Instituto Superior de Formación Sanitaria

What Instituto Superior de Formación Sanitaria does

Instituto Superior de Formación Sanitaria (ISFOS) is the official continuing education and training institution of the Consejo General de Enfermería (CGE), the national regulatory body representing Spain's approximately 330,000 registered nurses. Operating as a non-profit foundation under FICSSALUD (Fundación Iberoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud) and based in Madrid, ISFOS is led by Director Pilar Fernández and functions with a lean staff of 8 employees. The organization has trained more than 184,000 nursing professionals across its lifetime, making it one of the largest dedicated nursing education providers in Spain by alumni reach.

ISFOS's core products include Expert University Programs co-delivered with UDIMA (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid), awarded 20 ECTS credits per program, alongside a broader continuing education catalog and recurring webinar/jornada events. Notable offerings include a multi-edition aggression-prevention course for nurses and, as of October 2025, the Generación D Digital Competencies Program aimed at upskilling nurses in digital and AI literacy. Webinars and jornadas are frequently co-sponsored by major pharmaceutical companies (including Pfizer, GSK, and AstraZeneca) and conducted in collaboration with academic and inter-professional partners such as UNIR, IEIE, and Unión Profesional.

The business model combines tuition fees from credentialed expert programs, free or subsidized continuing education courses (often grant- or sponsor-funded), and event-based sponsorship revenue. Distribution is structurally embedded through the CGE's network of 52 provincial nursing colleges (colegios), giving ISFOS a free, regulatorily affiliated channel to the profession that commercial competitors cannot easily replicate.

Name

Instituto Superior de Formación Sanitaria

Legal name

FICSSALUD (Fundación Iberoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud)

Website

https://isfos.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISFOS is the official training arm of Spain's Consejo General de Enfermería, delivering accredited continuing education, expert university programs, and webinars to Spain's ~330,000 registered nurses through a network of 52 provincial nursing colleges.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Nursing education
• Continuing medical education
• Postgraduate nursing programs
• Healthcare professional training
• Online nursing courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Expert University Programs (Cursos Experto Universitarios): Tuition-fee programs offering university-recognized expert titles (expedidos por UDIMA), worth 20 ECTS credits, valid for scoring in public sector oppositions, employment bolsas, international work, and specialization pathways. Revenue generated from student tuition payments.
2. Continuing Education Courses (Formación Continuada): Accredited continuing education programs for nurses, some offered free of charge (e.g., aggression prevention course), others at varying fee levels. Provides professional development credits for career advancement.
3. Job Board / Employment Listings (Ofertas de empleo): ISFOS publishes nursing job vacancies and public examination notices (convocatorias) from healthcare institutions across Spain, serving as a recruitment facilitation service for the nursing community. Revenue model unclear; may serve as a member benefit.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ISFOS is the official postgraduate and continuing education institution for nurses in Spain, operating as the training arm of the Consejo General de Enfermería (CGE). It delivers Expert University Programs (postgraduate certificates in nursing specialties carrying ECTS credits via UDIMA), accredited and non-accredited Continuing Education courses, EIR exam preparation, and professional webinars and jornadas. Courses are delivered online and in blended formats through the Campus Virtual ISFOS platform.

Product overview

ISFOS (Instituto Superior de Formación Sanitaria) is the training institution of the Consejo General de Enfermería (General Council of Nursing of Spain), offering a portfolio of postgraduate and continuing education products for nurses. The core offering consists of Expertos Universitarios (Expert University Programs) — online and blended postgraduate certificates in nursing specialties (urgencies and emergencies, chronic patient care, rheumatology, nutrition, wound care, renal therapies, public health, school nursing, oncology, forensic nursing, and healthcare management) carrying ECTS credits and issued in partnership with UDIMA; Formación Continuada (Continuing Education) — accredited and non-accredited online courses including a free aggression prevention course developed with the Policía Nacional; and Jornados y Webinars — live and recorded professional knowledge-exchange events on current nursing topics, often conducted with pharmaceutical and healthcare industry collaborators. All coursework is delivered through the Campus Virtual ISFOS online learning management platform. A notable 2025 launch is the 150-hour Digital Competencies Program (Generación D), funded by European Next Generation EU funds, covering AI and digital skills for nurses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expertos Universitarios (Expert University Programs) Postgraduate expert university programs for licensed nurses covering nursing specialties including urgencias y emergencias, cuidados al paciente crónico, reumatología, nutrición, ostomías/heridas/continencia, terapias renales, salud pública, enfermería escolar, enfermería oncológica, enfermería pericial, and gestión sanitaria. Programs offered online and in blended formats, valid for opposiciones and bolsas de empleo scoring.
• Formación Continuada (Continuing Education) Accredited and non-accredited continuing education courses for practicing nurses, covering clinical topics, professional skills, and healthcare challenges. Available online and in blended formats with credits available.
• Jornadas y Webinars Live and recorded professional knowledge-exchange events covering current topics in nursing practice, healthcare policy, AI in nursing, vaccination, COVID-19, palliative care, dermocosmetics, and emerging clinical topics. Often co-organized with pharmaceutical sponsors and nursing associations.
• Curso de Preparación EIR Online preparation course for the EIR (Enfermero Interno Residente) competitive national examination, the specialization entry exam for nursing graduates in Spain.
• Programa de Competencias Digitales (Generación D) Free 150-hour digital competencies training program covering AI, digital tools, and e-health for nurses. Combines a 40-hour common digital skills block designed by Unión Profesional and Red.es with 110 hours of ISFOS-specific nursing-focused content. Funded by European Next Generation EU funds.
• Curso de Afrontamiento y Prevención de Agresiones a Enfermeras/os Free 20-hour online course on coping with and preventing aggression against nurses, developed in collaboration with the Policía Nacional. Covers aggression observation, legal procedures, prevention strategies, communication techniques, and response protocols. Free for all registered nurses in Spain.

Quantifiable outcome

• 184,000+ nursing professionals trained through ISFOS programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Unión Profesional (Generación D / Red.es)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Through the adhesion of the CGE to the Unión Profesional program, ISFOS leads the digital skills training of Spanish nurses as part of the Generación D initiative, financed by European Next Generation funds and managed by Red.es and the Ministry for Digital Transformation. ISFOS developed a 110-hour specialized training block targeting approximately 9,000 nurses out of 80,000 total professionals.
• Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Enfermería de España (CGE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISFOS is the official training institution (órgano de formación) of the Consejo General de Enfermería. The CGE is the national regulatory and representative body for the nursing profession in Spain, with over 330,000 affiliated nurses across 52 provincial colleges. This is ISFOS's parent organization and primary institutional relationship.
• UDIMA (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUDIMA is the university that issues expert university titles (títulos experto universitario) for ISFOS programs, conferring official university degrees and ECTS credits recognized throughout Spain and internationally. ISFOS Expert University programs are issued by UDIMA and carry 20 ECTS credits.
• UNIR (Universidad Internacional de La Rioja)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNIR is listed as a collaborator of ISFOS, contributing to the university's online educational ecosystem for nursing programs. The partnership supports ISFOS's online and semipresencial program delivery.
• Instituto Español de Investigación Enfermera (IEIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Spanish Institute of Nursing Research is a collaborator of ISFOS and the CGE, contributing expert content to ISFOS educational programs and seminars, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Colegio Oficial de Enfermería de A CoruñamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe College of Nursing of A Coruña co-organized the jornada 'Inteligencia artificial, drones y más allá. Tecnologías emergentes para la práctica enfermera' with ISFOS and the CGE, held at the Paraninfo of the Universidade da Coruña.
• Asociación Nacional de Enfermería Dermoestética (ANEDE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerANEDE co-organized the jornada 'Cuidados de la piel y la imagen corporal' with ISFOS to reinforce the role of nurses in dermocosmetics and advocate for nursing competencies in the field.
• PfizersupportingOthersPfizer collaborates with ISFOS as a sponsor of webinars and training initiatives on vaccination, COVID-19, and long COVID, as part of the CGE fellowship program for research and continuing education. Pfizer was a collaborator on the 'Long COVID y pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias' webinar.
• GSKsupportingOthersGSK collaborated with ISFOS on the webinar 'Vacunación en pacientes inmunodeprimidos,' addressing vaccination needs for immunocompromised patients and the role of nursing in immunization.
• AstraZenecasupportingOthersAstraZeneca collaborated with ISFOS on the jornada 'Vacunación antigripal pediátrica,' addressing pediatric influenza vaccination strategies and nursing roles in immunization campaigns.
• CeraVesupportingOthersCeraVe partnered with ISFOS for the webinar 'Eczemas y alteración de la barrera cutánea,' addressing skincare nursing competencies and patient education in dermatological conditions.
• GileadsupportingOthersGilead is listed as a collaborator on the ISFOS website. The nature of collaboration typically involves sponsorship of ISFOS educational events and webinars for the nursing community.
• SanofisupportingOthersSanofi is listed as a collaborator on the ISFOS website, typically providing sponsorship for educational webinars and professional development programs for nurses.
• ModernasupportingOthersModerna is listed as a collaborator on the ISFOS website, typically associated with vaccination-related educational content and programs.
• SeqirussupportingOthersSeqirus is listed as a collaborator on the ISFOS website, associated with vaccination and influenza-related nursing education programs.
• ItalfarmacosupportingOthersItalfarmaco is listed as a collaborator on the ISFOS website, typically involved in sponsorship of continuing education programs and webinars for nurses.
• Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro MajadahondasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerA healthcare collaborator listed on the ISFOS website. Hospitals typically contribute to ISFOS programs by providing clinical practice placements, expert faculty, and professional collaboration for nursing education.
• Hospital Universitario de FuenlabradasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerA healthcare collaborator listed on the ISFOS website, providing clinical training settings and professional expertise for nursing education programs.
• SAMUR - Protección CivilsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAMUR Protección Civil of Madrid is listed as a collaborator, contributing emergency and pre-hospital care expertise to ISFOS nursing education programs, particularly in emergency and critical care specializations.
• Osakidetza (Servicio Vasco de Salud)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOsakidetza is listed as a collaborator, contributing Basque regional healthcare system expertise and clinical settings to ISFOS nursing education programs.
• Solidaridad EnfermerasupportingOthersSolidaridad Enfermera is listed as a collaborator, representing a nursing solidarity organization that supports humanitarian and social nursing initiatives.
• adEla (Asociación Española de Esclerosis Lateral Amiotrófica)supportingOthersadEla is listed as a collaborator, contributing expertise on ALS patient care and support to ISFOS nursing education programs.
• ASIA (Asociación de Incontinencia Anal)supportingOthersASIA is listed as a collaborator, co-organizing webinars on fecal and urinary incontinence nursing care with ISFOS.
• A.M.A. (Agrupación Mutual Aseguradora)supportingOthersA.M.A. is listed as a collaborator, providing insurance and mutual protection services for the nursing professional community.
• EssitysupportingOthersEssity is listed as a collaborator, typically associated with healthcare and hygiene product-related nursing education content.
• INDASsupportingOthersINDAS is listed as a collaborator, associated with incontinence care and related nursing education programs.
• InterporcsupportingOthersInterporc is listed as a collaborator, associated with food safety and public health nursing education content.
• La Roche PosaysupportingOthersLa Roche Posay is listed as a collaborator, typically associated with dermatology and skincare nursing education content.
• Comitas e-healthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerComitas e-health collaborated with ISFOS on the webinar 'Telesalud: asistencia sanitaria desde cualquier lugar,' which included a live connection with a ship at sea to demonstrate telemedicine capabilities. Comitas donated a Medicy portable telemedicine kit to Ukraine through the CGE.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Difusión Avances de Enfermería (DAE): DAE is a long-standing Spanish organization providing nursing continuing education and the journal 'Enfermería Clínica,' with deep presence in the Spanish nurse training market through courses, publications, and accredited CE offerings.
• Salusplay: Salusplay is a leading Spanish online platform offering accredited continuing education (formación continuada) for healthcare professionals including nurses, pharmacists, and physicians. It is the closest Spanish competitor to ISFOS in delivering CE/CPD courses to licensed nurses, with similar course categorization and accreditation partnerships.
• Editorial Médica Panamericana: Editorial Médica Panamericana is the leading Spanish-language medical and nursing educational publisher, offering textbooks, CE content, and digital learning resources targeting Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals with significant overlap in nursing specialty learning content.
• AMIR (Academia de Estudios Sanitarios): AMIR is a leading Spanish healthcare exam-prep academy (MIR, EIR, FIR) focused on residency exams including the EIR (Enfermero Interno Residente), directly overlapping with ISFOS's EIR preparation product. Strong national footprint and similar target audience.
• FNN — Fundación para el Desarrollo de la Enfermería: FNN is a Spanish nursing foundation providing continuing education and professional development for nurses across Spain, with comparable nonprofit structure and direct overlap in nursing CE course offerings for Spanish-licensed nurses.

Broad incumbents

• UNIR (Universidad Internacional de La Rioja): UNIR is a major Spanish online university partner of ISFOS with similar online/blended delivery model and ECTS-credited specializations for nurses. Broader portfolio across many fields but materially overlaps in nursing postgraduate programs and digital learning infrastructure.
• CEF (Centro de Estudios Financieros): CEF is a major Spanish professional education provider offering continuing-education and postgraduate programs across multiple disciplines via online and in-person formats, comparable in delivery model and Spanish-market positioning to ISFOS although focused outside nursing.
• UDIMA (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid): UDIMA is ISFOS's partner university that issues official Expert University titles (títulos experto) for ISFOS programs. It is a broader Spanish distance-learning university offering full degree programs, which intersects with ISFOS in nursing specializations but operates at a much wider academic scale.
• UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia): UNED is the Spanish national distance-learning university offering broad postsecondary programs, including healthcare and nursing degrees, that compete in the same Spanish online postgraduate/CE market where ISFOS operates its expert programs.

Regional players

• Colegio Oficial de Enfermería de Barcelona (COIB): The official nursing college of Barcelona provides regional continuing education and professional services to nurses in Catalonia. Comparable in scope and target audience but operates primarily within Catalonia rather than nationally through the CGE network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isfosenfermeria
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@isfosformacion
• Instagraminstagram.com/reel/DY1uHsAM5aX/?igsh=MWgzcmU1MjE5b3V4eQ==
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/instituto-superior-de-formaci%C3%B3n-sanitaria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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