Doctoral Programme Nursing Science

Research is performed in the research fields of the departments which are offering the programme. Therefore, all projects focus on health problems with the topic of the elderly population from a nursing perspective and contribute to nursing knowledge via the use of clinical research methodologies.

The thesis is usually a compilation of articles published in and / or submitted to international scientific journals. A doctoral thesis is equivalent to approximately five (Maastricht) or four (Graz) articles.

Students will finish their programme either at the University of Maastricht or at the Medical University of Graz. In Maastricht, the title is «Doctor aan de Universiteit Maastricht (PhD)». In Graz the title is «doctor rerum curae», which is read as «Doctor of Nursing Science».

The programme consists of four meetings per year, which alternate between Graz, Bern and Maastricht. During these meetings, the students participate in lectures focusing on methodological issues in qualitative and quantitative research. The students discuss theoretical, methodological and practical problems that they are encountering in the course of their doctoral projects. They work collaboratively in workshops on topics which are relevant to their PhD. They also further their knowledge regarding scientific writing and the revision process in group sessions. The doctoral students present their research findings at national and international conferences. The language in the programme is English.

Students from Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany as well as other European countries, are currently participating in this doctoral programme. Due to its international structure, this doctoral programme in Nursing Science has, since its inception, facilitated international networking.

Are you interested in joining the programme? Please contact a professor at one of the cooperating universities:

• Prof. Dr. Sabine Hahn
• Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christa Lohrmann
• Prof. Dr. Sandra Zwakhalen 

Niklaus Bernet, MScN, RN

Niklaus has several years of practical experience in the field of acute and long-term care. He currently works as a research associate at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, and is co-project leader in international and national research projects in the field of quality of care. Furthermore, he is a PhD student at the Maastricht University, in the Netherlands.

In his PhD thesis, he investigates the topic of the risk adjustment of nursing quality indicators. His research focuses upon the method of risk adjustment as well as on the presentation and transfer of the risk-adjusted results. The aim of his research is to enable fair national and international comparisons among institutions, as well as to create a trustworthy basis for learning through benchmarking. This will improve discussion, comparison and learning from the results at both the institutional and at the scientific level.

If you have any questions regarding his PhD programme, please contact Niklaus by mail.

Caroline Gurtner, MScN, RN

Caroline Gurtner has several years of experience in the field of health care, applied research, strategy development and executive functions. She currently works as a research associate at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, in the field of quality of care. In 2018, Caroline started as a PhD student at Maastricht University, in the Netherlands.

The topic of her PhD thesis is “shared decision making in the psychiatric setting”. The aim of this PhD project is to better understand the transferability of the theoretical concept of shared decision-making into clinical psychiatric practice. Therefore, she explores in different settings of psychiatric care, how health care professionals interact with the patients regarding health-related decisions during patient consultations With a case study approach, she further explores, how patients experience their level of involvement in decision making. Thus, the results will provide recommendations to better adapt the concept of shared decision-making to the needs of the patients involved and to further improve person centred care in the psychiatric inpatient setting.

If you have any questions regarding the PhD programme, please contact Caroline by mail: caroline.gurtner@bfh.ch 

Baptiste Lucien, MScN, RN

Baptiste is Assistant UAS at the Geneva University of Applied Sciences and PhD student at the School CAPHRI Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

The topic of his PhD project is violence towards formal (nurses, aids…) and informal caregivers of care-dependent people living at home. The aim of his project is to determine the prevalence and the consequences of violence towards formal and informal caregivers of care-dependent people living at home in the French part of Switzerland. Furthermore, his project aims to identify the perceptions of violence and the perception of intervention skills for managing violence.

If you have any questions regarding his PhD programme, please contact Baptiste by mail: baptiste.lucien@hesge.ch

Franziska Geese, MScN, Psycho-oncological Counsellor (SGPO), RN

Franziska is a Research associate at the Department of Nursing, University Hospital Bern, Inselspital and a PhD candidate at the Care and Public Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. 

Franziska’s research interest and topic for the PhD is «Advanced Practice Nursing Roles in Cancer Care in Switzerland: A Mixed-Methods Study». The overall goal of this study is to inform decision makers in policy, health human resource and management for the effective delivery of cancer services in Switzerland by examining the current state of the advanced practice nurse cancer care workforce. Relevant results that will give insight in the specialized workforce will be role and service characteristics, interventions and activities, their contributions and experience of job satisfaction and psychosocial well-being. The perspective of relevant decision-makers where the workforce should be utilized to optimally contribute to patients care will be explored.

If you have any questions regarding his PhD programme, please contact Franziska by e-mail: franziska.geese@insel.ch

Simone Beeri, MSc, RN 

Simone has many years of practical experience in the field of psychiatric care as well as health and nursing sciences. She is currently working for the Psychiatric Hospital Muensingen, Bern, Switzerland as Head of Nursing Development. In 2023 Simone started her PhD studies at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

The topic of her dissertation is "Informal Coercion in Inpatient Psychiatric Care". The aim of this dissertation project is to identify and describe the skills required by mental health professionals to identify informal coercion from the perspective of psychiatric inpatients and acute mental health professionals. The findings will contribute to the current understanding of the strategies and interventions that need to be developed to identify informal coercion.

If you have any questions regarding the PhD programme, please contact Simone by mail: simone.beeri@pzmag.ch 
 

Laura Steiner, MScN, RN

Laura is currently employed as a research associate at the Competence Centre for Nursing Research of the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC) in Bellinzona, Switzerland and as a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). Laura is also a PhD student at the Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI) at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands.

Her PhD project focuses on the transition of older adults from hospital to home. She aims to investigate the current state of effective interventions and to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers and facilitators during this transition in Switzerland, in particular in the south of Switzerland.

If you have any questions about her PhD programme, please contact Laura by e-mail: laura.steiner@supsi.ch
 

Dr. Christoph Golz, RN

Christoph is lecturer and head of the Personnel Development innovation field at Nursing Research Unit of the Bern University of Applied Sciences. He completed his PhD at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands in 2023. His doctoral thesis, titled “Technostress among health professionals: The blame game between health professionals and technology,” delves into the complexities and challenges healthcare workers face in the rapidly evolving digital landscape of their work environment.

This thesis critically examines the phenomenon of technostress, a significant issue that arises with the introduction of digital solutions in healthcare settings. It highlights how technostress can potentially lead to health issues and increased turnover among health professionals if not appropriately addressed. The research emphasizes the necessity for health professionals to possess robust digital competencies, enabling them to use technology's benefits effectively in their daily operations. Moreover, it underscores the critical importance of thorough preparation for technology implementation in health organizations, emphasizing the need for early and ongoing engagement of end-users to ensure successful integration and minimize stress.

The thesis can be downloaded here: https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/publications/technostress-among-health-professionals-the-blame-game-between-he

If you have any questions regarding her Ph.D. program, please contact Christoph by mail: christoph.golz@bfh.ch 

Silvia Thomann, MScN, RN

Silvia is lecturer at Bern University of Applied Sciences and finished her Ph.D. at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands in 2023. She is currently co-leading the innovation field of Quality in Health Care at Nursing Research Unit of BFH.

The topic of her Ph.D. thesis was restraint use in the somatic acute care hospital setting. She investigated restraint use in hospital settings comprehensively, independently of subpopulations and specific restraint types, and identified influencing factors on different levels. Through knowledge generation and knowledge-transfer, she promoted the conscious rather than the routine use of restraints in hospitals. You can find her thesis under the following link: https://cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/en/publications/restraint-use-in-somatic-acute-care-hospitals-do-we-need-to-care

If you have any questions regarding her Ph.D. program, please contact Silvia by mail: silvia.thomann@bfh.ch

Dr. Friederike J.S. Thilo PhD, RN

Friederike Thilo is a lecturer and head of the innovation field Technology and Health at Bern University of Applied Sciences. She is an experienced nurse and worked at the Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV) for almost 10 years.

Friederike Thilo finished her PhD in Health and Nursing Sciences at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, in January 2020. The title of her doctoral thesis is ‘Ageing in place safely: Lessons learnt from a multi-perspective immersion into the use and non-use of Personal Safety Alerting Devices’ and addressed the following: Solutions designed to support safe ageing in place are Personal Safety Alerting Devices (PSADs) which can provide rapid assistance after a fall. Unfortunately, older persons are still reluctant to use PSADs. This PhD thesis revealed that the use of a PSAD in daily life of older persons is a complex decision-making process involving the perception of its necessity, which is interwoven with an individual’s ageing, his or her self-perception and the meaning attributed to the device.bInformed decision making requires an iterative and time-intensive negotiation process. This process predominantly involves interaction between older persons, their relatives and community nurses. Nurses and General Practitioners should increase their awareness regarding relevant technology needs and possibilities, to optimize the support of older persons and their relatives with PSAD use, when ageing in place.

The thesis can be downloaded here.

Dr. Karin Anne Peter PhD, RN

Karin Anne Peter finished her Phd at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands in 2020.

The topic of her Phd thesis was ‘Work-related stress among health professionals working in Swiss hospitals, nursing homes and home care organisations: an analysis of stressors, stress reactions and long-term consequences of stress at work among Swiss health professionals’. Her thesis forms part of the STRAIN project, ‘work-related stress among health professionals in Switzerland’, in which she is also project leader. The STRAIN project is one of the largest current research projects in the Swiss health care system, including over 160 participating organisations with the aim of improving long term working conditions through a standardised intervention with health professional leaders.

The thesis can be downloaded here.

The European Doctoral Conference in Nursing Science (EDCNS) is an international nursing conference for PhD students. The conference is organised alternately by PhD students from Maastricht University and the Medical University of Graz, in cooperation with the Bern University of Applied Sciences. The conference provides the opportunity for PhD students to:

• meet and build contacts with colleagues all over Europe
• give a presentation about a part of their thesis
• share experiences and information in the area of nursing research
• learn what is currently happening in nursing science in Europe
• meet the profs!