Practical project enables prospective nursing professionals to gain valuable experience
Karlo Grgic is currently completing his third year of training as a nursing specialist with a specialization in “pediatric care” at the University Hospital in Erlangen. Together with 18 other trainees, he was now able – a few months before the exam – to apply what he had learned in real life: in the practical project “Trainees manage a ward” in the children’s and youth clinic (director: Prof. Dr. Joachim Wölfle) of the University Hospital Erlangen. For two weeks, trainees independently organize the processes on the neonatal ward 2, make decisions and care for the newborns. “This valuable experience has been an integral part of our nursing training for many years,” explains Carmen Stöcker, head of practice at the neonatology ward 2. “The entire ward team supports our junior staff during this time in experiencing the daily responsibility of their future profession in everyday clinical practice.”
Six years ago, the Croatian Karlo Grgic found a new center of life with his parents in Nuremberg, from where he now commutes daily to the University Hospital in Erlangen. The 20-year-old has always known that his future job should have something to do with children. “The most important reason for this training is my love for children. I have a large family in Zagreb, and I often look after my young cousins there,” he says with a smile. “Since I’ve always had a lot of interest in medicine, I decided to do an internship at the University Hospital in Erlangen after graduating from secondary school. Immediately afterwards I applied for a training position as a nursing specialist.” Karlo Grgic sees the practical project “Trainees manage a ward” as valuable preparation for his upcoming exams. “It’s really incredibly helpful because we learn to work completely independently and in a team.”
Dedicated Support For Junior Staff
“We stand in the background with all the actions of the trainees on our youngest patients,” explains Carmen Stöcker and carefully observes how Karlo Grgic and his colleague Konstantina Kinski feed a three-week-old premature baby with breast milk via a stomach tube and then carefully in lay the bed. “These two project weeks mean a lot of extra work for the ward manager Marianne Bust and her team. That’s why I’m always happy that the entire ward team supports the project with full conviction and in addition to the actual tasks,” emphasizes the central practice manager.
This article is originally published on kinderklinik.uk-erlangen.de
