Nurse Ligita Jātniece Receives Jelgava's Highest Honor "Goda zīme"

During the Jelgava city festival held in late May, several professionals were recognized with the city's highest award – "Goda zīme". Among the honorees was Ligita Jātniece, a general care nurse at SIA "Jelgavas klīnika", who has for many years responsibly and faithfully cared for the health of Jelgava residents.

The Path to Nursing

Today, to become a general care nurse, one must complete a four-year first-cycle professional bachelor's program in "Nursing Science". This program is offered by three state universities in Latvia: Rīga Stradiņš University, University of Latvia, and Daugavpils University. Graduates are qualified to work independently in any healthcare field or medical institution. Those interested can continue with a two-year master's program.

When Jātniece studied, nursing was available at several medical schools and was considered secondary vocational education. However, she notes that one thing remains unchanged: the motivation of future medical professionals must be strong, as medicine is a complex field.

Finding Her Path

After finishing high school, Jātniece did not immediately enroll in medical school. Instead, she worked for a year at the Valmiera Polyclinic registry. There, colleagues told her, "You should go study medicine." Since her maternal aunt was also a nurse, she thought, "Why not?" and enrolled in Riga's 1st Medical School, which she completed. This decision ultimately led her to receive the highest recognition – the "Goda zīme" from Jelgava.