The Faculty of Nursing of the University of Indonesia (FoN UI) continues to make proud achievements in the national arena. At the 37th National Student Scientific Week (PIMNAS), which was held on October 14-19, 2024 at Airlangga University, Surabaya, FoN UI made history by winning the Bronze Medal in the Presentation Category in the field of PKM Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat (PKM PM). The student team led by Rifty Octapini Fauziah brought the good name of UI in this prestigious competition, competing with 525 teams from 118 universities selected from more than 43,000 proposals submitted.

The Dean of FoN UI, Agus Setiawan, S.Kp., M.N., D.N., expressed his pride in this extraordinary achievement. “This achievement shows that nursing students not only play a role in providing health services, but are also able to become agents of change through innovations that have a direct impact on society. Their active participation in PIMNAS proves that nurses can make a much wider contribution, including in the social and educational fields,” Agus said enthusiastically. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

The success of the FoN UI team did not come easily. The competition process starts from submitting a Student Creativity Week (PKM) proposal, passing the funding selection, to the implementation of community service projects that must pass the PKM implementation progress assessment stage (PKP2). The work presented at PIMNAS must meet various strict requirements set by the Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs and the Directorate General of Higher Education.

The PKM-PM project carried out by the FoN UI team focused on solving problems at the Depok City State Special School (SLBN). One of the key achievements of the project was its success in solving three main problems faced by the partners, namely the school, teachers, parents, and students with disabilities. Through a comprehensive approach, the team not only provided short-term solutions, but also designed a sustainability strategy by integrating teaching media related to sexual education into the school curriculum, especially for the SDLB level.

“We are very proud to be able to make a real contribution to SLBN Depok City. It's not just about solving one problem, but about how we can create a sustainable impact on the education of students with disabilities. We are also honored to fly the UI flag at PIMNAS,” said Rifty Octapini Fauziah, FoN UI team leader, gratefully.

One of the things that made the FoN UI team stand out among other competitors was the comprehensive and sustainable approach applied in their project. In addition to successfully solving the problems faced by partners, the team also collaborated with various parties, including hearings with the West Java Provincial Education Office, Depok City Social Service, and DP3AP2KB of Depok City. They also initiated collaboration with private special schools such as SLB Manunggal Bhakti and disseminated teaching media to the Read Aloud Depok community, as part of the sustainability strategy.

According to Rifty, this success is also inseparable from the hard work and solid collaboration between team members. “We work with enthusiasm to achieve the best results. Our team is compact and always tries to make every output, both final reports, scientific articles, partner handbooks, and presentation materials, in accordance with the established standards. In addition, some of our outputs have also been copyrighted, which adds more value to this project,” she added.

The 37th PIMNAS is one of the most prestigious events in Indonesian higher education, where thousands of students compete to show their creativity and innovation through various research and community service projects. FoN UI's participation in this competition is not only a proving ground for nursing students, but also shows their vital role in addressing real problems in society.

“We are very proud to see that our students are able to take nursing knowledge out of the classroom and laboratory, and apply it directly to solve problems in the field. This is proof that nursing education at UI not only produces reliable medical personnel, but also future leaders who are able to think critically and innovate,” added Agus Setiawan.

This achievement was not only achieved by FoN UI, but also by students from other faculties at UI. Adinda Puspita Ningrum from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences won the Silver Medal in the PKM-RSH Poster Category, and Nur Aziza Putri from the Faculty of Engineering became a finalist in the PKM VGK field. These achievements further cement UI as one of the best universities in Indonesia, which always encourages its students to excel at the national and international levels.

With the success that has been achieved, FoN UI will not stop here. This achievement is expected to be a trigger of enthusiasm for other students to continue to innovate and contribute to society through various creative and solutive projects. PIMNAS 38 which will be held at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, is the next target for FoN UI students to make another achievement.

“We hope this achievement can be an inspiration for all FoN UI students to continue to excel, innovate, and bring real benefits to society. Hopefully next year's PIMNAS will be a momentum for all of us to achieve higher achievements,” Agus Setiawan concluded.

With this achievement, FoN UI once again demonstrated its role as a pioneer of quality nursing education in Indonesia, producing nurses who are not only academically competent, but also have social sensitivity and innovative abilities in solving real problems in society.