Self evaluation report

2.6. The aim and profile of study program (description of study program)

Universities in Kosovo are adopting curricula based on the Bologna Declaration rules, and this is to achieve a better comparability of degrees in Europe (MASHT 2009). Re-structuring bachelor and master degrees requires a strong orientation in the theory-practice transfer and needs to serve the didactic methods, which for university professors in Kosovo are often an innovation. Many examples have shown that required didactic approaches have remained as statements and have prevented an authentic reform (GAP, Report 2008). Lack of model curricula and science literature in Albanian language worsens significantly the situation. Therefore, the whole health system is lacking professional pedagogy as part of education.

It should be empathized that modules and didactic concepts find no use, which would have enabled a specific professional perspective.

This indicates that teaching skills and knowledge are missing in the health care system in Kosovo. The partner of Ministry of Education, Sciences and Technology and the Ministry of Health confirmed the need of teacher competencies. In a stakeholder workshop of the project, INSTEAP the opinion has been affirmed as well.

The new master program „Education in Health Care“ will meet these requirements and will fill this lack.

The innovative character of the study programME

The first idea of developing a study programme in the project INSTEAP project was one master programme in Health Care with two students’ specialisations

1. Specialisation: Management in Health Care

2. Specialisation: Education (Teacher) in Health Care.

(Cf. figure 6):



Figure 6: Study program with two students’ specialisations

There were some reasons to over think this first idea and to reorganize it in the following manner (cf. Figure 6, right side):

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  There are different demands on study programs for management in health care and study programmes for education of teachers in health care.
  
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  The education of teachers in health care should follows the regulations of teachers in Kosovo (cf. Administration instruction, 14/2013, Teacher performance evaluation, 2013)
  
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  Responsible for the education of all teachers, also teachers in health care is MEST (with the commitment of MoH)
  
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  Performing uniform regulation of study programs for teacher education in health care is easier, if you do not have simultaneously to consider requirements for management education.
  
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  A manageable entry in the education of teachers in health care is possible by starting with developing the general framework for a study program for education of teachers in health care with only the specialisation in one profession e.g. nursing/midwifery. There is BA-absolvent in Kosovo for nursing and midwifery! May be that a needs-oriented distribution of students in the field Nursing and Midwifery (e.g. 70% to 30%) has to be determined.
  
• 
  Possible extensions of the study program for other fields (teacher for physiotherapy, teacher for speech therapy but also other kinds of subjects like teacher for nutritionists, teacher for doctor's assistants, or even teacher of child care workers (kindergarten teachers) can be done by using he same general framework (common modules) and developing some specific modules for the profession related modules (profession specific modules).
  
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  One benefit is the joint instruction of students of several (not necessarily all) professions in the common modules (synergetic effects; reducing costs).
  
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  Another benefit: beginning with one example e.g. nursing and spreading out with other professions related to the necessity in Kosovo.
  
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  Flexibility: For small professions it is not necessary to offer the profession specific modules every year; maybe that all be offer every two or every three years is enough.
  

Figure 7: Two separated master study programs in health care

In the small country Kosovo, the needs for teacher education in some professions are small and it is not useful to develop own study programs for all professions. This innovative kind of framework for a study program for Education in Health Care is a very flexible one and can be suited to the needs in Kosovo. This framework will guarantee sustainability in the education of health care workers.

The innovation of the new study program is characterize that there was created an allocation between the “Master Management in Health Services and Health Institutions” and “Master Education in Health Care”. The students in both study programs need same contents. Regarding to this the curriculum development group decided to offer some common modules to the students.

Following modules are in common:

Module name	Institution – module take place
Public Health	Qeape-Heimerer
EbN & EbP	Qeape-Heimerer
Law of Health	University of Pristina
Law of Employment	University of Pristina
Qualitative and quantitative research	Qeape-Heimerer and University of Pristina
Master Thesis	Qeape-Heimerer and University of Pristina

Figure 8, Common modules of MSc Management in Health care institutions and Health care services and Education in Health Care.

This approach not only provides better services for people of Kosovo, but also ensures the mobility of nurses of Kosovo within the European Community, opening the prospect of nurses of Kosovo for employment in Europe countries.

Therefore, the aim is to achieve two objectives: to provide quality services for people of Kosovo and at the same time to facilitate the mobility of nurses of Kosovo within the European community, opening the prospect of nurses of Kosovo for employment in European countries.