Nurses in Germany

 
 

Vocabulary

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

 

Chapter 1: Arrival in Pemma

At the municipal hospital in Pemma, more and more nurses come from India. Back home, they heard about Germany’s nursing shortage, including in rural towns like this one, and many traveled a long way to work here.

Like Geo James, he’s starting off by checking the patient’s blood pressure and temperature.

Chapter 2: Training and Language

Geo James, Nurse: “Germany was a dream for me. I wanted to try life in Europe and not only for financial reasons. Learning German was really hard. I quit my job to focus 100% on the language.”

James trained in India and worked there for a year as an intensive care nurse. The chance to work in Germany brought him here. To apply, he had to pass the B2 German exam.

Chapter 3: Vocational Training

In Germany, many foreign nurses also must pass a licensing exam. Some arrivals have incomplete or no formal training. Some come straight from high school.

Terresa Jomon studied German back in Kerala, India. Her first trip abroad took her directly into vocational training in Germany.

Terresa Jomon, Nursing Trainee: “In India, there’s a lot of advertising. Do you want to do vocational training in Germany? There are a lot of ads in magazines and newspapers about Germany.”

Chapter 4: Economic Incentives

Why don’t Indian trainees choose English-speaking countries? The US, Britain, or Australia might seem more obvious.

Terresa Jomon, Nursing Trainee: “I looked into the US, Canada, Australia, and Germany. Canada seemed good to me since I speak English, but it’s expensive.”

For young Indians, being paid during training is a major incentive. In their first year, apprentices earn nearly €1,400.

After their final exams, salaries can be up to 10 times higher than in India. Nearly one in five nurses and caregivers in Germany are from abroad, accounting for about 300,000 people.

Chapter 5: Recruitment Strategies

There is now a global market for medical personnel. Germany uses recruitment agreements with other governments to stay attractive and competitive.

Marcel Schafer, Head of Nursing Services: “We started early, back in 2017, before many other companies began to recruit abroad.

Through a personal contact, our director of nursing at the time got in touch with a doctor who treated leprosy patients in India and traveled back and forth between the two countries.

Our director then went to India to interview two candidates there.

Afterward, he handled all of the formalities and official paperwork himself and brought them to Germany.”

Chapter 6: Onboarding and Integration

Since 2017, the hospital has gained experience and refined its recruitment in India. The teams at the hospital in Pemma Suns and the local training institute are committed to the program. The head of nursing services even traveled to Kerala for a firsthand look.

In onboarding, we focus on two areas: professional and language training, and cultural integration.

The hospital has to lay the groundwork for the new arrivals. It starts with everyday things like airing out rooms, hygiene standards, and workflows. We also guide them through how bureaucratic Germany is, explaining why you have to respond quickly to letters from the authorities, and helping them navigate all of it.

Chapter 7: Expanded Training Facilities

So far, the hospital has brought well over 100 nursing professionals to Pemma’s, where they complete their licensing exams. In the meantime, the training institute has also expanded, opening new premises and doubling the number of courses.

In July, new digitally controlled simulation labs went into operation. Here, the Indian trainees learn and practice everyday situations and procedures using mannequins.

Back at the hospital, training international staff takes time. Instructors guide the new Indian nurses on the ward and explain what to watch for. Strong German language skills are essential.

Chapter 8: Clinical Experience

They have to be able to communicate at least the basics. The technical terms and everything else comes with time, but a B2 level is the minimum.

Sunita Vakandatil Kumaran is an experienced nurse who worked in intensive care in India. Now, she’s focused on her licensing exam.

Tobias Weiss, Patient: “I only have positive things to say,” she shares. “The people in the hospital need help, and whether it’s Indian nurses or German nurses, the care is just as good. I don’t see any difference.”

Chapter 9: Personal Sacrifices

Some recruits leave a great deal behind for a better future and a secure job in Germany. Senita has two children, ages three and eight, who stayed behind in India with her husband. They speak every day on video calls.

Sunita Vakandatil Kumaran, Nurse: “It’s very stressful. My family is in India and sometimes I feel lonely, but it’s for my family. My family will have a secure future, so it’s worth it.”

The Indian nursing community in this town of 40,000 is growing. Every April and October, new candidates to train and work arrive here.

20-year-old Teresa Jon plans to stay for the next 2 and a half years to finish her training.

There are great things about every type of job, but I think nursing is the best. That’s my opinion. And later on, she might stay and work as a nurse here in Germany.

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Questions

 

Registered Nurse. Only German citizens staff medical clinices and hospitals in Germany. True or false?

General or Family Practice. What skills or abilities does Geo James have or worked on? Does he do the same nursing duties in Germany?

Emergency Medicine. Can anyone just work as a nurse? Do they need a university degree?

Anaesthesia. Is there a big demand for nurses in Germany? Is there a shortage of nurses in Germany? Why do some Indian nurses choose Germany over the US, UK, Australia, Canada?

Cardiology. Did Marchel Schafer first begin recruit nurses from India online? Do only Indian nurses and trainees come to Germany?

Colon Surgery. The Indian nurses and trainees only learn about and practice medicine. Is this right or wrong?

Geriatrics. How do the recruits qualify to become nurses? Do German patients prefer local nurses?

Neurology. All the foreign nurses in Germany are young and single. Is this correct or incorrect? Are the number of international nurses in Germany increasing, decreasing or staying the same?

Internal Medicine. Is there a shortage of nurses and care givers in your community and, or nation?

Obstertrics. Are medical professions entirely local, local and foreign, or both?

Preventative Medince. Where do foreign professionals come from? Why do they work in your area?

Oncology.Do professionals from your country live and work abroad?

Orthopaedics. What might happen in the future?

Pathology. What could or should people and governments do?