State-Approved Site for Advanced Nursing Training in Intensive Care and Anesthesiology

The advanced training for intensive care and anesthesiology serves the purpose of advancing professional skills inside the originally learned job while deepening knowledge in special fields. The training takes place for two years alongside the original job and consist of 800 hours of lessons in different modules. Every module is completed with an exam that has to at least be passed with a grade of “ausreichend”. The practical classes consist of five visits to the training site supervised by the head of training. The practical training with supervision includes at least 1200 hours in the following fields:

• Inner medicine / neurological intensive care 400 hours
• Operative intensive care 400 hours
• Anesthesiology 400 hours

The time and effort necessary for the training and the state-approved exam is displayed through credits according to the ETCS-system (European Credit Transfer System). A total of 120 credits are given.

Concept

After completion of the training the trainees should be able to perform the following tasks:

• Independently apply their knowledge and think in a problem-solving way
• Notice changes with the patient in the early stages and make the introduction of therapeutic procedures possible that inhibit the degeneration of the patient’s condition
• To not only react to a worsening but to act proactively and preventively
• To quickly learn and utilize new developments in nursing and medicin
• To individually plan nursing matters for their patients
• To know the procedures and structures of their ward in a detailed way and to take these into account while planning care

The state exam consists of an oral and a practical part. The grade from the previously completed modules make up 50 percent of the final grade. For the completion of the final exam 20 credits are given.

Entrance requirements

1. Qualification to be called nurse or pediatric nurse according to nursing law
2. At least one year of practical experience in care after the exam of which at least 6 months were spent on the intensive care unit or in anesthesiology

The advanced training site for intensive care and anesthesiology at the university medical center Knappschaftskrankenhaus Bochum is state approved and offers 30 trainee positions in its course system. Professional development is based on the official educational guidelines for advanced training and examination for specialized nurses in intensive care and anesthesiology (WeiVIAPfl) from Dec. 12th 2008 of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

If you are interested please send your application to the hospital’s care management. From there the documents will be transferred to the advanced training site.

Application documents include:

• Curriculum vitae with two pictures
• Job certificate for nursing (two copies)
• Birth certificate or marriage certificate (two copies)
• Proof of professional activity

Training begins in November of every second year (starting 2011).