Vienna Red Cross is celebrating ten years of the “Academy for training, further education and training in the health and social sector” and is addressing challenges in the field
Vienna (OTS) – As the only regional association of the Red Cross, the Vienna Red Cross has its own school for health and nursing. People who want to work in nursing are trained there. The graduates are versatile and can find their career prospects in acute hospitals as well as in nursing and care centers as well as in the field of mobile care. This year the academy celebrated its 10th anniversary.
„As the director, I am particularly pleased that we have been able to build a respected educational institution over the last ten years
“, says Claudia Michalica-Zottl, head of the School of Health and Nursing at the Vienna Red Cross.
Many of the graduates also become employees of the Vienna Red Cross after graduating. With over 500 colleagues working in the care and support department, the organization looks after over 1,750 clients in Vienna. In this way, a great need for care at home is covered – and has been for many years: the home care sector, for example, celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
Nursing training: “Decline in teaching staff is a problem
“
The nursing profession and the shortage of nursing staff in particular are discussed a lot in the media. “It’s important to differentiate here,” says Michalica-Zottl. “It is important to emphasize that we are not seeing fewer interested parties at the Vienna Red Cross school and academy. On the contrary: the number of inquiries is very large. What we observe, however, is that many applicants underestimate the enormous amount of learning and the required ability to think in a network, both of which are needed for everyday working life. We are also concerned that we are seeing a decline in qualified teachers. This is very problematic because we urgently need them. In addition, there are not enough internship positions available in Vienna’s hospitals. We could hold twice as many courses, but unfortunately there is a lack in the structural area
“, so Michalica-Zottl.
Good care as a responsibility of society
Although a lot is reported about care, one prejudice persists. “Nursing work is not about keeping people warm, fed and clean, that’s a term from the 1960s, we don’t want to care like that anymore. It is about professional support and advice for all people who are going through changing periods of life. We want to live a healthy life well into old age, but how do we achieve this? This requires advice at eye level and a sustainable network. We are now preparing the ground for the future of care and this is only possible with a basic attitude across society. Projects such as community nursing, palliative geriatrics or school nursing are a good start – but there is still a lot to do
says Michalica-Zottl.
The training center
The Vienna Red Cross training center improves the know-how of over 30,000 course participants every year. In addition to numerous first aid courses, it offers an extensive range of training and further education in the area of health and care. If you are interested in one of the courses or in teaching as a speaker, please contact abz customer center@wrk.at.
Questions & Contact:
SOPHIA BLANK, M.SC.
Communication and Marketing | PR
Vienna Red Cross
M: +43/664/78040670
E: sophia.blank@w.roteskreuz.at