In 1975 the Department of Nursing Science was established by the University of South Africa to meet the urgent need for continuing formal education among professional nurses. As these programmes had to be accessible to the maximum number of professional nurses, and as distance teaching offered a medium for career oriented education for nurses, this presented a challenge not to be missed. In 1976 the Unisa Department of Nursing Science was established and the first 702 students registered for degree and diploma courses. In 1996, the name of the Department was changed to the Department of Advanced Nursing Sciences. The Department of Advanced Nursing Sciences teaches in both English and Afrikaans.
Students receive mainly tutorial letters and study guides to supplement their prescribed material.
In the course of the year discussion classes are held in Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London and Pietersburg, as well as a number of practice-related workshops in three fields of specialisation. A number of discussion classes are presented by making use of Unisa's video conference facilities. The Charlotte Searle Museum is accommodated within the Department. This museum, portraying the development of the history of nursing in South Africa, was opened by Professor Charlotte Searle on 17 June 1991 on the occasion of this doyenne's 80th birthday.