Demand for nursing degree places surges in Styria

Nursing training at the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum in Styria is attracting strong demand, with around 420 valid applications for 360 places in the coming winter semester, ORF reported.

The programme for qualified health and nursing care is offered in Graz and Kapfenberg. The number of places has increased tenfold over the past decade, from 36 in 2016 to 360 today, institute director Eva Mircic said.

Most students come from Styria, while others come from different Austrian provinces or abroad, including India. Men now account for about 19 per cent of new students, compared with less than 10 per cent previously, Mircic said.

The number of degree places is currently sufficient for qualified nursing care in Styria, said Alexandra Fürst, the provincial chairwoman of the Association for Health and Nursing Care. However, demand for bachelor’s graduates in long-term care remains limited because young qualified workers tend to choose acute care, intensive care or other specialist fields.

Fürst said trainees should first gain experience in hospitals before being introduced more closely to long-term care. She also called for more places in nursing assistant and specialist nursing assistant training.

These assistant roles can provide an additional career path. People who meet the requirements can later transfer to a bachelor’s programme and enter directly in the second or third semester.