The European Academy of Nursing Science (EANS) Summer School 2022 was held at the Faculty of Medicine for the first time. Photo: EANS Summer School at VU MF organizers'
The European Academy of Nursing Science (EANS) Summer School 2022 was held at the Faculty of Medicine from the 27th of June to the 8th of July for the first time. It linked individual nurse scientists from health services and universities across Europe, provided a forum for nurse researchers to meet, network and develop a European perspective to their work. This time approximately 100 first, second and third year PhDs students from various European countries had an opportunity to attend lectures about the latest research into nursing by the greatest lecturers.
“EANS was founded in 1999 and we have run our Summer schools for more than 20 years. EANS is not only about Summer school. We have various activities and offer teaching, networking, presentations, debates, etc. However, the Summer School is, of course, the core of our activities. Why is it important for students? It is proven that nursing science is still in its infancy. It is taking the first steps and we try to get more power to the nursing science, to teach our researchers to follow research track, to develop their questions and methods according to the golden standards so that nursing practice and patients’ outcomes would improve. Therefore, we need to teach all these methods, ethical issues, etc. to make researchers become better for the future”, said EANS president, Professor for Health and Nursing Sciences Gabriele Meyer.
This year the EANS Summer conference was about patients as key factors in the health care sector. The topic of the conference is timely and challenging indeed. To acknowledge the insight of patients as key factors in the healthcare system appears trivial at first glance. However, how can this goal be reached successfully? What is the contribution of the nursing profession and nursing research? Furthermore, how can nursing contribute to strengthening patients’ rights and their demand for evidence-based, effective and safe, person-centered, timely and equitable care? Finally, how could the sustainability and growth of nursing and nursing research be strengthened? These and other questions were covered during the EANS Summer School.
Prof. N. Fatkulina (in the middle) and Prof. G. Meyer (on the right). Photo: EANS Summer School at VU MF organizers'
Why was Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine chosen to be the place for the EANS Summer School? According to Prof. G. Meyer, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine was chosen to have this event because it is a prestigious, well-known and high-ranked in the field of nursing research, a place which is worth seeing by many European researchers and professors.
Prof. Natalja Fatkulina, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine at Vilnius University, noted that EANS Summer school is extremely important event for Lithuania: „We are glad to see the best doctoral students, professors and nursing scientists here, in Vilnius. The greatest nursing research comes from the United Kingdom, Scandinavian countries, Germany and Spain. Lithuania still cannot match them in terms of its achievements in nursing research but we try to do our best in order to get involved in networking, various projects, etc. We are in the process of growing as leaders in nursing research”.
Professor N. Fatkulina added that it is not easy to reach a high level in research not only in nursing but in other scientific fields as well. “Generally speaking, we are not leaders like Germany, France, Italy or other European countries but we are trying to be. That is why it is really significant for us to have such an event as EANS Summer School here, in Vilnius. It is important not only for nurses but also for all healthcare specialists and researchers, for the Faculty of Medicine and Lithuania”.
A fragment of EANS Summer School conference. Photo: EANS Summer School at VU MF organizers'
The first year doctoral student, Norwegian Ole Martin Noidaunet was also happy with the Summer School. “As a student I have attended various courses prior to coming to EANS. And all of a sudden, people I have read about are standing on stage and giving the lectures. So, that is a very good opportunity to ask them questions”, he noted. However, he said that probably the most important thing about the EANS Summer School is networking: “I started the school with, as I could say, 32 strangers in the room. But we are not strangers anymore, we are friends! We are collaborating on research projects; speak about the challenges we face. Thus it is a good learning arena. Everyone is very happy and we are lucky to be here because there are a lot of people applying for Summer School, but no one gets a spot”.
Finally, the EANS Summer School was concluded by the two-day conference which was attended by participants both – on-site and remotely depending on their needs. It was joined not only by the EANS Summer School students but also by other people all across the world.
About EANS
The European Academy of Nursing Science (EANS) is an independently organized body of individual members from European countries as defined by the Council of Europe. EANS members must be actively involved in research in the practice of nursing or midwifery. Full members are qualified at doctoral level and student members are part of the EANS Summer School. If they wish, they may stay beyond until they have achieved their PhD. Now EANS has more than 500 members from more than 30 countries. The top ten countries contributing with the vast majority of members are the United Kingdom, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Portugal. France belongs to the underrepresented countries with only one member.