Self-test: Is the "Nursing Specialist HF" course the right one for me now?

What does the day-to-day work of a qualified nurse with an HF nursing diploma look like?

Qualified nurses work in a health or social care institution such as hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, outpatient clinics or for Spitex, where they provide medical care and support for people.

The care relationship begins with an anamnesis, i.e. a review of the previous history. The current condition is then assessed and a care plan is derived from this. The nurse is responsible for carrying out the nursing measures, carrying out measures prescribed by a doctor, monitoring the course of the illness or recovery and adjusting the care plan if necessary.

Nursing professionals are in constant contact with their patients and their families, with doctors and other specialists and are often part of a nursing team that provides round-the-clock care.

(Please note: The distribution of tasks (weighting and frequency) may vary depending on the task profile/job profile or function and company).

Target group and skills: Who is suitable for training and further education in nursing at a HF nursing school?

Nursing professions training at a higher technical college to become a qualified nursing specialist HF is suitable for:

• Young professionals with an apprenticeship qualification as a healthcare specialist FaGe
• Healthcare professionals who want to develop their professional skills
• Career changers who would like to switch to the care sector

Female HF nurses / male HF nurses should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Flexible and analytical thinking skills
• Speed in understanding and processing complex issues
• Sense of responsibility
• Sense of hygiene and cleanliness
• Communication and teamwork skills
• Strong powers of observation
• High mental and physical resilience
• Willingness to work flexible hours

Requirements for admission to the HF Nursing course:

Each university of applied sciences (HF) decides for itself on the admission procedure for the nursing degree course. This is set out in their study regulations - taking into account the relevant legal basis (framework curriculum for nursing). There may therefore be differences between the universities of applied sciences (HF).*

In order to start a HF nursing degree course to become a qualified nursing specialist at a higher technical college, you must generally meet the following admission requirements.

• Completion of three years of basic vocational training with a federal certificate of competence (EFZ) in nursing** or equivalent qualification.

Or

• Completion of three years of basic vocational training (EFZ) in another field and at least 1 year of relevant professional experience in the healthcare sector

Or

• Completion of a high school diploma or technical secondary school and at least one year of relevant professional experience in the healthcare sector

And

• Aptitude assessment successfully passed. This usually consists of the following steps (but can vary from school to school):
  • Submission of the complete application documents
  • Completion of a written examination in which the aspects of self-reflection, self-awareness, expression, comprehension of content and contexts as well as spelling are assessed
  • Practical aptitude assessment in a two-day internship
  • Aptitude interview to assess personal, social and professional skills as well as career and training motivation

Further conditions:

• For part-time HF nursing studies: at least 50% professional activity in nursing

Note:

In some cases, it is possible to have previous educational achievements recognized (e.g. SRC diploma DN I). Please contact the provider of your choice directly.

* The training courses at the universities of applied sciences (HF) are based on framework curricula developed jointly by training providers and industry associations and approved by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The framework curriculum defines, among other things, the title to be protected, the professional profile, the competencies to be achieved and the coordination of academic and practical training components. If the universities of applied sciences adhere to the existing framework curricula in the detailed design of their courses, their HF courses are federally recognized and lead to a protected title.

** With a qualification as a healthcare specialist EFZ / Fachmann Gesundheit EFZ (FaGe), it is often possible to attend a shortened course of study. Please contact the provider of your choice directly.

Subject matter and content of the training

The learning content of the nursing specialist training at a university of applied sciences (HF) is basically based on the "Nursing" framework curriculum. The following actors are the sponsors of this framework curriculum: OdASanté, the national umbrella organization for the healthcare sector, and the Swiss Association of Health Education Centres (BGS). They are responsible for drawing up the framework curriculum and periodically reviewing it every seven years to ensure that it is up to date and of high quality.

Nevertheless, the universities of applied sciences have a certain amount of leeway in the design of their study programs for future nurses. Which course content is ultimately covered and how it is structured (for example, its breadth and depth) can therefore vary from HF to HF.

The following topics are frequently dealt with:

• Nursing and nursing sciences (health maintenance, health promotion, health prevention, long-term care, convalescence, rehabilitation, palliative care and nursing)
• Clinical expertise (acute and chronic diseases)
• Human Sciences
• Work processes:
• Nursing process (data collection, nursing anamnesis, nursing diagnosis, nursing planning, nursing intervention, nursing results, nursing evaluation, nursing documentation)
• Communication process (communication, shaping relationships)
• Knowledge management (further training, training function, instruction function, advisory function)
• Organizational process (organization, management, logistics, administration)

Costs and financing of further training

The costs vary depending on the provider, training location and training model. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 4 to 8-semester HF nursing degree course to become a HF nursing specialist:

• Tuition feesThe semester fee depends on the school and your canton of residence. You can expect to pay between CHF 700 and CHF 750 per semester for students residing in the canton of training*. The costs for the examinations and diploma thesis are usually included in the course fees.
• Additional costsSome providers charge extra costs for the enrolment fee and the student ID card, preliminary courses (optional), teaching materials, excursions, internships, training documents, examination/diploma thesis and examination retakes. Find out about the additional costs directly from the HF of your choice.
• Training wageThe salary varies depending on the year of training and age. Please consult with the school of your choice or company of employment.

* Courses at universities of applied sciences are financially supported by the cantons. Students from outside the canton pay higher tuition fees. The following conditions apply in order to receive cantonal funding:

• at least two years of residence in the canton
• The course is listed on the EDK (Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education) list of eligible courses (you will find the link to the list in the answer texts).

Duration of study, number of lessons and learning effort

• Duration of studyThe HF nursing course at a university of applied sciences (HF) to become a qualified nursing specialist HF is modular and takes between 4 and 8 semesters, depending on the school, training model (full-time or part-time) and your previous education (relevant EFZ or other qualification, e.g. long-term care specialist with a federal certificate and (relevant) professional experience).
• Number of lessonsThe HF Nursing course comprises a total of 5400 learning hours. Of these, a maximum of 2160 learning hours are allocated to the learning area "School" and a maximum of 2160 learning hours to the learning area "Practice". At least 540 learning hours each must be spent on "training and transfer".
• Training modelsThe training takes place 50% in school and 50% in practice.
  • School learning area:Participants are provided with knowledge from nursing science and related sciences and current developments are discussed.
  • Practical learning area ("internships"):In this learning area, participants should acquire nursing skills in the broad spectrum of healthcare and gain professional experience with patients at different stages of their lives. For full-time training, the practical training lasts 72 weeks (min. 16 weeks, max. 24 weeks for a single internship)
• Teaching formatClassroom teaching traditionally takes place at the school. Depending on the situation, certain theoretical parts or lessons can also be completed in online lessons or hybrid lessons or blended learning.
• Learning effort: You should allow sufficient time to prepare for and follow up the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style, learning speed and chosen training model. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week for the part-time model.

Tip: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons"/"trial lessons". This gives you the opportunity to gain an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. Important aspects on the way to a successful graduation. Take the opportunity and contact the school of your choice directly.

Degree, diploma and title

The degree course in Nursing (HF) concludes with a final qualification procedure consisting of the following examination components:

1. Practice-oriented diploma or project work:The work is carried out in the final year of education in the "School" learning area. Candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and networked thinking.
2. Internship qualification:The internship company carries out the final assessment in the second half of the last internship.
3. Examination interview of at least 30 minutes:The examination discussion is based on a case study. This tests the candidate's theoretical case-related knowledge and reasoning skills. The interview takes place in the last 12 weeks of the final year of training and is conducted by the training provider/school. The internship companies are involved in the examination interview and its assessment with a neutral expert.

The details of implementation are regulated by the respective HF in its study regulations.

Diploma and title

Graduates of the HF Nursing degree course receive an HF diploma and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected professional title "Dipl. Pflegefachfrau / dipl. Pflegefachmann HF".

In French: "Infirmière diplômèe ES / Infirmier diplômé ES"

In Italian: "Infermiera dipl. SSS / Infermiere dipl. SSS"

In English (translation, i.e. recommendation, but not a protected title): "Registered Nurse, Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education"