MILESTONES IN SLOVENIAN NURSING EDUCATION: A LOOK BACK AT KEY EVENTS AND THEIR IMPACT OVERVIEW

Abstract

Background: Nursing education has undergone many changes over the years, adapting to new health, social and technological challenges. During those changes, nursing as a profession stayed true to its values, namely providing competent, compassioned, and committed care to patients, their loved ones, and the community. Aim: The aim was to explore the evolution of nursing education in Slovenia, emphasizing the key moments and individuals that have helped shape the education and profession itself. Methods: Descriptive and comparative method was used. The sources were searched through the COBISS system. There was no limitation regarding language, publishing year, or type of publication. Results: Nursing education in Slovenia has come a long way since its formal establishment in 1923, evolving from a one-year to a comprehensive three-year program. With the high demand for healthcare workers after World War II, an upper secondary educational program was introduced, and later in 1951, a college nursing degree program was established. The college eventually merged with other healthcare-related colleges and became an integral part of the University of Ljubljana in 1976. With the introduction of professional bachelor’s degree programs and alignment with EU directives and the Bologna reform, nurses can pursue 2nd-cycle master studies (y. 2007) and 3rd-cycle doctoral programs (y. 2016), creating a complete vertical in nursing education. Discussion and Conclusion: Nursing in Slovenia has a rich educational and professional history, although it did not follow Nightingale’s initiative for nursing development. While the long-term goal of achieving a doctoral degree in nursing has been achieved, new challenges have emerged. These challenges include developing specialist and advanced practice nursing that are responsive to contemporary challenges and trends in the EU and global health.