INSTITUTE FOR BASIC AND CONTINUING EDUCATION OF HEALTH WORKERS

Transcription

1 INSTITUTE FOR BASIC AND CONTINUING EDUCATION OF HEALTH WORKERS

2 Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers 15 Horánszky u., Budapest H-1085 Tel.: +36 (1) , Fax: +36 (1) Website:

3 DEAR GUEST, Welcome to the Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers; please let us show you around and introduce ourselves, our activities. The Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers has been playing a leading role in the field of health education, continuing education and education development for several decades. New training forms, requirement systems and educational programmes are elaborated here; at the same time we offer educational services to students, health professionals, which we regularly extend and improve. In addition to organising and developing training courses there are several other tasks done, all related to health care: the institute is responsible for the national register of nurses and allied health professionals, for the register of experts and examiners, for the coordination of the continuing education system. It also organises professional exams, contests and conferences, publishes textbooks and an informational journal. More than one hundred well-trained and enthusiastic colleagues their principal duty to promote professional development in health care by providing training courses with most recent contents in excellent quality. The great value of the work being done and the keenness for the satisfaction of our students, clients are represented by the fact that the institute has obtained ISO 9001:2000 Quality Certificate and wishes to use quality assurance system as a tool for improvement. In this booklet you can read about the philosophy and the work of the Institute for Basic and Continuing Education; you can see how we support the aims set above. Welcome 1

4 Overview of the Hungarian nursing education system Overview of the Hungarian nursing education system 2 Reform process both in health care and in education was started in the 1990 s with significant international support. A national vocational education system was created, which also affected nursing education. Up-to-date knowledge and professional experience become more and more important, and parallel with that, the need for flexible educational systems is growing, which altogether redefine the meaning of life long learning principle. In Hungary nursing education regulated by the Act of Vocational Education (1993) and the Act of Health (1997) follows the directives and recommendations of the European Union: it can be started with secondary school qualification, is organised in fulltime form, in 3 years, 4600 hours. Nursing assistant training can be started over the age of 16, after leaving elementary school. In 1995 the 4-year baccalaureate programme was started in Budapest, at present college level programmes are provided in 9 sites of the country. From year 2000 nursing graduates can continue their studies in a 1.5-year Master in Nursing programme, the main aim of which is to train nursing teachers and researchers. Basic nursing education is provided in four professions: nurse, child-care nurse, midwife and ambulance nurse. Specialisation for them and also for BSc nurses is possible in post-basic on-job training courses, in the following fields: intensive care, intensive child-care, nephrology, oncology, psychiatry and mental health, community nursing, diabetology, elderly care, hospice care, infection control, operating theatre nursing and anaesthesia. By these 1-year courses new qualification can be obtained with new competences in different areas of health care service. Specialising courses have to meet certain requirements of content and form: the educational framework is prescribed by ministerial decree and local programmes are approved by expert groups. The general information given here will hopefully help you place the institute and its responsibilities in the system of Hungarian nursing education System of Nursing and Midwifery Education

5 The Past and Present of the Institute In 1962 the Office of Special Courses for Health Workers was established and placed in charge of organizing, managing and supervising continuing education and specialisation courses as well as continuing education of health teachers. The legal successor of the Office was from 1970 the Central Institute of Training and Specialisation in Health, then the Central Training Institute of Qualified Health Workers. During these two decades a total of about persons participated in training giving new qualifications and with the contribution of the health care institutions some health workers attended continuing education courses. Today the institute works under the name Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers in two historic buildings; one in the city of Budapest, at 15 Horánszky street, the other in the centre of a beautiful country town, Sopron. Our building in Sopron The principal task of the institute is to provide specialising courses, organise professional examinations and coordinate continuing education system. In Sopron training courses traditionally for pharmacology assistants are organised but the colleagues are ready to be involved in any activity (hostel service, conference organisation) that the personal and objective conditions make possible. In that building there are not only education facilities for the students, but also 2 or 3-bedded cosy hostel rooms with beautiful arched ceilings. The very economic accommodation facility is available for health professionals as well, all through the year for recreation. The Past and Present of the Institute 3 Structure of the institute

6 The Past and Present of the Institute 4 The Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers, since its establishment some four decades ago, has gone through several structural changes, which all aimed at conforming the organisational structure to the requirements and challenges of the time. The present system set up in 2002 combines the advantages of traditions and modern, project-based philosophy. The head of the institute is the Director General, who is supported by four directors responsible for education, development, finances and the Sopron training site respectively. The institute plays a leading role in the development of health education, regarding both contents and methodology. To support this task gathering and disseminating information is of great importance to the widest audience (institutions and individuals) in various channels. Our purpose is to become a kind of information centre in the field of health care and education and also to serve the needs of our clients better. We manage information not only within the borders of the country: due to our extended relations with partner institutions mainly in the member states of the European Union but also in other parts of the world, we regularly get news about the current events and issues. In order to give information "in return" English languagenewsletters are edited and sent off to the foreign partners every three months, and an English language website is operated. The "first line" for our clients is the Information office where they are given accurate and extensive information on training courses and other services, and also on the training offer of other Our website health schools. The colleagues working in the Information office with several years experience and expertise in health education provide training counselling to the persons interested. Besides the Information office in the institute in the capital, regional offices were set up in four major cities of the country (Nyíregyháza, Pécs, Szeged and Szombathely) in cooperation with a local university or hospital. We are in everyday contact with the regional coordinators; we mutually give information on the current events, news, conferences, etc. This is only one task of the regional representatives, they organise training courses, examinations, information days and conferences as well. Information office

7 Education and Examination One of the basic tasks of the Institute is organizing post-basic training courses, which are provided in more than 50 professions health care specializations as included in the National Trade register, and also alternative therapist courses - in various training sites, schedules and educational forms, following students needs. The level of their satisfaction is regularly assessed so that the quality of education can continually be improved by ensuring the most desirable personal and objective conditions. Changes in the number of the students Education and Examination 5 The number of the students taking exam Flexibility of education is guaranteed with several tools: training courses are launched any time of the year, as soon as we have the sufficient number of students. In the recent years there has been a general effort to take training courses closer to students in order that they should spend less time and money. Owing to the shortage of nursing personnel in health care system, employers prefer training forms requiring the shortest time

8 Education and Examination 6 investment with the same effect. The institute offers to alternatives to respond to this very adequate requirement: one is the maintenance of the four regional offices providing training and continuing training courses responding to the local needs; the other is the application of distant learning form in more and more professions. The latter is coordinated by the Distant education department, where the colleagues have several years of experience in the application and development of distant education as well as its special pedagogical, organizational and methodological requirements. Recently there has been a great step taken forward by establishing the Virtual Health Training Institution with the support of Apertus Pubic Foundation in cooperation with the Universities of Debrecen and Pécs. In the internetbased educational programme students can participate in distant training courses using a wide range of learning tools, including interactive games, a photo gallery, databases and background literature. At the same time the structure of education is developed as health training is now being restructured in modular form. The new system will make transferability easier and prior learning and practice can be assessed and recognised to a greater extent. Examinations are organised both for our courses and other training institutions in the professions of the National Trade Register and in alternative therapy professions. In the latter the Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers is only entitled to issue official qualifications in Hungary. During the three exam periods every year our examiners aim to keep high professional standards with the satisfaction of the students.

9 National Registration of Health Workers In the basic register health qualifications have been registered since 1945 on the basis of the data provided annually by the training institutions. The Act of Health in 1997 ordered to set up a new, continuing registration system, which follows individuals professional career, registers continuing education and Website of the National Registrar employment data; this way certifies employees reputation, professional and ethical suitability. The continuing registration system operated by the institute serves that purpose perfectly and is regarded to be very modern and well elaborated in international comparison. National Registration of Health Workers 7 The system is based on two pillars: 1.the philosophy of life long learning, which suggests that it is not enough to obtain a qualification, but it is necessary to deepen and update knowledge all through one s professional life in order to meet the continually changing requirements of work; 2.recognition of all types of education: not only formal, participation in training courses, but several other non-formal learning activities like practical work, Registration Card

10 conferences, presentations, publications, study tours, etc. National Registration of Health Workers During the five-year registration period health workers collect 100 continuing education points with theoretical or practical learning activities. Registration is on voluntary-basis with a small charge for renewal, but it is necessary to certify for the employer that the individual is in the possession of the required theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the job and those skills are developed regularly. When Hungarian health professionals wish to take employment abroad our institute issues the required certificate on registration. 8 The data included in the registration system provide a valuable basis for statistical analyses, comparisons, which are necessary to make adequate policy decisions. With the help of the informatics we are able to follow individuals career and demographic trends. The Registration System

11 Continuing Education Continuing education system is in a close connection with continuing registration as application of the philosophy of life long learning require the availability of high quality continuing training courses offering up-to-date skills. The Committee for Basic and Continuing Education in Health Care set up by the Ministry of Participants of continuing education courses by counties Health, Social and Family Affairs is responsible for the coordination of the continuing education system. The Committee describes quality requirements and accredits all continuing education courses in the country. According to the topic priorities determined by the Committee the Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers invites applications regularly for supporting continuing education. The decision is made by an independent body, the institute is in charge of the technical and financial coordination. Continuing Education 9 ESZTB Accreditation procedure ETI

12 Continuing Education 10 Besides coordination the institute also organises continuing education courses for health workers, teachers, tutors and experts. Topics like communication, hospice care or research methodology are already regarded to be traditional; in addition to those we make efforts to explore new fields of health care. We regularly develop new courses for example recently on health financing and conference organisation. Continuing education courses are also available in the regional centers; there the institute s representatives working in close contact with the nursing managers of the region select the topics that are most needed and organize the courses in the local health care institutions.

13 Pedagogical Service Pedagogical service includes professional support for health training institutions by several different means: The institute manages the National Register of Experts and the National Register of Examiners, the members of which are only entitled to work in those positions. In order to ensure the national quality requirements to training courses, central test sheets are prepared here that are commonly used in basic and post-basic health education. In addition, professional contests are organised regularly both for health students and for health workers from the conviction that such events greatly contribute to the development of the profession. Pedagogical services include continuing education of teachers, mentors and examiners, organisation of information days for them on the latest issues of regulation, policy and the current trends in the profession. Information is available any time: serving as a pedagogical centre we are ready to answer questions on the theory and practice of health education. Pedagogical Service; Publishing and Library 11 Publishing and Library Service The principal aim of the activity is to provide health students of our institute and other health training institutions with educational material; therefore we have a bookshop and a library with over volumes on nursing and health care. Guests of the library can also find more than 50 different health periodicals on the shelves. The librarians are ready to help with literature analysis and through the internet, they have access to the book stock of partner libraries. The teachers are offered a remarkable collection of video tapes and CD-Roms, which can be used to illustrate presentations.

14 Organizing Programmes 12 ETInfo, the information journal published monthly by the Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers contains the latest news in the field of health education: reports about policy decisions, conferences, courses, calls, and other relevant issues for professionals in health care and education. Organizing Programmes The institute regularly organizes different programmes: conferences, seminars and information days, on our initiative or on commission. The most outstanding events of the recent years were the European Nursing Education and Registration Conference in 2000, or the Conference on the Public Health Programme in 2001 hosted by the Parliament Building. We can be proud of the fact that all the programmes were successful with the participants; both the presentations held and the organization made them memorable for the guests.

15 MISSION STATEMENT The principal aim of the Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers is to develop health education, which includes the following activities: to contribute to providing high quality health care by organising specialising courses and professional examinations, to prepare and publish educational documents of highest professional standards, to provide all health workers, students, educators, mentors with up-to-date professional literature of the desirable quality, to inform advisors, experts and examiners active in the field of health education on the current developments of the profession, to carry out research programmes in tune with international trends in order to support decisions in health education, to promote life long learning in health care by providing continuing education for health workers and educators, to contribute to providing high quality health care by registering health workers in harmony with EU accession, to form and promote international cooperation for mutual benefit of the participating countries, to ensure the proper balance in the financial status of the institute, to raise continually the quality of all our services.

16 SOPRON BUDAPEST Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers 9400 Sopron, 9 Damjanich u. Tel.: +36 (99) Fax: +36 (99) eti-sopron@axelero.hu Website: Institute for Basic and Continuing Education of Health Workers 1085 Budapest, 15 Horánszky u. Tel.: +36 (1) Fax: +36 (1) info@eti.hu Website: OKÉV Registration Number: