New measures are being taken to combat the shortage of nursing staff at the end of the lake. Following the federal initiative “for strong nursing care”, accepted in 2021, the Canton wants to increase the number of students following this course at the Haute école de santé (HEdS). If the number of graduates has been increasing in recent years, going from 71 in 2012 to 114 in 2023, “it is not enough, we are only meeting half of the needs”, explained Tuesday Anne Hiltpold, advisor to State responsible for the Department of Public Education (DIP). In addition, “we have also noticed a disenchantment with this profession since Covid.”
To compensate for this, since the start of the 2024 school year, the State has put in place new specific scholarships for healthcare students who are unable to meet their needs. Three packages are planned for a total duration of 10 months: 500 francs monthly for students living with their parents, 1500 francs per month for those in a couple or married, and 3000 francs monthly for singles. If the student already receives a scholarship and it is insufficient, partial funding is provided. To receive them, you must be domiciled in Geneva, or in neighboring France with cross-border status or live with a cross-border relative. Furthermore, it is now also possible to make training more flexible, by following studies part-time, indicated the minister.
The objective is to reach a number of 600 students in this sector by 2028, while there were 535 in 2024. The Canton also hopes to reduce the number of dropouts during studies: 225 in 2018, 35% in 2021. “These are worrying figures, and not just in Geneva,” underlined the head of the DIP, recalling that the Confederation supports half of the efforts cantons to encourage training in the field. The measure also aims to promote retraining. In total, Geneva should provide 1.7 million francs for these scholarships, and federal Bern just as much until 2028.
The other part of the federal initiative concerns working conditions. “We need to train more and the other aspect is to keep people employed,” continued the magistrate. In fact, care staff stay on average between 5 and 7 years and “that is much, much too short”. The possibility of adjusting one’s schedules should in particular be part of this second part, currently in work.
