Healthcare students will have a classroom in the hospital. UWB and AKESO also plan joint research

Teaching rooms and clinical practice facilities for future healthcare workers will be established at Hořovice Hospital. On 19 May, the UWB rector and AKESO owner signed a long-term cooperation memorandum. They also plan joint research with other UWB faculties.

Up to eighty students per year are already completing practical training in hospitals within the AKESO holding, for example in Hořovice, Beroun, or at the AKESO polyclinic in Prague. These are students of general nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. They will now have a stable, modern background at the Hořovice Hospital for both theoretical teaching and clinical practice, equipped with the latest devices and procedures.

The agreement on cooperation between the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and AKESO contributes to fulfilling the government’s program to increase the number of students in healthcare fields. “To support higher numbers of students, we also need more professional partners who will accept them for practical training. I am therefore pleased that we are expanding cooperation with modern workplaces within AKESO holding hospitals, where students will gain experience not only during placements but will also complete part of their studies directly on site,” said UWB Rector Miroslav Lávička.

The Czech healthcare system has long suffered from a shortage of non-physician healthcare staff, which is why AKESO sees cooperation with the university as an investment in the future of healthcare. “We also prepared for cooperation in teaching by training our own professionals. For almost two years, we have been educating employees who pass on their know-how to students,” said AKESO holding owner Sotirios Zavalianis.

In addition to practical training, the memorandum also includes joint research projects and cooperation with other UWB faculties. These may, in the future, contribute to the development of modern technologies in healthcare. The cooperation will also focus on supporting students' and university staff's mental health. Therefore, the AKESO Center for Mental Rehabilitation and the UWB Ombudsman will also be involved.