By 2030, 9,500 nursing staff will be needed in Lower Austria. The range of training courses is therefore being expanded. In addition, 300 million euros will be invested in nursing and care facilities in the coming years.
The training places have already been increased from 1,700 to 2,100, and a training bonus has also been introduced, said Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP). Another key to more nursing staff is that the training takes place closer to home, says Mikl-Leitner.
In the future there will be a higher social and nursing school in each of the six Lower Austrian educational regions. For example, the pilot project at a higher social and nursing school in Gaming (district of Scheibbs) will go into regular operation. Another location has also been fixed: in Zwettl, training is to begin as early as the 2024 school year.
FH courses in future in Mistelbach, Horn and Mauer
The range of training offered at the technical colleges in the field of healthcare and nursing is also being regionalised. The IMC University of Applied Sciences in Krems and the University of Applied Sciences in St. Pölten are cooperation partners. Last year, for example, a decentralized course was started in Mistelbach. It started with 20 students, and when it is fully developed there will be a total of 150 students in Mistelbach.
And in Horn and Mauer (district of Amstetten) there should also be the opportunity to complete a degree in health professions in the future. Such an offer will start at the Mostviertel education campus in Mauer in autumn 2023, and then in Horn in spring 2024. When fully developed, there should be a total of 450 study places in Mistelbach, Horn and Mauer.
An additional nurse is planned for night shifts
There should be improvements for the nursing staff, who are already on duty and have been particularly challenged in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic. A need for improvement was raised in discussions. Christiane Teschl-Hofmeister (ÖVP), responsible for social affairs, announced that “optimisations” should now be implemented, for example with regard to night services.
From mid-2023, there will be an additional qualified nurse for night shifts at the most heavily polluted locations. This additional nurse is currently planned for 16 locations. Pilot projects such as “pooling teams” or “standby services” are also being launched to increase roster stability.