The Group of nurses - natural health resorts was established on 17 September 1982 at a meeting of representatives of nurses employed in natural health resorts and rehabilitation centers in Rogaška Slatina.

The first president of the section was from 1983 to 1986, the winner of the Golden Badge of the Chamber - Association, Mrs. Slivnik Štefka from the Zdravilišče Rogaška Slatina. Even then, she was dealing with the ever-current topic of hygienic problems of balneological health resorts. In 1984, the Group counted 64 members out of 88 nursing employees in health resorts. They advocated the unification of documentation in Slovenian health resorts.

 

From 1986 to 1988, Mrs. Radičevič Martina from the Zdravilišče Radenci took over the presidency.

 

Her work was continued from 1988 to 1990 by Mrs. Križnik Mija from the Zdravilišče Laško. She also attracted nursing employees from the Rehabilitation Institute Ljubljana to participate. They began to advocate that "a wheelchair user would move freely and feel good in the place ."

 

From 1990 to 1992, the presidency was taken over by the winner of the Golden Badge of the Chamber - Association, Mrs. Hren Marta from the Institute for Rehabilitation - Soča, Ljubljana. During this period, the Group found itself in trouble for the first time due to poor attendance at professional seminars and members low interest in participating.

 

From 1992 to 1994, the president was the representative of Šmarješke Toplice, Mrs. Gomizelj Anica.

 

Her work was continued from 1994 to 1998 by Mr. Matjašec Jože from the Zdravilišče Rakitna. But participation in professional seminars, the interest of leaders and nurses in cooperation continued to decline despite all efforts. When the presidency was changed, on 2nd of December 1998 the title of the Group was changed to the Professional Group of Nurses and Medical Technicians in Rehabilitation Centres and Health Resorts.

 

From 1998 to 2009, Mrs. Voda Jelka from Ptujske Toplice took over the presidency. In 2007, in the Nursing Review, she called on all nursing employees in rehabilitation and health resorts to socialize, cooperate and support.

 

From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Kopitar Natalija from the University Rehabilitation Institute of the Republic of Slovenia - Soča took over the leadership and again organized a very successful professional meeting with the members of the Executive Board on 16 April 2009. Experts from various fields (nurses, enterostomal therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and doctors) from URI - Soča, UMC Ljubljana and health centers were invited to participate. An anthology was also published. Thus, the Group was reactivated and tried to include Slovenian health resorts. The second successful seminar Rehabilitation nursing of a patient with urinary retention problems was held on 26.11.2009. Experts of various profiles from URI - Soča and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana participated. A proofread collection of 60 copies was also published. At this event, a general assembly was held and contact was established with representatives of some health resorts.

 

At the meeting of the Executive Board on 28 January 2010 in the Zdravilišče Laško, the sign of the Group was accepted. The central part of the sign illustrates health resorts, the ring is a wheelchair circle for a disabled patient and the hands involve the participation of nurses, the patient and relatives.

A website has also been set up.

 

The seminar Safety and Rehabilitation Nursing took place on 15 April 2010 and attracted experts from URI - Soča, Psychiatric Clinic and University Medical Center Ljubljana. Representatives of the interdisciplinary team were involved.

 

Health problems of patients with stool disorders (29.10.2011) again attracted experts from the Zdravilišče Rogaška Slatina, URI - Soča, the Hospital of dr. Peter Držaj and UMC Ljubljana.

 

The fifth very successful professional seminar Eating Disorders (March 23, 2012) attracted experts from all fields of work from the University College Ljubljana, URI - Soča and Zdravilišče Laško to active participation. The seminar Incontinence - an often hidden problem (February 14, 2013) was attended by experts from URI - Soča, the Hospital of dr. Peter  Držaj and Zdravilišče Laško.

 

Then, in 2013, Mrs. Vidmar Veronika from URI - Soča, took over the presidency. The seventh professional seminar Patient Relocation (March 6, 2014) also included learning workshops. It was so well received and praised that in 2015 a repetition with improvements followed and a fourth learning workshop was added.

The President has always advocated the implementation of education for the acquisition of special knowledge in the field of nursing care for patients with urinary disorders. Thus, in cooperation with the Group of Nurses in Enterostomal Therapy and with the support and cooperation of the Association of Urologists of Slovenia, the first training was successfully carried out in 2016. The purpose of the education is to equip nurses and medical graduates with additional knowledge about urinary disorders, catheterization of women and men, selection and prescribing of medical devices and solving ethical dilemmas. The training was attended by 27 participants who completed 100 hours of training (50 hours of theoretical content and 50 hours of practical training). The practical training took place at the urology departments of the University Medical Center Maribor, the Hospital of Slovenj Gradec and URI Soča. All of them successfully completed the training and obtained certificates of additional knowledge.

 

The first professional seminar with international participation Complications and approaches in rehabilitation nursing was held on March 10, 2016. Authors from Slovenia (URI - Soča, Topolšica Hospital, Zdravilišče Laško and Terme Topolšica), Croatia (KBC Zagreb) and Serbia (Rehabilitation Clinic of Dr. Miroslav Zotović, Belgrade) participated. For the first time, a proofread and peer-reviewed collection of 100 copies was published. In 2017 (20.4.) the 10th professional seminar Continuous Nursing - The Key to Patient Progress took place, with the participation of experts from the University Medical Center Maribor, the Topolšica Hospital, the University Medical Center Ljubljana and the Ljubljana Health Center. A proofread and peer-reviewed anthology on a USB stick was published. Unfortunately, the poorer interest of the representatives of Slovenian health resorts and the poorer participation of listeners was again perceived. Another training for the acquisition of special knowledge in the field of nursing care for patients with urinary disorders was also successfully carried out.

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In 2017, the position of the group's president was taken over by Mrs. Bojana Hočevar - Posavec.

The working group for the preparation of national protocols prepared and supplemented the protocol Catheterization of  Women by various experts in Slovenia.

The next training for the acquisition of special knowledge in the field of nursing care for patients with urinary disorders in 2020, despite the more difficult organization due to the situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, was also successfully completed.

 

In September 2021, the next professional seminar entitled Awareness raising of health professionals about the proper movement of people with reduced mobility was held in Ljubljana, and an anthology on this topic was also published. Experts from URI - Soča, Terme Topolšica, Zdravilišče Laško, UMC Ljubljana and Health Care Center of Škofja Loka participated in the seminar.

 

In November 2021, Mrs. Maja Vrabič from URI Soča took over the position of president of the section. Her first task was to design the website of the section.

The following professional meetings were organized under her leadership:

* in April 2022 - Comprehensive medical care of the patient during his rehabilitation after recovering from covid 19, training took place at URI Soča in Ljubljana; doctors, registered nurses, medical technicians, social workers, psychologists from URI Soča, UMC Ljubljana, Terme Dobrna and Zdravilišče Laško participated;

* in December 2022 - Nursing in rehabilitation - challenges and multidisciplinary approach, training took place in Bohinjska Bistrica; doctors, registered nurses, physiotherapists from SB Izola, URI Soča, SB Murska Sobota, Zdravilišča Laško, ZUDV Dornava, Psychiatric Clinic Ljubljana, Physiotherapy Institute Lipnica in Austria and KBC Osijek (oncology) participated;

* in September 2023, a two-day professional meeting - Ensuring safe nursing care during patient rehabilitation will take place, namely in Ptuj....

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During her mandate, she participated in the organization of professional training for the acquisition of special skills, namely in the areas of Nursing for neurological patients in rehabilitation (November - December 2022) and Nursing for patients with urinary disorders (March - June 2023).

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Throughout her term of position of a president of the Section, Nataša Kic, vice president of the Section, persistently helped her and stood by her side.