Academization of the Nursing Professions
In line with international developments, a need for highly qualified non-physician health professionals, close interdisciplinary collaboration between nurses and physicians, and the need for innovative research for non-physician health professionals is also emerging in Germany.
The aims of faculties and university hospitals for research, teaching and patient care formulated in the Higher Education Act can also be applied to nondoctoral health care professions such as nursing and midwifery, in line with international experience.
Medical faculties, in their linkage with university hospitals, offer ideal framework conditions for these necessary developments.
With a view to the academization rate of 10 to 20% for nondoctoral health professions targeted by the German Council of Science and Humanities, the University of Bonn is tackling the development and establishment of corresponding degree programs.
Currently, the rate of university-qualified nurses in direct patient care at the UKB is only about 1.0%. For the development of new undergraduate bachelor's and master's degree programs, the University of Bonn has the opportunity to draw on corresponding existing training programs at the university hospital. The aim should be to offer academic career paths in both clinical patient care and research.
The Nursing Directorate2 at the UKB promotes the transformation process toward increased use of university-qualified nurses in direct patient care through its own study support programs. Mono- and interdisciplinary applications for third-party funding are submitted via a dedicated nursing science staff unit. The empCARE research project has already attracted third-party funding from the BMBF.
For further information on research inquiries, qualification theses and internships in the context of nursing research, please see here.