Objectives and Student Qualifications.
The main objective of the nursing programme is to educate individuals in the basic subjects of the health sciences in accordance with the needs of society at each time.
Nurses from the University of Akureyri are to be professionally able to carry out general nursing duties, as well as attending to administration and instruction in most sectors of the health services. There are various employment opportunities in this country and abroad, since the programme is internationally accredited and the need for nurses seems to be growing constantly. There are also varied possibilities for advanced studies.
The Unique Situation of the Nursing Programme.
Emphasis is placed on educating nurses for work in the society of the future. Practical work begins as early as the first year of study. Students pursue practical studies at health service institutes in Akureyri, in Reykjavík and in other parts of the country. The School of Health Sciences cooperates on exchange programmes with schools in the Nordic countries and in several parts of Europe and therefore there is the possibility for interested students to do some of their practical studies abroad.
A student is to complete the first half of his studies, i.e. the courses covered in the first two years of study, before commencement of studies in the third year, in order to complete each half of the programme. The maximum time allowed for completing the degree examination is six years, three years for each half of the programme. A student who fails to satisfy the minimum requirements in practical studies, has to redo the term of practical study. Each term of study can only be redone once. The term is to be repeated in the same area of work as before, but at another place of practical study.
During the period of study nursing, students are to acquire three months of work experience in providing care for patients which is to correspond to at least 80% of work in health institutes exclusive of time organized for study.
Distance studies
The objective of the faculty is to have each group of students in home study in the faculty every year, accompanied by at least one group of distance learning students. The condition for the establishment of a distance learning programme is a contract with a centre of continuing education or a comparable institute at the location concerned, and that normally a minimum of 10 students commence their studies. The teaching is conducted by the use of interactive video-conferencing equipment. It is likely that by means of new technology and new ways of teaching changes will be made in this arrangement in the future.
Head of Department:
Hafdís Skúladóttir, MSc. in Nursing
hafdis@unak.is tel.- s: 460 8456, fax: 460 8999
