Nursing – Gerontology and Palliative Care of the Elderly

About the Programme

The profile of a Master of Nursing is essential in the field of health protection, disease prevention and health promotion across all segments and at all levels of social organisation. In addition, numerous healthcare and social institutions, as well as civil society organisations, express the need for nurses/technicians who, through the application of knowledge and acquired competencies, will implement disease prevention programmes in intersectoral cooperation and propose solutions in programmes of disease prevention, health protection and improvement of the quality of life of various population groups in the community.

The current and continuously growing problem of population ageing has imposed the need on all healthcare systems and community systems worldwide to design strategies and programmes appropriate for the acceptance, establishment of relationships and application of existing and emerging scientific and technological possibilities in providing healthcare services, assistance and improving the quality of life of older and elderly persons. The fundamental prerequisite for this is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for the promotion and protection of health, achieving well-being and improving quality of life at the population level. As this cannot be achieved without substantive and methodological interdisciplinarity, nurses/technicians in the field of gerontology require knowledge from the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as legal practice and political action, with the aim of developing nursing activities and practice.

The profile of a Master of Nursing – Gerontology with palliative care of the elderly arises from the need to provide high-quality healthcare due to the increasing proportion of the elderly population both in the Republic of Croatia and in the European Union. Masters of Nursing – Gerontology and Palliative Care of the Elderly, through their specialised knowledge, skills and competencies in the field of gerontology, will assume a significant role in providing high-quality, accessible, efficient and continuous healthcare services and care for older persons. Upon completion of the study, competencies are acquired for providing healthcare services to older persons, counselling on disease prevention and promoting a healthy lifestyle within the families of older persons, nursing homes, civil society organisations and the hospital system. Through active participation in education, scientific research and participation in all social initiatives and efforts, the Master of Gerontology and Palliative Care of the Elderly provides gerontological and palliative nursing care to older persons for the purpose of promoting health, improving functional abilities and advocating for the needs of older and elderly persons, in accordance with the Standards of Gerontological and Palliative Nursing Care for the Elderly.

The study programme is implemented as a part-time study programme, with part of the teaching delivered in a hybrid and online format, up to a maximum of 40% of the total study programme, in accordance with the Recommendation of the Senate of the University of Rijeka.

This is a study programme in which, among other things, fundamental disciplines from the fields of healthcare, education, nursing and research methodology are represented. The programme consists of 7 compulsory modules and 4 elective modules, of which 2 must be selected. The acquisition of knowledge in the aforementioned areas is a prerequisite for enrolment in the second year of study, which consists of 6 compulsory modules and 6 elective modules, of which 2 must be selected.

In the course descriptions for the second year, the courses from the first year that are prerequisites for enrolment in specific second-year courses are clearly indicated.

The content of all courses is thematically interconnected through theoretical teaching, seminars and practical exercises, thereby integrating the content of each course. Seminar topics and the preparation of seminar papers, projects and research are closely related to theoretical teaching and are carried out through exercises, workshops or other forms of teaching specified in the course descriptions.

In accordance with the principles of the Bologna Declaration, the proposed study programme is structured and evaluated with 120 ECTS credits and lasts two years. The study programme concludes with the defence of a master’s thesis.