Lifelong Learning and Vocational Education: Institutional Requirements and University Didactical Concept of a Master Degree Program 'Teaching Qualification for Vocational Education in the Field of Health Care and Nursing' at the Otto-von-Guericke-University (Germany)

Professional biographies of US-American nursing staff emphasize that these staff have consciously decided to conduct research for a Ph.D. in Adult Education instead of Nursing Sciences. The evaluation of the interview transcripts revealed two main categories: "Doctoral degree as an expression of a 'lived' lifelong learning" and "Doctoral degree as a scientific adaptation of skills" (Seltrecht 2014). However, these insights into the data material also revealed significant research desiderata: Can country-specific differences be made out concerning the understanding of what lifelong learning is thought to be? How can the relationship between lifelong learning and occupational education be described and what share do the specific requirements of nursing have in this context? A more in-depth comparison of countries is necessary for the professionalization of both nursing and education sciences in Germany. Such a comparison may reveal "institutional conditions" that accommodate a way of understanding "lived" lifelong learning that would be beneficial to the individual professionalization of each professional nurse--and could promote the collective professionalization of nursing beyond the individual case. The "institutional conditions" will be the focus of this year's paper. The example of a master's degree program "Teaching Qualification for Vocational Education in the Field of Health Care and Nursing" at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (Germany) is used as a starting point for discussion. This degree program prepares nurses, therapists and other nursing staff for teaching positions. These future teaching staff will deliver training and vocational education programs in a variety of health care and nursing occupations such as physiotherapists, elderly care nurses, medical care assistants, dental care assistants, and many others. The crucial point is: students of this program have never practiced these occupations. [For full proceedings, see ED570489.]