Clinical practice

An important aspect of achieving professional competencies lies in clinical training. At the Faculty of Health Care, we call this clinical training clinical practice. We take great care in organizing, leading, conducting and assessing clinical practice.

We know just how important it is to have a high-quality clinical practice in our clinical bases to assure that our graduates achieve their professional qualifications and competencies. Close cooperation with the clinical settings is extremely important for high-quality implementation of clinical training administered in 20 of FHCJ’s clinical learning centers. FHCJ signed agreements with all its clinical learning centers on implementing clinical training, as well as agreements on research and development projects. Particularly close cooperation has been established with the tertiary health care institution University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases Golnik, with the Jesenice General Hospital and the Institute of Public Health Kranj. Besides the specified curriculum objectives, clinical practice also offers students a chance to familiarize themselves with the health care system in detail, and to develop their professional identity and professional values.

Through clinical practice, students get to know different areas of nursing and get the first idea of where they would like to work after graduation. At the same time, employees at clinical bases might identify some students as their potential future co-workers. Clinical practice has to be conducted well, which represents a challenge for all the parties involved - for the Faculty, for you as the students, and for the health care institutions.

Clinical training of FHCJ students comprises half of the study program hours and is implemented in an on-going manner, throughout all three years of study. The learning outcomes and specific subject competences of clinical training are defined in subject curricula; each area of clinical training specifies the projected student competences. Before entering a clinical setting, students must first pass their clinical exercises at FHCJ’s clinical practice setting where they obtain the required knowledge and skills. In the clinical setting, student clinical training is conducted under the supervision of a clinical mentor. FHCJ ensures that students learn in a safe and creative learning environment. When in the clinical setting, students are required to wear the necessary work clothing and shoes. Their goal is to complete the tasks they are given under the supervision of the learning center’s clinical mentor and a FHCJ mentor. If a student is absent from clinical training, the provisions of the Rules on repeating compulsory coursework components and Instructions on student tasks and responsibilities for conducting clinical training in clinical learning centers shall be considered—these provide students with the necessary information and instructions for ensuring the optimum, smooth learning process during clinical training in clinical learning centers.

FHCJ has a central clinical training coordination system, allowing coordinators to prepare a clinical training plan for the entire academic year. Clinical training coordinators at FHCJ coordinate different clinical learning centers and organize coordination meetings with clinical mentors and coordinators in clinical learning centers before the start of clinical training. Each student receives individual supervision through mentoring models including both FHCJ instructors and clinical mentors who regularly monitor students' progress. Supervisors assess student progress in stages, and student self-assessment is also employed. Each clinical training area has its own documentation for the training and the competences, ensuring that the students gain the knowledge and skills required in the clinical setting.

For foreign exchange students, FHCJ organizes clinical training in English—exchange students are supervised by clinical mentors with an appropriate knowledge of the English language. Clinical training in English is being offered in the following fields of clinical practice: Nursing Care I (basic general nursing care), Diagnostic-Therapeutic Program, Transfusion Medicine, Nursing Care of Internistic Patients with Internal Medicine, Surgical Patient Nursing Care with Surgery, Elderly Nursing Care with Gerontology and Rehabilitation, Nursing Care and Mental Health, Oncology Patient Nursing Care with Oncology and Palliative Care, Urgent Medical Help and Health Care in Special Circumstances, Child and Adolescent Nursing Care with Pediatrics, Community Nursing Care and Dispensary Care, Women’s Health Nursing Care with Gynecology and Obstetrics. All foreign exchange students receiving clinical training at FHCJ receive documentation in English, including the information for students’ attendance at clinical training and students’ self-assessment of clinical training and of the interventions conducted as part of clinical training.