Further development of the job profile is the order of the day

The transfer of general healthcare and nursing training to universities of applied sciences was an important step on the part of the Ministry of Health. This guarantees training that meets the current standards of the profession at an academic level.

However, it should not be overlooked that the occupational profile needs to be further developed in order to be prepared for future challenges, such as demographic change in the healthcare sector. The further development of the job profile at universities of applied sciences takes place through research-led teaching. Therefore, funds are urgently needed to develop and expand research in the field of nursing and in the non-medical healthcare professions in general. This development and expansion should take place where the expertise is available, i.e. at the universities of applied sciences where the training of non-physician healthcare professions is anchored. Austria urgently needs to invest in research fields such as preventive research, translational research and clinical research.

In order to further develop teaching and research, universities of applied sciences need publicly funded Master's degree programmes in addition to research funding. These publicly funded Master's degree programmes are available in all fields of study at universities of applied sciences, but are lacking in the area of non-medical healthcare professions. Master's degree programmes train the next generation of researchers that universities of applied sciences urgently need in order to make the professional field fit for the future and develop new job profiles.