Ivana Galic, Kupres

Second cycle of nursing studies at the Faculty of Health Studies, University in Mostar, currently unemployed

Unfortunately, I spent a large part of my childhood in health institutions due to health problems. It was the nurses who helped me get through that stressful period easier. That awoke desire in me to also help others one day - to make difficult moments easier, to offer them a word of comfort and make their day better.

One of the key elements in nursing profession is communication - professional, kind and polite approach - it significantly affects the relationship between the nurse and the patient. Therefore, I would like to point out communication skills as especially important among the many skills I acquired during my studies and clinical practice. Of course, there is still a lot to learn and gain practical experience at work.

I believe that finding a job is the most important thing for every person after graduation and so it is for me - in any department or any level of health care. In order to perform my future job as good as possible, I want to continue improving my knowledge through various sorts of educations, seminars and workshops. I would like to become a member of an expert group dealing with the issues and promotion of nursing, should such an opportunity arise in the future.

Although huge progress has been made in the education of health professionals, in my opinion, there are still some issues. Nursing school graduates should be given priority when enrolling at the nursing faculties. Currently, this is not the case and many of them do not get the opportunity to enroll. Furthermore, during the entire education there are few practical and too many theoretical classes. Certainly, with the help of ProSes, modernly equipped clinical skills cabinets are now providing nursing students with better learning conditions.

I think that nurses need to be provided with continues education and training with the focus on the use of modern equipment as well as communication skills. Due to the overall unfavorable situation in BIH and otherwise stressful work, health providers should be also offered professional support and counseling.

I believe that the Strengthening Nursing in BIH project should continue to support the improvement of nursing in BIH in both education and practice. New generations should be prepared and knowledgeable when starting their jobs. Scholarships are a great motivation for all students to complete their nursing degrees with the best results and within the given time.

I believe that the authorities in BIH do not value enough such an important profession. They should do more to provide better healthcare services to citizens and better work conditions for health providers.