Registered nurse

The purpose of traineeship is to acquaint trainees, through a prescribed programme, with all the professional tasks they are training for and get them ready for the professional examination and future independent work.

The traineeship is carried out according to a programme prescribed by the Minister of Health; its content corresponds to trainees' education levels and provides practical and theoretical knowledge. During the traineeship period trainees work full time.

The length of the traineeship programme varies as follows: six months for those who completed upper-secondary technical education; nine months for those who completed higher vocational college; and twelve months for those who completed professional college.

Before the traineeship period ends trainees are required to pass a professional examination. Thus, they acquire the right to practice health care independently.

The traineeship is carried out by health institutions, private health professionals and other institutions providing health care services that meet the prescribed conditions. The employer must ensure that the traineeship is conducted properly

Before a traineeship programme begins the employer must appoint a mentor and give the trainee both traineeship and professional examination programmes. The traineeship programme is directly guided and supervised by the mentor, who is responsible for the implementation of the programme concerned.

Trainees' practical knowledge is regularly tested at the working premises. The traineeship programme is concluded by a practical knowledge test, which is a precondition for sitting the professional examination.

Trainees who completed upper-secondary technical education sit the professional examination at the health institutions authorised to this effect by the Minister. Trainees who completed higher vocational college, professional college or university sit the professional examination at the ministry responsible for health.

The professional examination programme is prescribed by the Minister and includes:

• expert contents related to the professional field, except for doctors of medicine;
• first aid – organisation and provision in ordinary and emergency situations, except for doctors of medicine;
• emergency medicine for doctors of medicine;
• social medicine, except for doctors of medicine and pharmacists with a Master's degree;
• social pharmacy for pharmacists with a Master's Degree and pharmaceutical technicians;
• basic regulations on health services, health protection and health insurance.

The Ministry keeps an updated list of legal sources and professional literature to support trainees in their preparation for professional examination. The list is available at the Ministry and on its web site.

Trainees submit an application for professional examination to their employer. The employer forwards applications submitted by workers who completed upper-secondary technical education to the authorised health institution, and applications submitted by workers who completed higher vocational college, professional college university to the Ministry of Health.

Voluntary trainees who completed upper-secondary technical education submit the application for professional examination to the authorised institution, while voluntary trainees who completed higher vocational college, professional college or university degree submit the application to the ministry.

The professional examination is oral, except for the subject Emergency Medicine that consists of written, practical and oral part. A commission assesses the overall achievement of a trainee on the basis of grades in individual subjects. Trainees who pass the professional examination receive a certificate of professional examination.

Trainees who fail to show sufficient knowledge in one or two exams may re-sit individual exams for re-assessment no sooner than one month after the first sitting of the exam. Trainees who do not show sufficient knowledge in more than half of the exams fail to pass the professional examination and must re-sit the whole examination. Trainees who fail to pass the professional examination may not practice health care.

The costs related to the professional examination are covered by:

• employers that registered trainees to sit the examination;
• trainees when unemployed or applying for the examination themselves or when they are volunteers.

The total costs of the professional examination for health and allied professionals amount to EUR 200.00. The costs of the professional examination for one subject amount to EUR 50.00. The costs of the professional examination for the subject Urgent Medicine for medical practitioners amount to EUR 150.00.

Details

Health and allied professionals are entered in the register after passing the professional examination.

Applications for entry in the register must be submitted to the Chamber of Nursing and Midwifery Services of Slovenia - the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia (the Chamber - the Association) in 30 days of passing the professional examination.

Provided that all conditions for the entry in the register are met, the Chamber - the Association issues a decision and enters the applicant concerned in the register.

The register is kept in electronic form. The register includes the following data:

• full name,
• date and place of birth;
• permanent or temporary residence;
• nationality;
• data on the diploma, professional examination, specialisation and additional knowledge;
• dates and titles obtained in the areas of health care and teaching;
• membership in national and foreign professional associations;
• declaration regarding the exercise of the right to conscientious objection;
• other data required for tasks and public authority.

The entry in the register is mandatory for the following health professionals:

• nursing care technicians;
• midwives;
• nursing assistants.

The entry in the register and a valid licence are mandatory for the following health professionals:

• registered nurses;
• registered midwives;
• higher vocational college nurses.

Details

A licence is a permit for the independent practice of nursing and midwifery in the Republic of Slovenia. The licence is granted for a limited period, i.e. for seven years, and can be renewed on the basis of proof of professional competence to continue the work.

Registered nurses and registered midwives who have completed at least a three-year or 4,600-hour study programme with theoretical and practical education must hold a professional college or university degree obtained in the Republic of Slovenia.

All other graduate nurses, graduate midwives and higher vocational college nurses must have a degree from a professional college or a higher vocational college or a faculty in the Republic of Slovenia or in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia obtained before 25 June 1991, or a degree in nursing care or midwifery officially recognised in the Republic of Slovenia, or a foreign professional title recognised as equivalent to a Slovenian professional title obtained under the act governing the recognition and evaluation of education and completed professional examination.

Health professionals submit a single application for entry in the register of nursing and midwifery services and for the issuance of a licence.

A licence may be withdrawn in case a major professional error is made. The procedure for withdrawing the licence may be carried out ex officio or upon a proposal by the Chamber or a professional association for nursing or midwifery, or upon a proposal by an employer.

 

The licence may be withdrawn in the following cases:

• if a health professional's work is found to threaten the health or life of a patient – up to seven years;
• if a temporary safety measure, i.e. the prohibition related to the provision of nursing or midwifery services or pursuit of the profession, is imposed on the provider – for the duration of the measure imposed;
• if the provider is convicted for an intentionally committed criminal offence prosecuted ex officio with a sentence of imprisonment of six months or more – for the duration of the sentence;
• if the provider fails to obtain evidence regarding the fulfilment of conditions for obtaining or renewing the licence in a legitimate manner, or has provided false information in order to obtain or renew the licence – up to four years;
• if a major professional deficiency or error on the part of the provider resulted in permanent and serious consequences for a patient's health or their death – up to seven years;
• if the provider is convicted for an intentionally committed criminal offence prosecuted ex officio in connection with the provision of nursing or midwifery services – for the duration of the sentence.

After the expiry of the licence withdrawal period, the health professional may reapply for a licence. When re-awarding a licence, the Chamber may verify the applicant's professional competence and order him or her to take a professional competence test.

Details

Health and allied professionals have the right and duty to pursue professional training; therefore, the institution must enable them:

• to stay abreast of the development of health sciences;
• to attend occasional advanced practical training at appropriate healthcare institutions;
• to have their theoretical and practical knowledge tested occasionally.

Health professionals have their licence renewed for a period of seven years – licence period – on the basis of proof of professional competence. Professional competence is established with regard to the licence points awarded for in-service training in the licence period concerned. 

 

To get the licence renewed a health professional must have obtained at least 70 licence points in the preceding licence period. Those who fail to obtain a sufficient number of points must sit a professional competence test in order to get their licence renewed.

 

Mandatory content of the in-service training in a licence period covers:

• health care legislation and professional ethics;
• basic resuscitation procedures;
• quality and safety in health care.

In addition to mandatory content, health professionals must also engage in training on general content on nursing and midwifery and on their specialised fields within nursing and midwifery. At least 50% of the licence points must be obtained in the specialised fields of nursing and midwifery in which they practice.

The following is considered in-service training:

• participation in expert meetings (active or passive, at home or abroad);
• published professional articles at home or abroad (i.e. in magazines, proceedings, books or monographs);
• advanced training at health care providers.

An application for the recognition of an expert meeting, for the assessment of its programme as an in-service training event, and for the allocation of the licence points must be submitted to the Ministry by the organiser of the expert meeting.

After the expert meeting is concluded the organiser issues certificates confirming participation. The Ministry publishes the programmes of the expert meetings deemed in-service training on its website.

Applications for the recognition of a certain number of licence points for in-service training not provided by organisers listed on the website of the Ministry must be submitted by the health professional.

In order to have their participation at an expert meeting or advanced training at healthcare providers recognised as in-service training health professionals must submit:

• a certificate of participation or proof of advanced training at a health care or other organisation signed by the responsible person of the organisation;
• full name and address of the legal or natural person that organised continuing in-service training;
• title of the meeting's programme or training;
• date and location of the meeting's programme provision or training and duration of the meeting;
• participation (active or passive);
• programme of the meeting or type of training.

In order to obtain recognition for professional articles published at home or abroad, health professionals must submit:

• the title page of the article with its content and the first page featuring the article;
• the catalogue details;
• the table of contents; and
• a link to the source if the publication is not cited in a bibliographic database (i.e. COBISS, PUBMED).

After receipt of a complete application, and based on the assessment of the appropriateness of the programme or training and the number of licence points obtained, the Ministry informs the health professional of the number of allocated licence points and enters them in the register.

Legal basis

• Health Services Act (ZZDej)
• Rules on the professional training of medical and non-medical professionals
• Rules on the register and licences of nursing and midwifery providers