Participation in the Training of the Erasmus+ Academic Mobility Programme – Blended Intensive Programme “Public Health for Nurses”

A delegation from I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, consisting of Associate Professor of the Department of Higher Nursing Education, Patient Care and Clinical Immunology Liudmyla Mazur, master’s student Nataliia Trach, and bachelor’s students Mariia Andrushkiv, Olesia Holodovnikova, Viktoriia Odrekhivska, and Liudmyla Povkh, took part in an offline training within the Erasmus+ academic mobility programme – the Blended Intensive Programme “Public Health for Nurses.” The training was held on April 13–17, 2026, at the University of Applied Sciences Vienna (Austria).

Teams from the Netherlands, Estonia, Finland, Belgium, Austria, and Ukraine participated in the training. The aim of the course was to study healthcare systems in participating countries with a focus on the organization of midwifery care, while working in multinational teams to gain a deeper understanding of traditions and cultural peculiarities.

World Health Organization (WHO) programs in the field of midwifery were presented by a guest lecturer from Tbilisi State Medical University, WHO expert Lia Mikabkridze. The training sessions covered ethical issues in midwifery and future perspectives of the field, methods for assessing potentially dangerous incidents (“near misses”) during childbirth, and obstetric violence. Students from the delegations presented the specific features and challenges of midwifery care in their respective countries. Much attention was given to teamwork in multinational groups, resulting in joint student presentations proposing solutions to current challenges in midwifery.

Participants visited the simulation center and the Faculty of Midwifery of the University of Applied Sciences, the Josephinum Medical Museum, a midwifery center, the Vienna General Hospital (AKH), and the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna.

Participation in the Erasmus+ program became a valuable experience for the delegation, as it provided an opportunity to learn about modern approaches to organizing midwifery care and to gain experience in international interdisciplinary collaboration. The knowledge and practices acquired—particularly regarding obstetric violence and teamwork—will be integrated into the educational process for training future nurses.