Learning in hospital

LKH Graz launches pilot project for nursing apprenticeships

Styria needs new nursing staff, as is well known beyond the industry. Four new nursing apprentices will therefore be trained at Graz II Hospital from April on a trial basis. They will learn directly in the hospital - a training model that has never been seen before in Austria.

"I've wanted to work in nursing since I was a child. On the one hand, because I like working with people and, on the other, because my sister is also in nursing," says Lara Reisinger. The 15-year-old Styrian is one of four apprentices who will be taking part in the new Graz pilot project for nursing apprenticeships in April. A new chapter in her life is about to begin: a three-year apprenticeship under the supervision of qualified nurses at Graz II Hospital. She beat 49 applicants - mainly young women - in the application process.

Lara Reisinger starts the pilot project as one of four apprentices.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

It is an attempt to counteract the huge shortage of nursing staff in Styria. At Kages alone, 200 of the 9000 nursing positions are vacant. According to Kages CEO Gerhard Stark, 5000 to 6000 additional nursing staff will be needed throughout Austria every year. Previous measures, such as increasing salaries by ten percent and recruiting staff from Colombia and Tunisia, had brought relief, but no lasting relief.

The curriculum is to be developed gradually
So four additional workers within three years are now supposed to remedy the situation? "We will soon be expanding our efforts to improve the situation," says Eveline Brandstätter, Director of Nursing at LKH Graz II, adding that the new nursing curriculum is a process of learning and developing the curriculum in line with new experiences.

"We want to carefully introduce young people to this meaningful profession. Because preparation for working with patients is very important," says Brandstätter. Month after month, the apprentices are guided through the different areas of the profession - however, work on patients is only permitted from the age of 17. Until then, they practice in so-called simulation rooms.

Gerhard Stark (Chairman of Kages), Eveline Brandstätter (Director of Nursing at Graz II Hospital), apprentice Lara Reisinger and Karlheinz Kornhäusl (ÖVP), Member of the Provincial Council for Health.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

It will be possible to complete the associated vocational school in Bad Radkersburg - all according to the dual training scheme after compulsory schooling. In contrast to university studies, young people will be able to start their practical training earlier and will not have to wait until their school-leaving certificate. An apprenticeship with a school-leaving certificate should also be possible. At the end, the apprentices will hold the title of "nursing assistant" in their hands. With an additional year of extra-occupational training, you can even become a "nursing assistant".

State Health Minister Karlheinz Kornhäusl (ÖVP) calls the pilot project an "additional piece of the mosaic" in the field of nursing training. This puts Styria in a good position compared to the rest of Austria - and Graz is now the big pioneer in the hospital sector thanks to the new nursing apprenticeship.