The Regional Secretary for Health challenged nurses to move from large urban centres to smaller islands during their training period and even their career.
 
"This year, we opened several nursing applications that provide a total of 43 vacancies on several islands. In fact, this is an important factor that allows nurses to invest in primary health care, namely on islands without hospital, as they will acquire different skills from that acquired in large urban centres," said Rui Luís.
 
The Regional Secretary spoke in Angra do Heroísmo on the sidelines of the delivery ceremony of 19 diplomas of the 7th Graduate Nursing Studies Cycle at the Nursing School of the University of the Azores.
 
The health centres located on smaller islands offer a rich and diversified training in areas such as inpatient care, continuing care and emergency services. In this regard, Rui Luís added that the "Regional Government intends that nurses effectively work on the nine islands of the archipelago."
 
"The National Government and the Regional Government have been working to create the best conditions for the professional exercise of nursing," assured the Regional Secretary. As he emphasised, "the Nursing School also has challenges to address in order to invest in training that fulfils the Region's needs."
 
In May, the Regional Secretariat for Health proposed extending nursing clinical teaching to the islands without hospital with the aim of implementing the measure in the next school year.
 
It was also proposed to the Nursing School to increase the range of training in three areas: continuing care, palliative care and mental health care.
 
"We want, on the one hand, that the clinical teaching during the training period may be carried out on islands without hospital in order to encourage nurses to remain on these islands after they graduate. On the other hand, we want to invest in training to meet the needs of the Regional Health Service," said Rui Luís.