A certified expert in health care and nursing independently cares for sick patients and patients who require special care.
Profession and career prospects
What does a career as an expert in health care and nursing entail?
As a certified expert in health care and nursing you will independently cares for sick patients and patients who require special care. The patients', clients' or nursing home residents' state of health is carefully observed and tracked, and the patients are supported to overcome the challenges of their everyday life. Your work is key in all areas where people need help and support to restore their health and well-being. You also use your healthcare and nursing skills to help prevent your patients from contracting other diseases and to promote health among people of all age groups.
In the case of an emergency, health care and nursing experts can carry out immediate lifesaving measures such as cardiac massage and ventilation, applying defibrillators and oxygen supply. Other tasks include administering medication, infusions, or injections according to doctors' prescriptions, or taking blood samples, inserting gastric tubes, introducing catheters, changing dialysis solutions, administering whole blood, removing drainages, sutures, and surgical staples, as well as applying bandages and operating medical-technical monitoring devices.
Career prospects for health care and nursing experts are diverse and promising. You will typically work in hospitals, health centres, specialist practices, outpatient and social services, or retirement and nursing homes. Here, your scientific knowledge and nursing skills will be put into practice while closely collaborating with other health care and social service experts when planning and implementing the treatment and care programme. You can also choose to work in the fields of health promotion and health counselling or continue your scientific career by focussing on research.
Curriculum
What can you expect from the study programme?
This practical and scientifically substantiated study programme is founded on the principle "from simple to complex”. It prepares you for a qualified and competent professional practice step by step. You will graduate with a professional qualification for Upper Grade Health Care and Nursing.
In each lecture you will acquire the theoretical skills and competence required for providing health care and nursing for people of all ages. Your study location will also provide you with the opportunity to put your new skill set into practice, improve what you have learnt, delve deeper into certain fields, and reflect upon your competence. Thus, you will be fully prepared for your practical training that comprises half of the study programme.
In order to prepare you for working in an interdisciplinary team with representatives from various professional groups in the future, you will attend several lectures with students from other study programmes (e.g. physiotherapists, occupational therapists, midwives, and speech therapists). This demonstrates already during your studies how important it is to actively collaborate with other health care professionals in order to provide optimal care and treatment for the people that need your support.
In order to ensure the scientific foundation of your studies, you will be required to write two Bachelor Papers. Writing these papers entails systematically answering practical questions that are of particular interest to you by referencing relevant specialised literature.
Practical Training
What can you expect from the practical training?
This study programme is characterised by a high percentage of practical training that comprises 50% or 92,5 ECTS of your studies. Starting in the second semester, practical training courses are taken in external institutions such hospitals, health centres, specialist practices, outpatient and social services or retirement and nursing homes. During the practical training, your theoretical knowledge and new skills are put to the test as you directly interacting with patients, residents, clients, and their relatives. This will allow you to put your scientifically substantiated knowledge into practice following your studies.
Duration and extent of the practical training:
- 2nd semester / 13 ECTS / 325 hours
- 3rd semester / 12 ECTS / 300 hours
- 4th semester / 13.5 ECTS / 337.5 hours
- 5th semester / 23 ECTS / 575 hours
- 6th semester / 16.5 ECTS / 412.5 hours
Take the opportunity to do your practical training abroad with the Erasmus+ Programme.
Our partners
This scientifically substantiated and highly practical study programme is based on a curriculum that had been developed in close collaboration with all study locations in order to prepare you for your future work in all fields of health care and nursing according to international standards.
The University of Applied Sciences Bachelor Degree Programme Health care and nursing is offered in Kufstein, Lienz, Reutte, Schwaz and Zams thanks to our close collaboration with
- Gemeindeverband Bezirkskrankenhaus Kufstein
- Gemeindeverband Bezirkskrankenhaus Lienz
- Gemeindeverband Bezirkskrankenhaus Reutte
- Bezirkskrankenhaus Schwaz BetriebsgesmbH
- Krankenhaus St. Vinzenz Betriebs GmbH
In collaboration with the Privaten Universität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Medizinische Informatik und Technik (UMIT) we are glad to have one of the leading educational health care institutions on board as one of our partners in teaching and research.
Degree Programme - an overview
Profession Certified Expert in Health Care and Nursing Degree Bachelor of Science in Health Studies (BSc) | Organisational form 6 semester, full-time, 180 ECTS Language of instruction German | Tuition fees € 363,36 per semester + contribution to study materials € 60,00 per academic year + Austria Students´ Union fee ÖH-Beitrag |