Martina Buchner MScN

The evaluation of academic programmes has a long tradition in higher education and is an essential component of quality assurance. As an educational institution for the healthcare professions, the Upper Austrian University of Applied Sciences for Healthcare Professions plays a key role in ensuring high-quality training. Evaluation studies provide important insights into the quality, outcomes and impact of educational programmes. The systematic review of training components, including practical work placements, enables the evidence-based further development of teaching and learning concepts and contributes to the achievement of defined training objectives.

National and international research findings show that learning stations can make a positive contribution to the development of nursing and interprofessional skills. Against this background, there are plans to increasingly implement training and learning stations in the Bachelor’s degree programme in Healthcare and Nursing in the future. This is intended to make a further contribution to promoting professional competence and to ensuring a successful and sustainable start to the careers of nursing graduates.

Nurses have overall responsibility for the nursing process. Newly graduated nurses can feel overwhelmed by this responsibility, especially when starting their careers. The assignment on learning wards is intended to strengthen the nursing skills and prepare them for a successful career start. Learning wards are selected clinical wards where nursing students assume responsibility for the management, care and support of patients to put into practice the knowledge and skills they have learned during their theoretical training.