From 21 to 22 September 2018, the first scientific conference of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek was held at the Hotel Osijek titled "Contemporary Nursing: History as a Foundation, Theory as a Source, Education as a Path, Quality as an Obligation, Science as a Truth". The co-organizers of the conference are the Croatian Chamber of Nurses, the Croatian Trade Union of Nurses and Medical Technicians and the Croatian Association of Nurses.
In terms of content, level and distinguished speakers, the conference is a leader in Europe and among the world leaders in the field of Nursing.
The conference was held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences, Osijek-Baranja County, the City of Osijek and the University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek.
The conference included invited and videoconference lectures by foreign and Croatian lecturers and scientists in the field of health, in Croatian or English with simultaneous translation provided.
During the two-day conference, a total of 60 lectures were held, of which 11 invited, one invited videoconference lecture from the USA and 48 registered lectures. The gathering was attended by about 400 visitors, mainly nurses involved in the theoretical and clinical education of nurses, undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate medical students and nurses employed at all levels of the health system.
Foreign lecturers from nine countries participated: United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Cyprus, Republic of Poland, Republic of Slovenia, Republic of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as domestic lecturers.
Invited lecturers were:
Prof. Jean WATSON Colorado (USA)
Prof. Majda PAJNKIHAR Maribor (SLO)
Prof. Patricia G. MORTON Utah (USA)
Prof. William LAUDER Stirling (UK)
Assist. Prof. Nada PRLIĆ Osijek (CRO)
Prof. Donna FITZSIMONS Belfast (UK)
Prof. Beata DOBROWOLSKA Lublin (POL)
Prof. Dragana MILUTINOVIĆ Novi Sad (SRB)
Prof. Marilyn H. OERMANN Durham (USA)
Prof. Danica ŽELEZNIK Slovenj Gradec (SLO)
Prof. Boštjan ŽVANUT Izola (SLO)
Assist. Prof. Andrej STARC Ljubljana (SLO)
During the conference, two exhibitions were set up: "History of Croatian Nursing" and the exhibition of the Croatian Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Croatian Catholic Medical Society, Zagreb branch entitled "Sacra Medicine: Worship of Patron Saints and the Spiritual Dimension of Medicine".
The scientific conference was intended for all health professionals, especially nurses involved in the theoretical and clinical education of nurses, undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate health students, but also nurses and technicians employed at all levels of the health system.
The topics of the program provided an opportunity to gather and exchange knowledge, skills and experiences about the latest discoveries and development of the nursing profession, especially in understanding the importance of the history of Croatian nursing; the purposes of theoretical considerations in health care; current innovations and problems in the education of nurses and technicians; the necessity of procedures and quality indicators in health care and revealing the truth by applying different research approaches.
The content of the conference significantly contributed to the development of the scientific dimension of nursing, raising the quality of education of nurses and technicians at all levels of education, the development of nursing as a profession and raising the quality of health care throughout the Republic of Croatia. Also, the conference contributed to the realization and strengthening of international links of higher education institutions of the nine participating countries.
The conference was actively covered in the print media, radio and television programs, electronic publications and modern social networks.
Assist. Prof. Robert Lovrić, Ph.D.
President of the Organizing Committee of the Conference
Prof. Aleksandar Včev, Ph.D.
President of the Scientific Committee of the Conference,
Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek
OTV dnevnik, 2018.
STV vijesti, 2018.
