Due to various factors, a shortage of skilled workers in the nursing professions is already occurring or is to be expected (Castello, Dalichau, Lauxen & Schäfer, 2017). There are also signs of increasing bottlenecks in the provision of GP care, particularly in rural regions (Feiks, 2017). At the same time, the demand for medical and nursing services in Rhineland-Palatinate is rising sharply, as one example illustrates: as a result of demographic change, current forecasts by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Statistical Office predict that there will be over 100,000 more people in need of care in Rhineland-Palatinate by 2060 - an increase of 89% (Rhineland-Palatinate State Statistical Office, 2017). New solutions are needed to counteract the impending underprovision of medical and nursing services to the population in rural areas.

The^EB - "Care and Health" sub-project at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society is tackling these challenges. During the first project funding phase from October 2014 to January 2018, the initial focus was on comprehensive needs analysis. To this end, existing data was collected with regard to the current situation, the training and further education on offer and the need for skilled workers in the field of nursing and health. In addition, the national and international literature on Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) was researched and evaluated. As part of the empirical needs assessment on healthcare, personnel development and lifelong learning, extensive quantitative and qualitative surveys were conducted among students of nursing-related degree programs in Rhineland-Palatinate, among nursing professionals and nursing service managers in outpatient nursing services and among general practitioners in the West Palatinate model region. Based on this, the principles of service development were defined and qualification scenarios for extended community-based nursing practice were developed.

Taking these findings into account, scientific training courses were developed in the form of continuing education certificate courses. These were closely geared to demand and tailored to the needs of working care professionals in outpatient care. At present, there are certificate courses on care strategies and psychosocial support for living with dementia at home, interprofessional communication in community-based healthcare, advising, informing and training in care and the certificateon ethics and law in community-based healthcare.

In the second funding phase of the^EB - "Nursing and Health" sub-project from February 2018 to July 2020, the specific design, testing, evaluation and further development of the scientific educational programs followed. Two certificate courses were fully tested and selected events from two other courses were partially tested in blended learning format. In addition, concepts for public relations work were developed and target group achievement was evaluated. Finally, the implementation of extended professional roles in outpatient healthcare was supported as part of a participatory research project involving nursing professionals and nursing service managers as well as general practitioners and family caregivers.

References:

Castello, M.; Dalichau, D.; Lauxen, O.; Schäfer, L. (2017): Reports from the care sector - Expert opinion on the need for skilled workers in the healthcare professions in Rhineland-Palatinate. Results from the state project "Branchenmonitoring und Ausbildungsbedarf Gesundheitsfachberufe Rheinland-Palatinate 2015" a project within the framework of the "Fachkräfte- und Qualifizierungsinitiative Gesundheitsfachberufe" of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Health and Demography Rhineland-Palatinate (No. 31). Institute for Economy, Work and Culture (IWAK), Center of the Goethe University Frankfurt a.M. Download

Feiks, A. (2017): Status quo survey on the training and further education offer and the need for skilled workers in the care and health sector. Working and research reports from the project^EB - Education as an exponent of individual and regional development (11). Ludwigshafen am Rhein: Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. Download

Rhineland-Palatinate State Statistical Office (2017): Rhineland-Palatinate 2060 - Effects of demographic change on the need for care (base year 2015) (Statistical analyses). Download