Hey Zukunft Pflege

«Hey Zukunft Pflege» (Hey Future Nursing) is a project within the nursing initiative. It implements measures in a short term to increase the attractiveness of the BSc nursing programme and targeted communication strategies for programme.

Situation

In November 2021, the nursing initiative was adopted with 61% of the votes in favour. The population thus endorsed greater recognition and funding for nursing as an essential component of health care by the federal government and the cantons. To meet the growing demand for nursing professionals, the number of nursing students must be increased, as Switzerland currently only trains about half of the required number of nurses at universities of applied sciences and higher vocational schools. Swissuniversities is supporting these efforts with project-related funding, while the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) is investing equal additional resources of its own. In the project «Hey Zukunft Pflege», concrete measures are being implemented to improve the bachelor's degree programme in nursing. These include updating case studies, introducing blended learning for location-independent teaching in Bern and Basel, and introducing the first virtual reality units. A marketing campaign under the motto «Hey Zukunft» (Hey Future) presents the advantages of studying at the university of applied sciences. Trial days are also being offered for the first time, where prospective students can experience the study program directly.

Course of action

In co-creation with practitioners, service users (patients and relatives) and students, practical case studies are developed. These are based on real or future challenges in healthcare, such as common illnesses, family orientation, integrated care, interprofessionalism and diversity. The case studies are linked to the students' experiences, since existing examples often do not take their knowledge and reality into account, thus losing the learning effect. These curricular adjustments are being implemented together with the Competence Centre for Participation of the Department of Health. The «Hey Zukunft» campaign is aimed specifically at prospective students and guides them to our website (bfh.ch/pflege) via various advertising formats. The landing page highlights the advantages of studying at the university of applied sciences, summarises the most important information and contains short video testimonials from protagonists. Prospective students can register for information events or visit the degree programme page (bfh.ch/bsc-pflege). Trial days have been set up especially for the campaign. Interested persons can register online and attend the programme as guest students for a day, accompanied by research associates and students.

Result

The objectives of enhancing the attractiveness of the BSc Nursing program and increasing student interest were fully achieved. A working group consisting of service users, practice partners, lecturers, and students identified and further developed suitable teaching and learning examples. Two selected cases were analyzed with experts in oncology and psychiatry to incorporate a realistic patient perspective. An external viewpoint was deliberately included. The new cases were implemented from autumn 2024 and are considered from students as highly realistic. Blended learning was integrated into the curriculum, and guided self-study was established as a core method. The initial implementation in the first semester was positively evaluated by students. Additionally, existing virtual reality sequences were inventoried, and their potential for the curriculum was assessed. Based on this analysis, modules incorporating augmented reality, visually enhanced mental simulation, and virtual reality were developed. The VR learning units fostered critical thinking and clinical decision-making, were perceived as valuable, and enriched problem-based learning. For the HS2025 study start, 15 trial study days were organized, with 18 registrations by the end of 2024. Participants rated these sessions as helpful for their study decision. The marketing campaign led to increased website traffic.

Looking ahead

The project has generated insights for further developments within the Nursing Initiative and for future funding projects.

Contact

Prof. Dr. Sabine Hahn

• Fachbereichsleiterin Pflege
• +41 31 848 35 08
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This project contributes to the following SDGs

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Links

• BFH Pflege