Updates from the VfP-APSI

from the association

Last week was marked by important events, inspiring encounters, and media attention for our organization.

In the morning, the presidents of the professional societies met for a constructive discussion about current projects, experiences, and developments within their societies, as well as how the board and the secretariat can support the wide range of ideas.

Another particular highlight was the segment on SRF 10 vor 10 addressing the question of whether nursing experts can take on general practitioner duties. Our AFG President (Nurse Practitioner in Primary Care), Isabelle Mathier, was prominently featured in the segment. The segment is available at Broadcast ab Minute 15.04 zu sehen.

In the afternoon, the 31st General Assembly took place. In a small but engaged and lively atmosphere, important decisions were made regarding personnel and content. Prof. Dr. Sabine Hahn was confirmed as President, Prof. Dr. Monica Bianchi was re-elected as a board member. Prof. Dr. André Nienaber and Dr. Suzanne Dhaini were newly elected to the board. Prof. Dr. Sabina M. De Geest and Helena M. Roth, MNS MAE were appointed honorary members.

Dr. Peter Wolfensberger and Dr. Carole Délétroz were warmly thanked for their great commitment to the board.​

The 31st General Assembly took place in the afternoon. In a small but enthusiastic and lively atmosphere, important decisions regarding personnel and policy were made. Prof. Dr. Sabine Hahn was re-elected as President, and Prof. Dr. Monica Bianchi was re-elected as a member of the Executive Board. Prof. Dr. André Nienaber and Dr. Suzanne Dhaini were newly elected to the Executive Board. Prof. Dr. Sabina M. De Geest and Helena M. Roth were named honorary members. Dr. Peter Wolfensberger and Dr. Carole Délétroz were warmly thanked for their great dedication to the Board. 

In addition, an important milestone was reached with the introduction of a new membership category: Retired members remain part of the association with full voting rights and now pay an annual membership fee of 100 Swiss francs.​

The First International Nursing Science Conference — Nursing Science Conference 2027

Join us as researchers, professionals, and students from around the world come together to rethink the future of nursing. Inspiring presentations, hands-on workshops, and meaningful networking opportunities await you.

Sign up this month and get a 10% early-bird discount.  

Sign up now

from academic professional associations

AFG Spitex Care: New Findings on the interRAI HC and CMH Scales – A Look at Everyday Care in Spitex:
AFG Spitex Care published an article in NOVACura in March (Volume 57, Issue 2) regarding the interRAI HC and CMH scales for communication, vision and hearing loss, and pain. To this end, they have developed a Poster featuring HomeCareData designed to clearly present key findings from the surveys and provide insight into the situation of home care clients in Switzerland.

AFG Oncology Care: 2027 Research Awards – Apply Now and Submit Your Project
 In 2027, AFG Oncology Care will once again award prizes for the best research projects completed in 2024, 2025, and 2026 on the topic of oncology care. Three prizes will be awarded (1st prize of CHF 1,500, 2nd prize of CHF 1,000, 3rd prize of CHF 500). The winning teams will briefly present their projects at the awards ceremony during the Oncology Nursing Congress on March 18, 2027. Submissions are now being accepted in German, French, Italian, or English until January 10, 2027, via the Online form  possible. The winning projects will be announced on February 18, 2027.

AFG Oncology Care looks forward to receiving your applications.

Calls and announcements

Obituary: Honoring Dr. Jacqueline Fawcett Maria Müller Staub (PhD, EdN, MNS, RN, FEANS) 
 On March 22, 2026, one of the world’s most renowned nursing scientists, Jacqueline Fawcett, passed away.

 She had a fall shortly beforehand, but we remained hopeful for her recovery and that she would soon return as a friend/colleague in the "Nursology.net community." Dr. Fawcett was one of the scholars who, together with Dr. Peggy Chinn, founded "Nursology Net." She played a significant role in the content of the website, which was launched in September 2018.
Jacqueline Fawcett was born on March 18, 1941, and dedicated her career to strengthening the scientific foundations of nursing science (Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013). With a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston University, as well as a Master of Arts (MA) and a Doctorate from New York University, she educated generations of nurses at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels and held leadership positions at the University of Massachusetts Boston for several decades.

 Internationally recognized for her metatheoretical contributions, she became one of the strongest voices advocating for clarity regarding the knowledge base of nursing as a discipline (Fawcett, 2005; Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013). Additionally, she shaped and promoted the concept of Nursology, defined as the knowledge pertaining to phenomena central to nursing (Fawcett, J., 2023). Through this work, she emphasized the importance of developing and applying discipline-specific knowledge to promote global well-being. 

 I had the privilege of personally working with Jacqui. Conversations with her were marked by mutual interests, same nursing values, and respectful communication. Our exchanges were refreshingly instructive and fruitful. She critically reviewed my contributions to the Advanced Nursing Process, which includes nursing diagnoses, nursing interventions, and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes grounded in evidence-based nursing classifications (Müller Staub, 2025). Although Jacqui and Peggy initially held a critical view of nursing classifications, they became convinced due to our shared values in nursing as a distinct profession with its own knowledge base. Therefore, my publication in the "Nurs Net" on the Advanced Nursing Process was supported (Müller Staub, 2025). Jacqui also supported the publication on the Swiss Nursing Initiative (Müller Staub, 2019). Because she wanted to know its preceding’s, the course of the initiative was also published (Müller Staub, 2022). 

Jacqueline Fawcett is particularly known for her work in theory and practice of nursing. Some of her key works are: 
1. Nursing Theories and Models: Fawcett extensively engaged in the development and analysis of nursing theories (Henderson, Orem, King, etc.). She examined and evaluated numerous theories to establish clearer connections between theory, research, and practice. Nursing theories are conceptual frameworks that structure the understanding of nursing practice, the nursing process, and patient experiences. They provide a theoretical background that helps nursing professionals to justify their decisions and guide their practice.
2. Conceptualization of Nursing: Fawcett articulated how nursing should be defined and understood as a discipline. She emphasized that nursing theories can help identify the specific characteristics of nursing and clearly differentiate it from other health disciplines. Nursing theories play a vital role in nursing education and practice, as they offer a framework for understanding the complexity of nursing and developing effective nursing interventions.
3. Theoretical Frameworks: Fawcett developed a theoretical framework that enables nursing professionals to organize and evaluate theories. She proposed a structured approach to analyzing nursing theories, contributing to the advancement of theories and their application in practice, down to the level of the nursing process. 4 Research in Nursing: Fawcett championed the integration of research into nursing practice. She emphasized the necessity for nursing professionals to apply evidence-based interventions grounded in solid theoretical concepts.
 5. Publications: Jacqueline published numerous articles and books in which she presented her ideas and theories on nursing science. Her book "Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress" is an important work widely read globally.

 Jacqueline Fawcetts’ works influenced me during all my career. Initially, I studied her works at the university of Pittsburgh in the 90’ es. Later, I deepened this during my master's education in Maastricht NL/WEG CH, before I continued to engage in her theories in with my nursing HöFa-I students and later at all university levels and in consulting activities. Jacqueline Fawcett strengthened nursing as a discipline. Her influence remains relevant today at all levels of nursing education, practice, and research. 

Maria Müller Staub On behalf of the VFP, April 25, 2026 Honorary VFP member, former VFP President

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Am 22. März 2026 verstarb Jacqueline Fawcett, eine der weltweit renommiertesten Pflegewissenschaftlerinnen.

Sie war kurz zuvor gestürzt, doch wir hatten weiterhin Hoffnung auf ihre Genesung und darauf, dass sie bald als Freundin und Kollegin in die „Nursology.net-Community“ zurückkehren würde. Dr. Fawcett gehörte zu den Wissenschaftlerinnen, die gemeinsam mit Dr. Peggy Chinn „Nursology Net“ gründeten. Sie spielte eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Gestaltung der Inhalte der Website, die im September 2018 online ging.

Jacqueline Fawcett wurde am 18. März 1941 geboren und widmete ihre Karriere der Stärkung der wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen der Pflegewissenschaft (Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013). Mit einem Bachelor of Science in Pflegewissenschaften der Boston University sowie einem Master of Arts (MA) und einem Doktorat der New York University bildete sie Generationen von Pflegekräften auf Bachelor-, Master- und Doktoratsniveau aus und bekleidete mehrere Jahrzehnte lang Führungspositionen an der University of Massachusetts Boston.

Sie ist international für ihre metatheoretischen Beiträge anerkannt und wurde zu einer der stärksten Stimmen, die sich für Klarheit hinsichtlich der Wissensgrundlage der Pflege als Disziplin einsetzten (Fawcett, 2005; Fawcett & DeSanto-Madeya, 2013). Darüber hinaus prägte und förderte sie das Konzept der Nursologie, definiert als das Wissen über Phänomene, die für die Pflege von zentraler Bedeutung sind (Fawcett, J., 2023). Durch diese Arbeit betonte sie die Bedeutung der Entwicklung und Anwendung disziplinenspezifischen Wissens zur Förderung des globalen Wohlbefindens.

Ich hatte das Privileg, persönlich mit Jacqui zusammenzuarbeiten. Die Gespräche mit ihr waren geprägt von gemeinsamen Interessen, gleichen Werten in der Pflege und respektvoller Kommunikation. Unser Austausch war erfrischend lehrreich und fruchtbar. Sie begutachtete kritisch meine Beiträge zum Advanced Nursing Process, der Pflegediagnosen, Pflegeinterventionen und pflegesensitive Patientenergebnisse umfasst, die auf evidenzbasierten Pflegeklassifikationen beruhen (Müller Staub, 2025).

Obwohl Jacqui und Peggy Pflegeklassifikationen anfangs kritisch gegenüberstanden, ließen sie sich aufgrund unserer gemeinsamen Werte in der Pflege als eigenständiger Beruf mit eigener Wissensbasis überzeugen. Daher wurde meine Veröffentlichung im „Nurs Net“ zum Advanced Nursing Process unterstützt (Müller Staub, 2025).

Jacqui unterstützte auch die Veröffentlichung zur Swiss Nursing Initiative (Müller Staub, 2019). Da sie deren Vorgeschichte kennenlernen wollte, wurde auch der Verlauf der Initiative veröffentlicht (Müller Staub, 2022).

Jacqueline Fawcett ist vor allem für ihre Arbeit im Bereich der Theorie und Praxis der Krankenpflege bekannt. Zu ihren wichtigsten Werken zählen:

1. Pflege-Theorien und -Modelle: Fawcett beschäftigte sich intensiv mit der Entwicklung und Analyse von Pflege-Theorien (Henderson, Orem, King usw.). Sie untersuchte und bewertete zahlreiche Theorien, um klarere Verbindungen zwischen Theorie, Forschung und Praxis herzustellen. Pflege-Theorien sind konzeptionelle Rahmenwerke, die das Verständnis der Pflegepraxis, des Pflegeprozesses und der Patientenerfahrungen strukturieren. Sie bieten einen theoretischen Hintergrund, der Pflegefachkräften hilft, ihre Entscheidungen zu begründen und ihre Praxis zu leiten.
2. Konzeptualisierung der Pflege: Fawcett formulierte, wie Pflege als Disziplin definiert und verstanden werden sollte. Sie betonte, dass Pflegetheorien dabei helfen können, die spezifischen Merkmale der Pflege zu identifizieren und sie klar von anderen Gesundheitsdisziplinen abzugrenzen. Pflegetheorien spielen eine entscheidende Rolle in der Pflegeausbildung und -praxis, da sie einen Rahmen bieten, um die Komplexität der Pflege zu verstehen und wirksame Pflegeinterventionen zu entwickeln.
3. Theoretische Rahmenkonzepte: Fawcett entwickelte ein theoretisches Rahmenkonzept, das es Pflegefachkräften ermöglicht, Theorien zu strukturieren und zu bewerten. Sie schlug einen strukturierten Ansatz zur Analyse von Pflegetheorien vor und trug damit zur Weiterentwicklung von Theorien und deren Anwendung in der Praxis bis hinunter auf die Ebene des Pflegeprozesses bei.
4. Forschung in der Pflege: Fawcett setzte sich für die Integration von Forschung in die Pflegepraxis ein. Sie betonte, wie wichtig es sei, dass Pflegefachkräfte evidenzbasierte Maßnahmen anwenden, die auf soliden theoretischen Konzepten beruhen.
5. Veröffentlichungen: Jacqueline veröffentlichte zahlreiche Artikel und Bücher, in denen sie ihre Ideen und Theorien zur Pflegewissenschaft darlegte. Ihr Buch „Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress“ ist ein bedeutendes Werk, das weltweit viel gelesen wird.

Jacqueline Fawcetts Werke haben mich während meiner gesamten beruflichen Laufbahn geprägt. Zunächst habe ich mich in den 90er Jahren an der Universität Pittsburgh mit ihren Werken beschäftigt. Später vertiefte ich dies während meines Masterstudiums in Maastricht (NL) und an der WEG (CH), bevor ich mich mit meinen HöFa-I-Studierenden und später auf allen universitären Ebenen sowie in meiner Beratungstätigkeit weiter mit ihren Theorien auseinandersetzte.

Jacqueline Fawcett hat die Pflege als Disziplin gestärkt. Ihr Einfluss ist bis heute auf allen Ebenen der Pflegeausbildung, -praxis und -forschung relevant.

Maria Müller Staub, Im Namen des VfP, 25. April 2026

Ehrenmitglied des VfP, ehemalige VfP-Präsidentin

APNs on the Way to Being Covered by Mandatory Health Insurance​
On May 20, 2026, the Federal Council tasked the Federal Department of Home Affairs with drafting a bill to include the services of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) in mandatory health insurance (OKP). This will enable APNs to provide medical services in outpatient facilities in close collaboration with physicians and bill these services through OKP—an important step toward addressing the growing shortage of general practitioners in Switzerland.

The Association for Nursing Science (VfP-APSI) and its members are actively advocating for this step and will remain involved in the ongoing work as a stakeholder group.

For more information, please visit the Federal Council website.

Quiet Presence: What Psychiatric Nursing Really Means
A text that really gets under your skin.

6:43 a.m. Start of the shift. Room 12. A person who wants to disappear. And a nurse who stays—even when there’s nothing she can do.

Nadine Schuster, a member of our AFG Psychiatric Nursing team, writes about the moment that no treatment pathway captures and no guideline describes: silent presence as an intervention.

“I can’t take it anymore.” Softly. Almost casually. And all that follows is: simply being.

Your text reminds us that psychiatric care often takes place precisely in these in-between spaces—and that we talk far too rarely about what emotional labor really looks like.

Read the full article now on our Blog read.

Her book *A Dance on a Tightrope: On Dignity, Abysses, and the Quiet Work of Psychiatry* was published in 2025.

A New Voice for Healthcare Professionals: “salus” Brings Together Over 4,000 Professionals in Vorarlberg 
Vorarlberg now has a new voice for healthcare professionals: “salus – Network of Vorarlberg Healthcare Professions” is a coalition of ten professional associations that collectively represent more than 4,000 professionals. The goal is to strengthen cooperation and present a united front on health policy issues. The network’s chairman is Thomas Engl, who also serves as chairman of the ÖGKV Vorarlberg Regional Association and the ÖGKV-BEG PA/PFA. The network aims to secure long-term care provision, create better framework conditions, and raise awareness of the concerns of the healthcare professions.

For more information, please visit the Salus website

LGBTQ+ YOUTHPATH Study – We Want to Hear About Your Experiences as a Healthcare Professional
ZHAW is looking for healthcare professionals in outpatient care in German-speaking Switzerland who would like to participate in a study on the care of young LGBTQ+ people (ages 18–25).

On average, young LGBTQ+ individuals have poorer health than non-LGBTQ+ individuals. The study examines the experiences, barriers, and resources that healthcare professionals encounter when treating this population—with the goal of creating more inclusive and equitable care.

Participation takes place online, takes about 10 minutes per survey, and is available for up to 16 months. Personal experience with LGBTQ+ individuals is not required.

If you have any questions: lgbtq-youthpath@zhaw.ch or +41 (0)77 525 24 17

For more information and to register, visit the ZHAW website

Events