Nursing staff celebrate graduation: Carinthia is urgently looking for new blood!

Nursing staff celebrate graduation: Carinthia is urgently looking for new blood!

An impressive graduation ceremony for twelve newly trained nursing staff took place at the Congress Center Villach on Wednesday. State Health Councilor Beate Prettner congratulated the graduates and emphasized the immense importance of investing in nursing training. “A profession with a future and invaluable value for our society,” she said solemnly. Given the forecast that around 32 percent of Carinthia's population will be over 65 years old by 2040, training new nursing staff is more urgent than ever. There are currently around 195 people undergoing training at the School of Health and Nursing (GuK), while around 350 new nurses start their careers every year. In addition, the model of nursing assistantship with Matura is actively promoted, in which 134 students are currently taking part klick-kaernten.at reported.

In order to counteract the increasing need for nursing staff, the GuK in Villach has been offering nostrification courses for international skilled workers since February 2024. There are currently 18 participants taking part in these courses. Prettner explained that Carinthia wanted to meet the challenges in the nursing industry with attractive training paths and financial incentives, including the AMS nursing scholarship. Furthermore, the schools in Klagenfurt and Villach have until May 5th to register for the two-year training as nursing assistants, which represents a further step towards improving the situation in nursing. As villach-exclusiv.at noted, the topic of care is currently characterized by explosive challenges, as the demand for various forms of care is constantly increasing while the supply of skilled workers remains inadequate.

A wide range of care options

Care offers tailored to different needs are essential in Carinthia. The state's 76 nursing homes offer over 5,600 places and employ around 2,900 people. There are also 22 alternative habitats available. Another important concern is to offer caring relatives support through short-term care beds, which can be used free of charge for up to 28 days per year. In order to meet the demographic challenges, the state of Carinthia is also pursuing innovative concepts in care and support that focus on targeted prevention and active support for the older population.