Award for outstanding practical projects in nursing education

The KoPAL Conference has established itself as an important event in Vorarlberg for all clinical instructors working in healthcare facilities. It provides information on current developments in Health Care and Nursing education, addresses professional topics related to clinical instruction, and helps raise the profile of and foster networking among clinical instructors in Vorarlberg. The theme of this year’s event was symbolized by a compass, which represents the orienting and guiding role of clinical instruction for trainees. Following a welcome address by Diana Brodda, Head of the Department of Social Work and Health & Health Care and Nursing Competence Area, Arno Geiger, the programme director for the bachelor’s degree in Health Care and Nursing, provided a review of the programme. In his keynote address, university lecturer Peter Jäger spoke on the topic “The Tightrope Walk of Learning—Why Safety and Discomfort Go Hand in Hand During Work Placements.” This was followed by a panel discussion on the topic “Framework Conditions for Psychological Safety.”

Award for Marienhospital Stuttgart

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Good Practice PAL Award by FHV and connexia – Society for Health and Nursing. The grand prize went to Johannes Lechner from Marienhospital Stuttgart for his project “Flexible Training Area.” It addresses one of the most sensitive transition points—the move from the training period to the start of one’s professional career. “By taking on an entire unit independently under supervision, the trainees practice prioritization, interdisciplinary communication, documentation, care planning, and assuming real responsibility. The evaluation, which involved 21 trainees over seven weeks across four wards, demonstrates the model’s success. Provided there is strong central clinical supervision, sufficient resources, and organizational flexibility, the concept is easily transferable to other institutions. This makes it a well-established best-practice project that exemplarily combines pedagogical foundations with organizational development,” emphasized laudator Nikolaus Blatter from the State of Vorarlberg.  

The award recipient expressed his delight: “The KoPAL Award shows that we at Marienhospital Stuttgart offer high-quality nursing training with dedicated, professionally competent, and successful clinical instruction. We are very pleased that this work has been recognized and honored with this award. For me and our team, the award serves as motivation to continue developing our clinical instruction in the future in order to achieve the best for our trainees, our profession, and, as a result, for those in our care. The award highlights what good clinical instruction can achieve and showcases innovative best-practice examples to a wide audience.”    

Special awards for Vorarlberg 

Sarah Fisar and Laura Pefferkorn from LKH Rankweil, as well as Matthias Hellmair from LKH Feldkirch, were honored with special awards. At LKH Rankweil, an innovative and practical learning concept was developed as part of the “Spot the Risk” project. Peter Jäger from the FHV, who presented the award, said: “Building on the ‘Room of Horrors’ method, trainees are encouraged to specifically identify potential risks, closely observe situations, and reflect on clinical contexts. As a result, the project not only strengthens clinical reasoning and professional competence but also makes an important contribution to patient safety and a constructive culture of learning and error management.” Matthias Hellmayr and his team from the emergency department at LKH Feldkirch were awarded the second special prize. In their project, they focused on implementing a structured and sensitive onboarding process specifically designed to reduce and prevent anxiety about clinical practice among trainees. To this end, they developed an online platform. “By actively reaching out to trainees, early contact is ensured; relevant information is made available, and shift schedule requests can be submitted. These aspects are crucial for successful recruitment. The close support trainees receive from their mentors also helps ensure a smooth transition,” explains Petra Ilg of connexia, who presented the award.  

Around 180 guests attended the ninth edition of the conference at the FHV. Among those offering congratulations was Provincial Councilor Martina Rüscher: “Many thanks to the FHV and connexia for organizing the event and for their important recognition of practical instruction. In addition to sound knowledge, good training requires, above all, people who are committed to passing on their knowledge and experience. Heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners and to all the institutions that submitted projects or concepts. Your projects demonstrate just how diverse and innovative the design of practical instruction can be.”