The HWG LU already plays a pioneering role in the training of nurses and midwives. Science and Health Minister Clemens Hoch is planning further professorships and staff positions as well as a financial injection for the Skills and Simulation Center in Ludwigshafen. The Ministry of Science and Health Rhineland-Palatinate announced yesterday in a press release how the degree programs in Nursing and Midwifery Science at the HWG LU are to be further strengthened...
"We would like to thank the Ministry of Health and Science for the allocation of the professorship within the new Master's degree programs in Advanced Practice Nursing and Midwifery Science - a significant step towards the further academization and professionalization of both professions. With this support, we are creating the basis for enabling highly qualified nurses and midwives to carry out complex tasks in healthcare and to make a sustainable contribution to the quality of care as well as the disciplinary development of midwifery and nursing science," commented course director Prof. Dr. Michaela Michel-Schuldt.
Press release of the MWG RLP from 27.05.2025
27.05.2025 | Universities
Science Minister Clemens Hoch: State strengthens nursing and midwifery science at Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
New positions will be created at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society to expand the nursing degree program and the Master's degree program in Midwifery Science. "I am delighted that we are able to provide the university with two additional professorships and staff positions for this purpose," explains Science Minister Hoch. The university will also receive 10,000 euros for its skills and simulation center.
One professorship and additional staff positions will be used to teach medical skills in the Bachelor's degree course in Nursing. The university is one of the first universities in Germany to implement this expansion as early as the 2024/2025 winter semester. Specifically, the focus is on care and therapy processes for people with diabetic metabolic disorders, chronic wounds or dementia. This will enable future nursing professionals to work independently and autonomously. "Professional carers are already the largest occupational group in the healthcare sector. However, their importance will continue to grow, as the proportion of older, sick people in need of care will increase in the coming years. We must and will find answers to this," emphasizes Hoch. That is why it is an important step to make nursing studies more attractive and to attract young people to them. "More autonomy in everyday working life and appropriate remuneration for the duration of the course are good incentives for this," says the Minister. The Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society currently works with six different hospitals in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Kaiserslautern and Grünstadt, as well as other outpatient care services and long-term care facilities in the region. Interested students therefore have a wide choice for the practical part of their studies.
A further professorship will serve to establish the new Master's degree courses in nursing and midwifery, which are to be set up this year. In nursing, the focus is on the qualification of Advanced Practice Nurses. The term stands for nursing expert. The plan is to establish this job profile in Germany based on international models and thus further strengthen the nursing profession. "By establishing a corresponding Master's degree course, we in Rhineland-Palatinate can participate in this development at an early stage. In many other countries, highly specialized nursing staff are already taking on tasks that relieve the burden on the medical profession. Improved quality of care for patients, more autonomy in everyday working life and the associated increased appreciation of nursing staff - these are our goals in Rhineland-Palatinate," explains Hoch.
The Master's degree program in Midwifery Science is to be offered jointly by Ludwigshafen and the Department of University Medicine at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The two universities are thus offering midwives the opportunity to gain further professional and academic qualifications and at the same time contribute to the training of young scientists. This task is particularly important in the young scientific discipline of midwifery. Rhineland-Palatinate is breaking new ground with this Master's degree. Nationwide, the establishment of such degree programs is still in its infancy. The two universities can therefore set an important course for the future with this course.
