Medicine: trainees and students take over ward

Does the surgical suture look good? Should the patient have a follow-up X-ray before being discharged? Is her post-operative care ensured, is the medicine cabinet sufficiently stocked - and is there enough staff for the next late shift?

Soon, 20 third-year nursing trainees and four medical students in their practical year at the University Hospital of Würzburg (UKW) will find answers to such questions together.

At the Würzburg Interprofessional Training Ward (WIPSTA), they will take on responsibility for the care of 26 visceral surgery patients as a team and largely independently from 23 February to 5 March 2026. They will also carry out all the organisational tasks that characterise everyday life on the ward.

The realistic learning environment promotes joint learning at eye level, a sense of responsibility, communication between the professional groups and interprofessional decision-making skills. This prepares future healthcare professionals for the increasingly networked healthcare practice.

Working together right from the start

"If the professional groups are to work together as a matter of course later on, it is only logical that they should also be trained together, i.e. learn with and from each other," says Professor Sarah König, Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Würzburg.

At WIPSTA, students should experience how interprofessional behaviour has a positive effect on the quality of care, team satisfaction and patients.

"For our nursing trainees, managing a ward independently is something very special. Together with the medical students, they experience at first hand how important good coordination and mutual trust are in everyday life," says Rainer Janotta, Head of Clinical Nursing at the UKW.

Intensive preparation for practical work

Before the nursing trainees and medical students take over the ward in visceral surgery, they go through a three-day preparation phase together. During this time, they practise key tasks such as wound and stoma care, clinical documentation, medication management, ward rounds and structured handovers. They practise practical skills on simulators and models and practise team coordination and communication in role plays.

A subsequent familiarisation week serves to familiarise them with the ward procedures. After this, the participants are responsible for the entire organisation, documentation and patient care for a fortnight. There are tightly knit safety nets.

Maximum safety for patients is guaranteed

The new ward team receives expert support throughout the project. Experienced nursing staff, practice instructors, lecturers and doctors support the team in the background. They continuously monitor the work, intervene to provide support where necessary, encourage reflection and provide targeted feedback.

At the end of the project, all participants take stock together, identify challenges and thus provide impetus for the further development of WIPSTA.

Future- and team-orientated training

WIPSTA is a joint project of the Nursing Directorate, the Centre for Course Management and Development and the Clinic and Polyclinic for General, Visceral, Transplantation, Vascular and Paediatric Surgery at the UKW.

With this project, the University Hospital is sending out a clear signal in favour of future-oriented and team-based training. It builds on the "Nursing trainees manage a ward" format established at the UKW and specifically expands it to include the medical perspective.

The interprofessional training ward thus closes an important gap between nursing and medical training. It is intended to make a contribution to the development of modern, patient-centred healthcare.