The Raoul Wallenberg Multipurpose Vocational Training Institution of Semmelweis University is a leading training center for healthcare, social, and pedagogical vocational training in Hungary. Fanni Török is one of a thousand students studying here, enrolled in the general nursing program. As part of our ‘One day’ series, which takes a look behind the scenes at Semmelweis University, we now provide an insight into the secondary education of allied health professionals through a day in the life of Fanni.
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“I have always loved working with people, and I felt it was important that my profession and my vocation reflect this. That’s why I chose healthcare,” says Fanni Török, who is in her 13th school year at the Raoul Wallenberg Multipurpose Vocational Training Institution of Semmelweis University, studying to become a general nurse.
At the vocational training institution, students can choose between three fields after 8th grade or after graduating from high school: healthcare (general nurse, infant and child nurse, paramedic, healthcare assistant, rehabilitation therapist), social services (early childhood care provider, early childhood educator), and education (teaching assistant).
The curriculum for grades 9-12 is the same for all healthcare professions, and students must take a sectoral basic exam at the end of grade 10.
In 13th grade – Fanni Török’s current grade – the curriculum includes theoretical subjects such as biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, epidemiology, health psychology, as well as specialized nursing or internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and surgery.
At the end of 12th grade at the vocational school, students take school leaving exams in Hungarian language and literature, mathematics, and history. In 13th grade, another general subject – foreign languages – is also taught, and at the end of this grade, students take a school leaving exam in their chosen language. Fanni was the first student in the school’s history to achieve a perfect score (100 percent) on her mathematics school leaving exam last year.
Part of the practical training takes place in the school’s demonstration room, with two and a half hours per week in 13th grade. In the spring of the same school year, students do their practical training at the clinics of the university. From grades 11 to 14, they must complete 1,366 hours of mid-year and 460 hours of continuous summer work placement at the clinics of Semmelweis University under a vocational training contract.
“Here at the school, they provide very clear explanations of all practical skills and tasks; at the clinics, we have to communicate with patients in real life, and we can already establish direct contact with them through the practical module. I feel that I can easily find common ground with them, and I hope I can make them feel comfortable,” notes Fanni Török in connection with her clinical experience so far. Among other fields, she has completed work placements in urology, surgery, and neurology.
Fanni Török has participated in several professional and academic competitions in recent years, including the National Secondary School Academic Competition (OKTV) in biology, and she and her team demonstrated their knowledge in the national professional competition entitled “Nursing is our common cause,” organized by the Hungarian Nursing Association (MÁE) and the Szolnok Vocational Training Center, where they finished third.
Fanni would like to continue her studies at the Faculty of Health Sciences to become a graduate nurse. She has also applied for the “Good Student, Good Nurse” scholarship from the Foundation for National Health Care and Medical Education (NEOA). In addition, she volunteers at the Tábitha House, Hungary’s only children’s hospice.
Of the vocational school courses, general nursing is the longest specialization, lasting six years. During this time, students can form very close friendships. Interestingly, 90 percent of the school’s students are girls.
In her free time, Fanni Török currently does kayaking in the Leisure Group of MTK Budapest sports club’s Kayak-Canoe Section.
Fanni has been involved in several sports. Her parents are professional competitive shooters: Her father is a multiple national champion in air rifle shooting and qualified for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (which Hungary did not participate in for political reasons); her mother is a world champion and multiple national champion in crossbow shooting. Fanni used to practice shooting herself, but she recently switched sports and took up kayaking.
Eszter Keresztes
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
