Becoming a Nurse in Ukraine
Before we discuss becoming a Nurse in Ukraine, it is logical to start a conversation about the profession of a nurse from the definition. The nurse is an employee who fulfills all the doctor's appointments. The role of nurses in the activities of any healthcare facility is extremely difficult to overestimate.
The list of work responsibilities of any nurse is quite large, and it always depends on the position and specialization. A unifying aspect is the need to assist and care for patients.
In many countries in the postwar years, the traditional approach to nursing, as a matter of “nursing staff”, has significantly changed towards greater autonomy, separation of competencies, and the acquisition of higher education by nurses, resulting in high responsibility. In Ukraine, steps have been taken to introduce higher nursing education and, accordingly, to enhance their professional status.
For example, in 1993-1998 Lviv State Medical College started to prepare under the Bachelor's program (4 years of study), and since 2015, has already been in the status of the Nursing and Laboratory Medicine Institute named after Andrey Krupinsky. To date, most educational establishments in Ukraine have been able to deliver graduates as a junior specialist and bachelor's degree
What knowledge should a qualified nurse have?
The nurse should know current health care legislation and regulations governing health care facilities; the rights, responsibilities, and responsibilities of the nurse; normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the person.
Should also be knowledgeable of modern methods of laboratory, radiological, endoscopic, and ultrasound examination, treatment of patients; peculiarities of observation and care of patients in fever, with disturbances of respiratory, circulatory, digestive, urinary, etc .; manipulation according to the profile of work; pharmacological action of the most common medicinal substances, their compatibility, dosage, methods of administration.
A nurse should also know the methods of disinfection and sterilization of tools and dressings; organization of sanitary-anti-epidemic and medical-protective regimes; basic principles of medical nutrition; safety rules while working with medical instruments and equipment; rules of registration of medical documentation; modern literature on the specialty.
Qualification requirements for nurses of different qualification categories:
Higher Qualified Nurse: incomplete higher education (junior specialist) or basic higher education (bachelor) “Medicine”, specialty “Nursing”, “Medical” or “Obstetrician”. Specialization in the work profile. Professional development (refresher courses, etc.). Certificate of assignment (confirmation) of the highest qualification category in this specialty. Professional experience for more than 10 years.
Nurse of I qualification category: incomplete higher education (junior specialist) or basic higher education (bachelor) in the field of preparation “Medicine”, specialty “Nursing”, “Medical” or “Obstetrician”. Specialization in the work profile. Professional development (refresher courses, etc.). Certificate of approval (confirmation) of I qualification category in this specialty. Professional experience of more than 7 years.
Nurse of II qualification category: incomplete higher education (junior specialist) or basic higher education (bachelor) in the field of preparation “Medicine”, specialty “Nursing”, “Medical” or “Obstetrician”. Specialization in the work profile. Professional development (refresher courses, etc.). Certificate of assignment (confirmation) of II qualification category in this specialty. Professional experience – more than 5 years.
Nurse: incomplete higher education (junior specialist) or basic higher education (bachelor) in the field of preparation “Medicine”, specialty “Nursing”, “Medical” or “Obstetrician”. Specialization in the work profile. Without requirements to work experience.
In order to ensure the training with different levels for specialists in undergraduate and postgraduate stages of preparation in accordance with the standards of the World Federation of Medical Education, the following system of training of junior specialists and bachelors were introduced in Ukraine:
- Certified Nurse (Junior Specialist) – training is provided on the basis of 9 grades – 4 years of study and on the basis of 11 grades – 3 years of study);
- nurse – bachelor – training is provided on the basis of nursing education (junior specialist level), the term of study is 1-2 years;
- nurse – master – preparation is carried out for 2 years on the basis of nurse-bachelor education.
In any case, every student enrolled in nursing in the system of Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and private universities in the field of health care (more than 140 universities) must pass a medical licensing exam a “KROK M” (for a junior specialist) or “KROK B” (for a bachelor). This examination test is obligatory for all medical students to be allowed to pass the final exams and graduate from colleges or universities and get confirmation of their diplomas.
This test is passed before state exams and it determines if a student can be allowed to pass the final exams and graduate or not.
The results of this test are more important to recruiters than diplomas and grades as this is independent testing. If the student didn't pass this test he won't graduate from the institution and can do a retake of the test only once a year.
55,5 % is a minimum of correct answers to get a certificate (nearly 135 correct answers).
Opportunities for employment
Nowadays the nursing profession is one of the most in-demand in Europe. Employees with such qualifications are needed in every medical institution, so the chances of employment are quite high.
In the presence of higher education, you can apply for the position of a senior nurse or a chief nurse. If you do get medical education, you can later continue your education and become an experienced doctor.
There is also the opportunity to work abroad right after graduation and earn a couple of years of working experience as a nurse. As in many European countries, the lack of qualified staff particularly in the field of nursing is an ongoing problem. Of course, those seeking to work overseas will need to meet additional requirements such as knowledge of the language of the country and others for Ukrainian nurses.
If you would like to know more about how to explore opportunities abroad, or you are looking for qualified specialists to hire, feel free to contact our international recruitment company. They will provide you with up-to-date information both from an employee and employer standpoint, and could assist in the recruitment or hiring process.
Positive changes are coming
Nursing was not neglected by changes in the Health Care System in Ukraine. In this regard, a Nursing Development Center has recently been set up in Ukraine (summer 2019) to protect the interests of nurses. Work on the development of a new model of nursing was made in order to raise the standard of nurses. Expect a number of changes made to the training of nurses. First of all, the practical training at the undergraduate level of education will be increased – so that after the training the specialists will feel confident and can perform the necessary functions.
Higher education and advanced degrees in Nursing will also be introduced as a requirement. The Ministry of Health acknowledges that only in Ukraine and some post-Soviet countries that nurses belong to the middle professional category, which does not seem to require higher education. In fact, with the advancement of medicine, the demands of their profession are also increasing.
In addition, the Ministry of Health considers it necessary to expand the powers of nurses. It is explained by the fact that in most countries of the world, the duties of nurses include a considerable amount of work that is done exclusively by doctors in Ukraine. Therefore, it is planned to revise the professional standards by which nurses will work (currently being developed together with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine).
After qualification, they promise not only to give more powers but also to raise salaries. According to Trud.ua, as of March 2019, the average salary of nurses in Ukraine was 5000 UAH. Therefore, it is clear that this is forcing our specialists to go abroad en masse, where they are offered a salary of 1,000 euros.
“Work on these areas is just getting started. Consultations with regions are taking place simultaneously. The Nursing Development Center has already held 50 meetings in 15 regions of Ukraine. Collaboration with the principal, senior, family nurses, and brothers, representatives of regional departments of health, colleges, academies, and institutes providing training in the specialty “Nursing”, as well as with all 25 regional professional nursing associations” noted in the Ministry of Health.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading and appreciate all the resources which were used to write this article are mentioned down below :
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- Lviv Medical Academy. Andrey Krupinsky http://limilm.lviv.ua/
- Study materials online https://pidruchniki.com/2000031537506/meditsina/sestra_medichna
- Ukrainian Medical Journal https://www.umj.com.ua/article/11895/pidgotovka-medichnix-sester-zdijsnyuvatimetsya-za-onovlenimi-standartami-osviti
- Testing Center at the Ministry of Health of Ukraine https://www.testcentr.org.ua/uk/ispyty/potochna-informatsiia/pro-medychni-litsenziini-ispyty
- Vinnytsia Regional Employment Center https://vin.dcz.gov.ua/publikaciya/profesiya-medsestry-abo-same-zhinochne-vtilennya-gumanizmu
- Information from the website of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine https://moz.gov.ua/licenzuvannja
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