Photo: WFFB
The majority of care professions are regulated professions for which a professional or academic qualification comparable to a German qualification is required. There are many levels at which employees can work in the care sector, from care assistants and specialised care workers to specialists with a university degree. Depending on the job, training and professional experience that was not acquired in Germany can be fully or partially recognised. There are special advice centres in Brandenburg that can help with the recognition of international qualifications.
Regulated professions: Working in medical professions in Germany is subject to the recognition of professional qualifications. These professions are called regulated professions. They also include, for example, the profession of ‘nurse’. In order to work in these professions, professional qualifications obtained abroad must be recognised by an authority. We explain how this works in the section on the recognition of qualifications not obtained in Germany.
People who work in the caring professions bear a great deal of responsibility. That is why a specific level of training is prescribed in Germany for the various caring activities. The advantage of this is that the training levels build on each other, making it possible to plan a career all the way up to a management position.
The nursing staff come to the home of the person in need of care and provide nursing care (nursing care, wound care, hygiene measures, etc.) in the home environment.
These include, for example, day care facilities. People in need of care receive care and support in the facility on fixed days of the week, usually between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Day care, together with outpatient care services, ensures that people in need of care can continue to live at home despite their care needs.
are homes for the elderly where the residents in need of care have their main place of residence in the facility. They usually have their own room there and are cared for by the nursing staff employed there according to their care and support needs.
In hospitals, nursing staff are primarily involved in the acute care of patients. In addition to nursing activities, they can also take on organisational tasks, such as documenting patient data.
Employees in Germany are well protected, regardless of the level of qualification with which you enter the nursing profession. Working hours, salaries, holidays, etc. are usually regulated by collective agreement or based on it. The basis of every employment relationship is an official employment contract. Statutory health, pension and unemployment insurance is mandatory for every employee in Germany. Almost half of the costs for this are covered by the employer.
If you work in Brandenburg as a registered nurse, the same rules apply to you as to your colleagues with a German professional qualification.