Styrian study paths

“People should be informed about what nursing is and does”

Students at the FH Joanneum learn hands-on in so-called skills and simulation labs.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The struggle for Styrian nursing staff is entering the next round: a pilot project for nursing apprenticeships is intended to counteract the shortage of workers, as are new study programs at the FH Joanneum. Lecturer Isabella Sumerauer talks about a new certificate course and a changing job profile.

"Krone": In April, a new pilot project for nursing training will be opened at Graz II Hospital - so the range of training on offer is becoming ever broader. What are the advantages of academic nursing training compared to an apprenticeship?
Isabella Sumerauer: The nursing apprenticeship trains different nursing professions than a degree course. We train qualified healthcare and nursing staff with a very high level of competence and responsibility. The scientific aspect also makes us very different from the assistant professions, i.e. the area of research. In any case, it is important to say that we need all nursing professions - both assistant professions and qualified staff. Cooperation is important, each group can cover different areas.

What does nursing training at the Joanneum University of Applied Sciences entail?
The focus is on the six-semester Bachelor's degree course in Healthcare and Nursing, which trains students to become qualified healthcare and nursing staff. We offer a generalist course of study so that you can later care for people of all ages. We combine pediatrics, i.e. child and youth care, as well as psychiatric and geriatric care in our degree course.

Isabella Sumerauer is a lecturer at Graz University of Applied Sciences.

(Bild: FH JOANNEUM, Sarah Raiser)

Teaching at the university of applied sciences is constantly changing. How much is still taught on patients and what role does simulation training now play?
Simulation is the focus of our vocal studies. We have very modern equipment to prepare students for practical training. This is because practical training plays an important role in our degree course. There are internships every semester, ten in total - for example in hospitals, nursing homes, mobile care or day centers. Simulation training in our skills and simulation labs is designed to prepare students for this. The first blood draw is practiced on the mannequin and not on the patient.

What capacity does the university of applied sciences have to train nursing staff?
Starting in the winter semester, we have 216 state-funded places for the Bachelor's degree course, and since last summer semester we have also been offering a second entry option with 36 places. This year, we also launched a new Bergstrasse campus in Eggenberg, also with 36 places. From 2025, a further study location is to be added in Kapfenberg. What's more, an "upgrade" program will be launched next week, in which graduates of the former nursing school can complete a bachelor's degree via a certificate course. They can then also attend Master's courses.

Keyword labor shortage: What are the advantages of a career in nursing?
Nursing will always be needed. The population is getting older and we all know how the population pyramid will develop. It's also a job that offers a lot of development opportunities. We currently have two Master's degree courses in the pipeline. One on the subject of management in healthcare and one on the subject of didactics.

And how can you recruit even more new students?
It is important that people are actually informed about what nursing is and what nursing does, because it has changed a lot in recent years. Academization in particular has opened up many more fields of activity for nursing, such as training and consulting. There will be even more of this in the near future, because we need more and more specialized care.