbidities and mortalities. Low and middle-income countries are more affected including South Africa. Limited access to oncology services contributes to the late presentation, late diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. In the Eastern Cape, oncology services were previously centralized with negative effects on the quality of life of the already compromised health status of the oncology patients. To mitigate the situation, a new oncology unit was opened to decentralize oncology services in the province. Little is known about the experiences of consumers after this transformation. That prompted this inquiry. Objective This study aims to explore the experiences of cancer patients regarding the decentralization of oncology services to enhance the quality of life of these patients. Methodology : A qualitative approach with a descriptive, explorative, and contextual design was undertaken, to get the perspective of oncology recipients following the decentralization of oncology services at a selected public tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape. After obtaining ethical clearance and permission to conduct the study, interviews were conducted with 19 participants. All interviews were transcribed verbatim against their audio recordings. Field notes were taken by the researcher. The concept of trustworthiness was used to ensure rigor throughout this study. Thematic analysis was done using Tesch’s approach to open coding in qualitative research. Results Seven themes emerged: 1) level of satisfaction; 2) waiting time; 3) human and material resources; 4) attitude of health care workers; 5) appropriate treatment and care, 6) access; and 7) improved infrastructural resources. Conclusion The majority of patients had positive experiences with the unit. The waiting time was acceptable, and medication was available. Access to services was improved. The staff had a positive attitude.

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