"Re-creating instead of adding" - designing the new nursing training curriculum in the state of Brandenburg
Term: November 2018 to December 2024
The Neksa project is being carried out jointly by a project group led by Prof. Dr. Heidrun Herzberg from the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and Prof. Dr. Anja Walter from the TUD Dresden University of Technology.
Using a participatory research and development approach, the project is working with stakeholders in the state of Brandenburg to develop, test and evaluate instruments that support the implementation of the Nursing Profession Reform Act at nursing schools and in practical areas. The aim of the project is to accompany the curricular development work at the schools against the background of nursing, social, vocational education and nursing didactic requirements.
As a result of the Nursing Professions Act, the question arises as to how future nursing assistant training courses can be designed in order to create a mix of nursing qualifications that is appropriate for the provision of care.
To this end, the Neksa project has been expanded to include the Neksa-PAss sub-project. The aim of this expansion is to develop appropriate regulatory tools for nursing (specialist) assistant training in a participatory manner, taking into account the expertise of teachers and practical instructors in the state of Brandenburg. The Neksa-PAss sub-project is based at TU Dresden.
The entire Neksa project is funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection of the State of Brandenburg (MSGIV).
Neksa-PAss - "Re-creating instead of adding" - shaping the new nursing assistant training program
Duration: December 2019 to December 2024
Since the end of 2019, the project sponsor of the Neksa project has been working on the adaptation of training courses in assistant professions in nursing, which are the responsibility of the federal states, as a result of the Nursing Professions Act. Following the reform of the three-year nursing training to become a nursing specialist, the question arises as to how future nursing assistant training can be designed in order to create a mix of nursing qualifications that is appropriate for the provision of care. The areas of activity and work processes that can be mastered by nursing assistants have hardly been investigated. It was also unclear for a long time what the professional competence of assistants consists of or could consist of in a future mix of qualifications for nursing staff. This differentiation is extremely important for curricular developments in all nursing training courses.
As part of the Neksa-PAss sub-project, occupational field analyses were carried out in the field of nursing assistance. The current state of discussion on nursing assistance in Germany and beyond was also highlighted. One result of the project was the derivation of a competence profile for nursing assistants.
The competence profile and approaches for curricular recommendations were developed using an empirical approach to areas of activity. Based on the skills profile, the task now is to develop concrete recommendations for the design of a new nursing assistant training program by the end of 2024. In doing so, permeability must be consistently taken into account. This applies not only to specialist training, but also to the many "unskilled" auxiliary staff with unregulated further education and training certificates who work in long-term care facilities and outpatient services. This potential must be exploited and this target group must be offered the opportunity to have certificates and the non-formal skills they have acquired in the professional field credited towards their assistant training. To this end, it is necessary to develop a low-threshold procedure and to design the framework plans in such a way that a meaningful entry into training is considered from the outset. In the concrete implementation phase, it is possible to draw on the tried and tested networks and working aids already developed in the Neksa project for specialist training.
The specific objectives of the Neksa-PAss project are
Preparation of the training and examination regulations
- Content, structure and distribution of hours of theoretical and practical instruction and practical training
- Examination design
- Adaptation courses, knowledge and aptitude tests
Draft framework curriculum and framework training plan
- Content recommendations
- Consideration of permeability
Recommendations for skills assessment procedures
The expansion of the Neksa project lays the foundation for training in nursing assistance in Brandenburg and thus makes a significant contribution to securing a skilled workforce.
Team of the Neksa-PAss project at the TU Dresden:
Project manager
Research Associate
Student assistant
Student assistant
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Denkel or a student assistant, thank you!
We work closely with the Neksa project team at the BTU:
- Prof. Dr. Heidrun Herzberg (project manager)
- Ms. Andrea Westphal (Research Associate)
- Mr. Stefan Burba (Research Associate)
Join our Yammer workgroup to get involved, stay up to date and network with colleagues!
- Walter, Anja (2021). Digitale Netzwerkarbeit zur Begleitung der Reform der Pflegeausbildung – ein Erfahrungsbericht. In: Friese, Marianne (Hrsg.). Care Work 4.0. Digitalisierung in der beruflichen & akademischen Bildung für personenbezogene Dienstleistungsberufe, 135-151.
- Walter, Anja/Bohrer, Annerose (2020). Die neue Pflegeausbildung gestalten – eine Handreichung für Praxisanleiterinnen und Praxisanleiter. Online: https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-btu/frontdoor/index/index/docId/5161.
- Alheit, Peter/Herzberg, Heidrun/Walter, Anja (2020). Handlungsempfehlungen für die Anpassung von in Landeszuständigkeit liegenden Ausbildungen in Assistenzberufen in der Pflege als Folge des Pflegeberufereformgesetzes. Eine qualitative Studie zur Vorbereitung eines innovativen curricularen Entwicklungsprozesses für die reformierte Pflegeassistenzausbildung im Kontext des ›Neksa-Projekts‹. Unveröffentlichter Projektbericht.
- Alheit, Peter/Herzberg, Heidrun/Walter, Anja (2019). „Generalistikdiskurs“ reloaded: Eine qualitative Studie zur Pflegeausbildungsreform im Land Brandenburg. In: Pädagogik der Gesundheitsberufe, Jg. 7 (4), 233-243.
- Alheit, Peter/Herzberg, Heidrun/Walter, Anja (2019). Der „Generalistik-Diskurs“ im Feld der Pflege im Land Brandenburg. Unveröffentlichter Projektbericht.