The Federal Government puts academic nursing education on a new footing

Last Wednesday, a well-attended nursing conference took place at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. Academics and practice partners discussed the planned reform of academic nursing education.

First, the health economist and dean of the faculty, Prof. Dr. Stefan Greß, addressed the Nursing Care Support and Relief Act (PUEG), which came into force on 1 July, and came to a sobering analysis: the foreseeable further increase in co-payments for inpatient care would further undermine the original promise of benefits of the nursing care insurance. In outpatient care, too, those in need of care would be able to afford less and less professional care due to rising costs. According to Greß, the PUEG will in no way relieve those in need of long-term care, nor will it permanently secure the financing of long-term care insurance. This can only be achieved through an exchange of the insured and self-supporting cost shares and ultimately only through the introduction of a citizens' long-term care insurance.

The political scientist Prof. Dr. Benjamin Ewert dealt with the representation and enforcement of nursing interests in health policy and dealt with nursing chambers and their possible role in the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA). However, the "chamberisation" of nursing has so far proved to be extremely slow. Now, the Federal Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, wants to give organised care at least the right to apply for and participate in consultations in the G-BA - but not the right to vote. Ewert therefore encouraged the nursing sector to make greater use of alternative forms of participation such as petitions, demonstrations and strikes to lend weight to their political demands: Nursing must become a loud and uncomfortable actor in health policy!

Finally, the nursing scientist Prof. Dr. Michael Klingenberg presented the Nursing Studies Strengthening Act and provided empirical evidence for the great potential and retention of academically qualified nursing staff to improve health care, nursing quality and patient safety. He compared the past with the future course of the academisation and professionalisation process of nursing in Germany and analysed expected tensions with non-academic nurses and other professional groups in the health care system. According to Klingenberg, the resolution of these tensions requires significantly improved cooperation to ensure the best possible care for patients and the integration of academically trained nurses into existing structures and new areas of application.

The subsequent discussion focused on the high co-payments and the government's insufficient efforts to put inpatient care on a firm footing with more solidarity-based financing. Another topic was the participation of the nursing profession in the institutions of the German health system. The participants agreed that besides "brains", power and assertiveness are also needed. Nursing must become louder, more uncomfortable and more political if it wants to achieve something. At the same time, representatives of practice were interested in possible fields of activity for academic nurses and successful pioneering projects in Germany. The conference concluded with the unanimous conclusion that a close-meshed exchange between science and practice is indispensable.

Did you miss the Nursing Conference 2023? No problem! You can find the recording of the conference at: Nursing Conference 2023

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