gms | German Medical Science

Yesterday: The Faculty of Medicine Osijek has been conducting a professional nursing curriculum since the academic year 2003/2004. Since 2005, the faculty has been actively participating in the reform of study programmes, in co-operation with the other three centres for nursing education in Croatia (Zagreb, Split, and Rijeka).

At that point, the decision was made to organize nursing education in at least two cycles, a 3-year course (180 ECTS) at Bachelor level and a 2-year course (120 ECTS) at Master level.

Today: From 2005 to 2008, the Faculty of Medicine Osijek managed to develop the study programme according to the guidelines of European Parliament’s Directive 77/453/EEC-2 and to standardize the basic part of the curriculum at Bachelor level at all three centres of education. At the same time, the developed curricula have been competitive due to the development of local different elective courses.

Faculty of Medicine Osijek’s position on the way towards mobility is shown in figure 1 [Fig. 1].

Tomorrow: A major obstacle to more rapid development of higher education of nurses in Croatia is serious lack of competent teachers in the area of nursing care. Therefore, in the next five years the Faculty of Medicine Osijek plans to educate additional numbers of teachers which will contribute to the development of the elective part of the curriculum and in this way develop centres of excellence in particular areas. It is its intention to develop complementary education of nurses at Master level in various health care areas at least at two more centres of education of nurses.

Conclusion: Increase of quality in specific areas of higher education of nurses would certainly result in greater mobility of both students and teachers, strengthening of the modular teaching approach and logical development of the education of nurses at Master level in particular areas.