Nursing

In the CNS specialisation, you will extend your skills as an APN providing in-patient care. You will become adept at applying evidence-based knowledge in practice, develop your skills in clinical assessment and generate recommendations for management and change processes.

The NP specialisation prepares you for work as an APN in outpatient care or as a visiting nurse (e.g. as an APN in an interprofessional healthcare centre). You will hone your specialist skills in areas such as clinical assessment and your knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology. You will gain new experience in diagnostics and treatment and develop a more nuanced view of your professional role and place in the larger field of healthcare.

In the specialization Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) you specialize in the care and support of adults with mental disorders in different care structures. With a holistic perspective, the clinical and practice-oriented modules focus on topics in psychopathology, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. You will learn skills in clinical assessment and evaluation, multi-professional treatment planning and therapeutic interactions to promote mental health and risk prevention.

If you choose to specialise in research, you will gain additional skills for your work in research hospitals or other health sciences research facilities. You will critically examine the steps of the research process, learn to apply various methodologies and develop your skills in communication, leadership and project and change management.

In our profession-specific modules, we primarily cover topics that are relevant to advanced nursing practice. Depending on your specialisation, you will enrol in a variety of profession-specific modules:

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)

• Evidence-based interventions
• Clinical assessment and evaluation CNS

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

• Clinical assessment and evaluation NP
• Physiology, Pathophysiology & Pharmacology
• Basic care for adults Level 1 NP
• Basic care for adults Level 2 NP
• Health promotion and disease prevention

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)

• Clinical assessment and evaluation PMHNP
• Psychopathology & Psychopharmacology PMHNP
• Mental Health Care Level 1
• Mental Health Care Level 2
• Health promotion and disease prevention

Research

• Research methods 3
• Research management

Our research modules cover such topics as research methodology, scientific philosophy and research ethics and processes. This will prepare you for carrying out your own practice-oriented research projects.

• Scientific philosophy for healthcare professions
• Research methods
• Applied Statistics
• Research planning
• Research management

We developed the modules in this group with an interprofessional focus. They are relevant not only to nurses, but also to nutrition specialists, midwives and physiotherapists. They are taught in common to all our MSc students:

• Applied ethics
• Advanced practice (AP)
• Communications
• Leadership, project and change management

In the transfer modules 1 and 2, you will gain hands-on experience in research, clinical nursing or other areas of healthcare. These practical experiences allow you to apply and deepen your theoretical knowledge of specific topics such as Advanced Practice Nursing (APN), research, leadership or development. You will encounter and reflect upon the challenges related to connecting theory and practice.
If you complete the APN Nurse Practitioner specialisation, you will work with professional supervision in clinical practice in both transfer modules 1 and 2.

You must also enrol in an optional module. You could theoretically chose any of our modules. We recommend one of the following:

• New technologies
• Health policy and economics
• Communications
• Leadership, project and change management

In your master’s thesis, you will synthesise the knowledge you have gained in the research modules with current findings in your area of specialisation. You will examine an issue relevant to the field, employing the appropriate methods, and independently author an expert-level scientific research paper. You will incorporate every phase of the research process, and substantiate, evaluate and reflect upon your findings.

Our consecutive master’s programme in nursing is aimed at holders of a BSc in nursing. Qualified nursing professionals with training equivalent to a bachelor’s degree (e.g. Master of Advanced Studies in nursing) are also eligible for the BFH MSc programme.

Academic requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• College degree in nursing (e.g. AKP, PsyKP, KWS, IKP, DN II) with additional qualifications (i.e. holders of qualifications awarded in the 1990s by professional colleges that later became universities of applied sciences may contact the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) to obtain a UAS title on the basis of their previously awarded qualifications).
• Master of Advanced Studies diploma in nursing

Knowledge + Abilities

If you do not hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing, we may apply certain stipulations to your admission (e.g. enrolling in training courses to obtain missing qualifications). The following specialist courses at BFH provide most of the required background knowledge:

Language skills

Good language skills of English and German are required for the programme.
The majority of the lessons are held in German. If you are not a native speaker of German, you must have the appropriate language skills at level C1. The specialist literature and parts of the lessons may also be in English. Therefore, a knowledge of English at level B2 is required.

Applicants with a foreign degree

Your application will be individually reviewed for equivalence. You must hold a recognised degree as a qualified nurse.

«Nurse Practitioner» and «Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner» specializations

Two years of work experience are recommended for admission to the «Nurse Practitioner» and «Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner» specializations.

You will be required to complete an aptitude test if you hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a Swiss university with an average final mark lower than 5.0, or if you do not hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

In preparation for the interview, you will have 30 minutes to read a scientific paper in English. In the structured discussion that follows, you will address various points covered in the article. The interview is conducted in German and lasts 40 to 60 minutes. We will evaluate whether you are a good fit for the programme based on your motivation, conceptual and professional skills, personal competence and capacity for reflection.

Preparing for the aptitude test

• Read scientific studies.
• Review the scientific materials covered at the bachelor or equivalent degree level.

• Submit your application to the master’s degree programme in nursing online.
• The application deadline is 30 April 2021.
• We will contact you to arrange a date for the aptitude test after reviewing your documents.
• The programme begins in calendar week 38.

Apply for our master’s degree programme in nursing online.

Tip: keep all required documents on hand in electronic format.

We only accept applications for the MSc programme in nursing via our online application form. We cannot accept any applications after the deadline.

The application and aptitude test fee of CHF 300 is itemised as follows:

• Application processing fee of CHF 100 (credit card) or CHF 110 (paper invoice*); the fee is required in each case.
• The fee for the aptitude test is CHF 200.

* To be paid within 10 days. The application will not be processed until payment has cleared.

Fees

Public funds cover most of the cost of the programme. The portion that students must pay (semester fees, etc.) is based on the financial guidelines provided by the master’s degree programme in nursing. This varies by canton. Fees at BFH are calculated as follows:

Costs per semester
 

• Tuition CHF 750
• Examination fee CHF 80
• Fee for social, cultural and sport facilities CHF 24
• Optional membership fee for the BFH student body association (VSBFH) CHF 15
• Flat fee for materials CHF 20

One-time costs
 

• Application fee CHF 100
• Aptitude test fee CHF 200
• Diploma registration fee with the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) CHF 136

Please be prepared for additional costs over the course of your studies for specialist literature, software and other supplies. Costs may range between CHF 1,200 and CHF 1,500. This amount will vary depending upon how much you acquire.

Laptop

You must have your own laptop with a reliable internet (WiFi) connection. BFH will help you acquire the hardware and software required for the programme.

Skills Centre

The Skills Centre in our Health Professions department is a learning environment that resembles a professional practice. You will train the skills required for your professional development in a protected learning space. Working closely with expert instructors, you will practice transferring these skills to similar real-life scenarios.

Communication training

We take an innovative approach to teaching communication skills. You will practice effective communication strategies with professional actors simulating challenging situations from the field. Our mobile video recording system allows you to record and immediately analyse these scenes. This teaches you to approach difficult interactions professionally.