Round Table on Improving Academic Programs in the Specialty 223 “Nursing” at TNMU
On December 5, 2021 a round table on improving academic programs in the specialty 223 “Nursing” was held at I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University.
Ivan Klishch, Vice-Rector for Research, and Svitlana Yastremska, Director of the Institute of Nursing, started the meeting with highlighting the main goal of the event. That is discussing the strengths and weaknesses of academic programs in the specialty 223 “Nursing”, taking into account current challenges and needs.
The round table joined the guarantors of academic programs: Mariia Marushchak, guarantor of the academic program of the third level of higher education; Liudmyla Mazur, guarantor of the academic program of the second (master’s) level of higher education; and Julia Danylevych, guarantor of the academic program of the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education, who emphasized the importance of its meeting for further improvement of academic programs for training of highly professional specialists. The teaching community of TNMU show persistence in improving the educational process, searches ways for realizing their intentions, new sources of inspiration and develops relationships. We constantly monitor the professional level of teachers involved in the training of nurses. In addition, regular meetings with stakeholders, feedback from applicants and graduates allows understanding the demands of the present, anticipating future challenges and making timely changes to academic programs that leads to increased competitiveness of our graduates in the labour market.
The reports by external stakeholders and potential employers were very informative, in particular, by Kateryna Balabanova, Director of the Centre for Nursing Development of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine; Natalia Dub, Secretary of the Subcommittee 223 Nursing of the Scientific and Methodological Commission 12 on Health and Social Welfare Methodical Council of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Expert on accreditation of educational programs of the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, Dean of Faculty 2 of Andrei Krupinskyi Lviv Medical Academy; Svitlana Hordiichuk, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor of Natural and Social Sciences, Zhytomyr Medical Institute; Larysa Korobko, Dean of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Faculty of Rivne Medical Academy, member of the Branch Expert Council of the branch of knowledge 22 “Health Care” in the specialty 223 “Nursing”; and Petro Mazur, the Director of Arsen Richynsky Kremenets Medical Vocational College.
During the discussion, attention was paid to academic programs of all levels of higher education, as well as recommendations were given for training of specialists in these programs. Thus, the participants noted that the bachelor’s degree is a basic step in obtaining the profession of a nurse. All over the world, a bachelor’s degree is the gold standard of education. The further educational and professional trajectory of the student depends on the soundness of the acquired knowledge and professional skills at this stage. One such challenge is the specialization of nurses – a current method of continuing professional development that helps improve the quality of health care. Another important issue is the empowerment of nurses, which would not only optimize access to health services, but also improve their quality.
The master’s program in nursing has been implemented at the university more than 10 years already, and provides for obtaining a master’s degree remotely. The content of the program is constantly changing and improving, and the program is comprehensive, including both educational and scientific components. Studying in the master’s program allows students mastering and improving clinical and research skills. As a result, the master’s degree graduates can hold teaching positions in medical vocational colleges, as well as work in management positions in practical health care institutions. External stakeholders drew attention to an important issue on the Master’s degree specialty 223 “Nursing”, namely the need for development of a clear legislative definition of the list of positions they may hold and the list of subjects they may be involved in.
Regarding the academic program of the third level of higher education (Doctor of Philosophy qualification), it was noted that it is based on a synthesis of best practices of nursing schools in Ukraine and the world, which allows recognizing nurses as promising scientists and leaders. The training of such specialists is very necessary for the national healthcare, so the priority of the round table participants is the need to make the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing attractive. External stakeholders recommended training a multidisciplinary PhD nurses because of the choice of elective courses, rather than narrowing the academic program to a narrow profile. Priority areas of research were also discussed that highlighted the need for research related to implementation of educational components, and not only those related to nursing practice. The director of the Centre for Nursing Development of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine noted that the standard of nurse training at the third level of higher education is currently being prepared, which will specify the basic requirements for these specialists.
The applicants studying in these academic programs also joined the meeting. They were grateful for the meeting in this format, as such a round table showed the cooperation of the teaching staff of TNMU, higher education applicants and external stakeholders for improvement of academic programs to meet current challenges and needs, and proved the high competitiveness and professionalism of our graduates, who are in demand in education and health care institutions.
The round table meeting was fruitful, many important issues related to development of nursing in the education system were discussed. According to the results of the joint discussion, the main vectors of improvement of academic programs in the specialty 223 “Nursing” were developed.
Information by the guarantors of academic programs: Maria Marushchak, Lyudmyla Mazur, Yulia Danylevych