Evaluation Curriculum Nursing assistants (NA SRK)

Nursing assistants SRC are important for providing good quality health care together with nurses and care assistant. Therefore, their training must be regularly adapted to the requirements.

Factsheet

Situation

The education programme for Nursing Assistants Swiss Red Cross (NA SRC) has been further developed by the SRC since the BFH survey of the tasks of nursing assistants in primary care in 2013 and the project "Importance, competence regulation and mentoring (BeKoM) of Nursing Assistants SRC" in 2016: In addition to the curriculum, which was created in 2017, a new edition of the NA SRC teaching material has been available since summer 2022. The demand for NA remains high, but about 25% fewer people are attending the course for NA SRC, which could also lead to a shortage of trained persons here. In particular, the non-hospital care sector (SPITEX) has a need for a module for family carers who can be employed and paid by the SPITEX. Therefore, a next step in the further development of the course, which is more oriented towards inpatient care, is to increasingly address the requirements in the outpatient setting.

Course of action

Due to these developments, it is necessary to further develop the course for Nursing Assistants SRC (NA SRC) based on an evaluation. The evaluation is to be carried out by the BFH by means of a survey of employers with regard to satisfaction with the content of the NA SRC course and possible needs for further content (identification of gaps). In a first step, a qualitative survey will be conducted by means of telephone interviews or video telephony on the satisfaction or further needs of employers of NA SRC. The settings of inpatient geriatric and long-term care, homes for the disabled and SPITEX will be surveyed. The interviews will be conducted in all parts of the country and will include small, medium and large as well as privately and publicly funded institutions in each setting. The methodological procedure in the project includes the creation of guideline-based, structured interviews, the conducting of these interviews, a summary analysis of the results and their presentation in a short report. The procedure in the project is participatory and the interview guidelines in particular are developed and discussed together with the clients. In addition, the BFH is supported by the clients in recruiting the institutions (consultation and joint request).

Result

The results show that the work of the PH SRC is considered important. In general, the PH SRC are well trained in carrying out the activities in terms of theoretical knowledge (which is possible within the 120 hours). However, their practical experience in implementing what they have learnt is criticised as inadequate. The strengths of the PH SRCs lie in their flexibility for assignments. However, gaps were also identified in their ability to deal with certain situations and patients/clients. The evaluation also shows differences in the language regions, both in terms of the length of training and the recognition of the PH SRC and its activities. The shortage of skilled workers means that PH SRC are deployed beyond their legal competences.

Looking ahead

The recommendations include reviewing the content of the course and possibly making the structure of the course more flexible to promote the practical application of what has been learnt. As the shortness of the course is often criticised, the access to certificate training should be strengthened. Interested and talented individuals should be well informed about their options for further qualification and motivated or encouraged to enter the education system.

This project contributes to the following SDGs

  • 3: Good health and well-being