ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this article was to present key results of the graduates' survey VAMOS. The study examined the professional status of the graduates of 12 model study courses in the health professions in North Rhine-Westphalia. The focus of the article was on the employment characteristics of the current main jobs and the application of the academic competencies in everyday professional life. METHODS: In the early summer of 2018 (April to June), 515 graduates of the model study courses in nursing (N=244), physiotherapy (N=97), speech therapy (N=95), occupational therapy (N=47), and midwifery (N=32) were included in an online cross-sectional survey. Graduating classes between the winter semester 2013/2014 and the summer semester 2017 were included. In addition, employers (N=109) were interviewed who hired graduates from the model study courses. RESULTS: The main jobs of the graduates were mostly located in hospitals and outpatient therapy practices. Eight out of ten graduates (84%) performed tasks in direct contact with patients as the main part of their employment. In 71% of these cases, the regular tasks were combined with extended activities in comparison to colleagues without an academic degree. On average, the graduates felt confident in all competency dimensions examined in this study. In all dimensions, employers perceived a "competence advantage" for graduates compared to colleagues without an academic degree. CONCLUSION: The results of this graduate survey support the current recommendation to have the study programs in the five health care professions governed by professional laws and to enable the programs to be carried out at universities.
Subject(s)
Employment , Health Occupations , Professional Practice , Cross-Sectional Studies , Germany , Humans , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: A Bachelor of Nursing qualification has been facilitated by the new Care Professions Reform Act since January 1, 2020 as a standard in Germany. Due to the Reform Act students must have completed 2,300hours of practical training in a healthcare institution. Recent projects have revealed that the practical part of current study programs is inadequate with regard to content, organization and didactics. Therefore, specific quality criteria need to be developed for institutions providing academic training of nursing professionals that are in line with the requirements of medical teaching hospitals. METHODS: These quality criteria have been developed from March 2019 to February 2020 in a three-phase process using the Delphi technique. Phases I and II were conducted as online surveys among various stakeholders (n = 396; n = 555) to identify quality criteria and to assess both their relevance and feasibility. Phase III consisted of an expert conference to finally select the quality criteria. RESULTS: The result was a set of requirements for practical and academic education with a total of 55 criteria subdivided into five dimensions (organizational, personal, infrastructural, formal and didactic). DISCUSSION: Against the background of the diversity of settings and institutions providing practice learning opportunities for nursing students and their specific frameworks, the practicability of individual criteria needs to be discussed. Also, the level of commitment and the related approval process have to be questioned. CONCLUSION: The criteria developed should be a tool to leverage quality, that is to improve the practical learning part of the nursing study programs. The addressees include representatives of universities and healthcare institutions taking part in the fundamental academic qualification in nursing care. The results provide guidance for the selection and the design of strategic and operational cooperation. Furthermore, the criteria can be used as a basis for the certification of academic teaching institutions.