Dr. Anna Kriskova, from the Slovak Republic, a Fulbright Scholar in Residence at Otero Junior College has recently published her second book, Occupational Health Nursing. The book is the first book on the subject to be written in her native language of Slovakian. Kriskova (on left) is holding her first book, Nursing Techniques, while Denise Root, (on right) director of nursing at OJC, holds a copy of Kriskova’s most recent book. Root has been instrumental in helping Kriskova fulfill her mission as a Fulbright Scholar at OJC, by involving her in the nursing education program at the college.
LA JUNTA - Dr. Anna Kriskova, a Fulbright Scholar in Residence at Otero Junior College, has recently published the first occupational health nursing textbook to be written in the Slovak language. Dr. Kriskova, from the Slovak Republic, is a doctor of nursing science. As the author of Occupational Health Nursing, Dr. Kriskova worked in cooperation with the International Institution of Rural and Environmental Health and the College of Nursing and Public Health at the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa paid for the publishing.
This is the second book Dr. Kriskova has published. In 2001 she published her first textbook; Nursing Techniques. This textbook focused on standardized nursing techniques and was written as a result of the experience and knowledge she gained from working with international nursing organizations.
Before accepting the Fulbright Scholarship to Otero Junior College, Dr. Kriskova served as a senior advisor in the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. In her position she worked to further the education of health care providers. She holds two doctoral degrees, one in Nursing Science and a second in Philosophy. As a practicing nurse from 1965 to 1981, she worked under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. Since the Slovak Republic’s independence from Czechoslovakia in 1993, she has remained in nursing as a teacher, researcher and international lecturer on healthcare services and policies.
Dr. Kriskova’s motivation for writing textbooks in her native Slovakian language stems from her interest in the standardization of nursing techniques and practices on a global basis. She has worked with the International Council of Nursing, an organization comprised of health professionals in 125 countries, to further educational practices that would standardize nursing worldwide. She also supports the mission of the World Health Organization and their quest for standardized healthcare practices. “I believe that nursing has no boundaries. A nurse who has been trained in Slovakia should possess the same skills and level of expertise that a nurse trained and working in any other area of the world should have,” explained Dr. Kriskova. One of the major challenges faced by professionals like Dr. Kriskova — who work for global nursing practices — is the lack of standardized technology and procedures. Another major barrier is the lack of textbooks written in native languages that convey global techniques and practices. “I hope by writing these two books in the Slovak language, nursing students in my country will be able to learn from my experiences and knowledge that have been gained internationally,” she said.
Dr. Kriskova arrived at Otero Junior College last July, and will stay through the end of the school year in May. While at OJC, she has worked closely with the OJC Nursing Department, teaching and studying the process of educating nurses in America.
“The support I have received from the entire nursing department at OJC has been wonderful,” said Kriskova. “Denise Root, the department chairman, has understood and supported the need for global nursing practices. She has coordinated my work with her staff, students, and the community health care facilities so that I might gain a better understanding of how nurses are educated in America. Without the support from the administration at OJC and the Nursing Department, I would not have been able to fulfill my mission as a Fulbright Scholar. I am deeply grateful for the support I have received and the knowledge I have gained,” she said.
In addition to working with the OJC Nursing Department, Dr. Kriskova has had numerous public speaking engagements throughout the Arkansas Valley where she has enlightened residents about her homeland and about her quest for global nursing standards. Over the next few weeks she will be traveling to a Fulbright Conferences in Washington, D.C., and later will be a guest speaker at nursing conferences in Seattle and Denver.
