Nursing Schools and Programs in Ukraine

Nursing Studies in Ukraine

Kontraktova Square, KievAre you thinking about pursuing a degree in nursing, perhaps via a study abroad program of some type in a foreign country?  Have you considered Ukraine as a possible educational destination?  Ukraine is a beautiful country, with picturesque landscapes as far as the eye can see.  It is also a country renowned for its higher education, especially in the fields of medicine and nursing.  Below we have compiled a brief profile with regard to studying nursing in Ukraine, including some key facts about the country, some helpful information about the types of nursing programs available at its universities, and a discussion as to why studying abroad in this gorgeous country can offer you the experience of a lifetime.

Study Nursing in Ukraine:  Overview

Quick Facts about Ukraine

Ukraine, which achieved independence from the now defunct Soviet Union in the summer of 1991, is a country in Eastern Europe.  With a total area of over 233,000 square miles (603,000 square kilometers), it is the second largest country on the European continent, trailing only the Russian Federation, and its population of nearly 45 million makes it the 28^th most populous country in the world.  Ukraine shares borders with the Russian Federation to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively.

Nursing Education in Ukraine

The higher education system in Ukraine is characterized by specialized universities, including those earmarked as “Medical Universities,” which help to train the country’s doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.  Nursing is a popular field of study for many of the country’s university students, but because there is a perpetual shortage of nurses in Ukraine (and many other countries) most qualified graduates tend to find gainful employment very quickly upon completing their respective program, and in many cases, before they even graduate.
 
Nursing students in Ukraine follow a specific program, as outlined by national legislative policy and the rules of the university.  One university that offers the nursing education program is Bukovinian State Medical University, located in the major city of Chernivsti.  BSMU is one of the largest higher educational establishments in Chernivsti and has recently celebrated the 65^th anniversary of its foundation.  Its modern equipment and expert faculty make it a great school at which to pursue a nursing degree, either at the undergraduate or graduate level.
 
At BSMU, as with other medical universities in the country, students have a variety of options in terms of the type and scope of the nursing degree they can pursue and the length of the program, as measured in years.  The Junior Nursing Specialist program, the equivalent of earning a LVN or nurse’s assistant certificate in the U.S., spans two years in duration, while a Bachelor Degree in Nursing (BSN), spans four years.  Students can further their education (and often increase their salary) by earning a Master’s Degree in Nursing (MSN), which takes an additional two years to complete after the BSN.  Candidates can also pursue a variety of specialties en route to working in a specific nursing discipline: a psychiatric nurse, oncology nurse, or a nurse who performs home and hospice care for the terminally ill, among other specialties.

Why Study Nursing in Ukraine

Ukraine attracts more than 20 million foreign visitors every year, and is the 8^th most popular tourist destination in Europe.  Students who come to Ukraine to study are instantly immersed in a very lively, friendly and diverse culture; a country where eleven languages are recognized, and a place with a long and storied history. 
 
There are a number of diversions throughout Ukraine to keep students busy during school breaks.  The mountain ranges, for example, which include the Carpathian Mountains, offer endless opportunities for skiing, hiking, fishing and hunting, and its long coastline along the Black Sea is a wonderful destination for summer fun, attracting millions of vacationers each year.  The beauty, history and culture of Ukraine can be explored throughout the country; through vineyards, where the country produces native wines, to the ruins of ancient castles, to historical parks and gardens, and through an abundance of Orthodox and Catholic churches, synagogues and mosques.  Many of the major university cities in Ukraine are renowned for their dynamic nightlife, with hundreds of cafes, bars and rowdy nightclubs that afford students an opportunity to relax and blow off steam after a long day of studying.
 
Finding the major or most popular sites to visit when studying and living in Ukraine is never a problem, as they are now broken up into two categories: the Seven Wonders of Ukraine and the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine, as selected by a contest poll in 2007.  The first of these lists contains sites such as the historic Sofiyivsky Park, in the city of Uman, the Monastery of the Caves, in Kiev, the nation’s capital, and Saint Sophia Cathedral, also in the capital city.  The list of “natural wonders” includes the Granite-steppe Lands of Buh, in Mtkolaiv Oblast, Dniester Canyon, in Dniester, and Lake Synevyr, near the village of Synevyrska Poliana, nestled in the Carpathian Mountains.
 
As you can see, studying nursing in Ukraine will not only afford you the opportunity to attend one of the world’s greatest educational institutions and be trained by some of the industry’s finest medical minds; it will also provide you with a rare opportunity to expand your cultural horizons, learn a new language, visit historical sites and natural wonders and allow you to enjoy and be an active participant in the fun and interesting university experience of a foreign land.