On May 19-20, Astana Medical University hosted an international conference “Nursing education, research and practice in Kazakhstan: investment in the future of nursing”. Conference  is part of the AccelEd project “Accelerating Master and PhD Level Nursing Education Development in the Higher Education System in Kazakhstan”, which is funded by the EU through the Erasmus + Foundation, which implements innovative projects to increase capacity and reform higher education.

Welcoming words were delivered by: Nadyrov Kamalzhan Talgatovich, Chairman of the Board, Rector of NJSC "Astana Medical University"; Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe; Margrieta Langins, Nursing and Midwifery Policy Adviser, WHO Regional Office for Europe; Pamela Cipriano, President of the International Council of Nurses; Narbekova Banu Mukataevna, Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, partners of the AccelEd project.

Over 200 participants attended the conference from medical universities, colleges, higher colleges, practical healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as Europe.

Omarkulov Bauyrzhan Kadenovich, Director of the Institute of Public Health and Occupational Health of the Karaganda Medical University moderated the section «Improvement of nursing through the collaboration of education and practice». The section was aimed at discussing the best practices of collaboration between education and clinical practice on the topics of master's and doctoral dissertations and research, cooperation in the development of educational programs, qualification requirements for the training of nurses in terms of clinical practice, mentoring.

Kuanysh Zhuldyz Maratkyzy, a PhD student of the educational program “Public Health”, a public relations specialist of the KMU, made a report on the Recommendations for the development of cooperation in the field of nursing between medical universities and healthcare institutions, and the Report of the nursing research infrastructure in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Auez Rashidovich Aitmagambetov, teacher at the School of Nursing Education of the KMU, presented a report on the application of Service Design in Healthcare, and noted the importance of innovative methods for the development of nursing research.