History
Main Aim
The education of nurses in Slovakia was transformed from secondary nursing schools system to the university system in the nineties of 20th century.
Among all the academic educational institutions all over the Slovakia, JFMED CU has the longest tradition in academic education in nursing after 1989. It enables to study nursing as a scientific branch since the academic year 1990/1991. Academic education in nursing study branch at JFMED CU is provided in the form of full-time and part-time studies. The faculty provides academic education in accredited nursing study programmes implemented as a Bachelor degree study programme in Nursing (BSc.; 3 years = 6 semesters), a Master degree study programme in Nursing (MSc.; 2 years = 4 semesters) and a postgraduate degree – Doctoral study programme in Nursing (PhD). The content and the extent of nursing education (duration of education, ratio between theoretical and practical subjectss) are in line with 77/453/EEC thus compatible with nursing education in the countries of European Union (ECTS credit study system).
Institute of Nursing is the part of the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine where the process of education of the health care professionals (nursing and medical disciplines) is supplementing each other with the positive impact on the practice – the co-operation of the medical and nursing staff. Institute of Nursing JFMED CU is responsible for education of students in Nursing study programmes and also for some selected subjects in General Medicine study programmes and in lifelong learning programmes provided by the faculty. Within further education of nursing staff, the Institute of Nursing JFMED CU provides also the study in accredited specialized study programmes and programmes of continual nursing education, such as Mentor of clinical practice in nursing, Nursing care of the chronic wounds, Nursing care of the stoma patients, Nursing care in surgical disciplines, Nursing care in psychiatry, Nursing care in the community.
The aim of education provided by the Institute of Nursing JFMED CU is to prepare nursing graduates to be capable to meet the requirements of the discipline that are necessary to provide healthcare services in high quality level. Graduates are prepared to provide nursing care for individuals, families, groups and communities in health or illness, to contribute to health support, recovery and peaceful and dignified dying and death.
Professional preparation of nurses provided by the Institute of Nursing JFMED CU is based on the science of nursing (theory, practice and research) and in correspondence with implementation of evidence based nursing (nursing and practice based on evidences from multiple research studies).
The students of nursing do participate in nursing care provision within practical subjects implemented in clinical nursing practice at the University Hospital Martin (in cooperation with educated mentor – nurses), in the community institutions (social care homes, elderly homes, primary care / outpatients' departments, schools / kindergartens, non-profiting associations / institutions of the 3rd sector – homeless people, abused women with children, prisoners, professional soldiers etc.), home care agencies and hospices within the region. Master degree study programme is specifically oriented on palliative nursing care, management in health care and elderly care.
The aim and organization of research and inventive activities of the Institute of Nursing JFMED CU corresponds with the long term plan of Comenius University in Bratislava and Jessenius faculty of Medicine in Martin. Within the bounds of scientific and research activities the professionals at the Institute of Nursing JFMED CU deal with grant tasks in the areas of nursing education, nursing theory, research and nursing clinical practice:
- education – preparation and publishing the professional monographs oriented to patient's rights, education in nursing, needs in nursing, conceptual models in nursing, nursing terminology, nursing diagnoses in clinical practice, palliative nursing care; preparation of e-learning textbooks and educational courses oriented to wound care, paediatric nursing, nursing care in neurology and specialized nursing care in surgery; preparation of electronic database of assessment tools in gerontological nursing; preparation of multimedial textbook of nursing techniques and skills,
- theory – philosophical and theoretical basis of nursing (category of gender, problems of death and dying, spirituality in nursing, validation of nursing diagnoses etc.),
- clinical nursing practice – home care nursing, prevention of diabetic ulcerations, complications related to central vein catheterization, the role of family caregivers of palliative care patients, the prevalence identification and analysis of patients' aggression against nurses etc.
The Institute of Nursing JFMED CU has been organizing nationwide nursing workshops with international participation, International Scientific Conference with the focus on nursing theory, research and education and the project of Martin's Summer School of Nursing focused on actual problems of clinical nursing practice.
The Institute of Nursing JFMED CU is the partner recognised within international cooperative projects, such as European Network for the Development of Nursing Practice (mentorship, supervising the students of nursing in clinical nursing practice), Tuning Educational Structure in Europe (competences of nurses), The Florence Network for Nursing and Midwifery (organization of 35 Universities in 15 European countries with the main goal – to make nursing more visible in Europe), the project Human Rights, Older People and End of Life Care (HUROPEL), the project Recognition of the Acutely Deteriorating Patient with Appropriate Response (RADAR), the project Theory, Research and Education in Nursing in Slovak – Norwegian Context (TRENNS) within NIL Fund supporting cooperation in the field of education, the project Quality of life of patients with diabetic foot ulcer in Visegrad countries (DIAFQOL) within Visegrad Fund.